The Hunter's Queen (ICS Book Two) - Wattys2017

Chapter Twenty - The Past Burns

The Past Burns

Vincent stared down at Evelyn's grief stricken face, trying to wrap his mind around her words. His body shook with his efforts to stay in control. His wolf was strong now, demanding they take what was theirs. Over and over it chanted from within his mind.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

Evelyn was his mate.

His hands twitched with the need to pull her to him. He craved the taste of her skin. Her scent surrounded him, an intoxicating blend that left him aching and hard. He needed to fill her with his cock and sink his teeth into her neck.

The animalistic needs in him played havoc on his mind, his wolf practically roaring as it clawed to be free.

He rubbed a hand down his face with a snarl, forcing it back. It took every ounce of him to do so. Vincent focused on her eyes, the silver pools gleaming with tears. It centered him, cleared his mind.

"What did you say?" he asked, his words cracked and gravelly.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, each one a dagger in his chest. She swiped them away, glaring up at him. "Did you know that the only way to kill a mystic is to burn them? Cutting off the head alone won't work. They're too powerful even for that. You have to burn them to ash."

"I didn't," he answered truthfully, frowning down at her. Why was she telling him this?

She seemed slightly relieved by his answer before her eyes glazed over with grief once more. "The hunters that killed my parents knew."

This couldn't be true. No hunter could take down a fucking mystic. His wolf and his mind filled with denial. He knew the pain of losing a loved one in violence. Knew the blackness it left on one's heart.

His wolf gave a mournful howl.

Fear rushed over him, a clawing panic at the back of his throat. The feeling was foreign to him, daunting in its intensity. Evelyn wasn't a werewolf. She didn't feel the bond as he did, that undeniable pull to be with her mate.

What if she rejects me?

His wolf roared, the sound vibrating within his mind.

No!

Before he knew what he was doing he had her shoulders gripped tightly in his hands. He gave her a soft shake. "You need to tell me what happened." His wolf was beside itself, torn between the oppressive desire to claim her and the inherent need to care for her.

Evelyn paled, shaking her head. "I can't."

A chill ran up his spine. What if she truly did reject him? He couldn't stand the thought of it.

Can't lose her. Won't survive it.

It would kill him, he knew it.

Claim her!

Gritting his teeth Vincent fought back his wolf. It physically pained him to do so. He relished its return, wanted to give in to it fully. But he couldn't, not now. Not with Evelyn so torn.

He needed to know everything so he could fix this. "I need to know."

Eve swallowed hard, avoiding his eyes. "My mother was a really powerful mystic, even stronger than my aunt." She smiled sadly. "But her real talent was in healing others. She was so good, pure. She refused to ever hurt anyone, even if they wanted to do her harm."

"Evelyn." Vincent reached up, cupping her cheek, wiping at her tears with his thumb. It pained him to see her this way.

"One night a man dragged me out of bed. I was so terrified. He forced me outside, where another man was waiting with my mother and father. They were both hunters. They came for my mother." She laughed, the sound cold and empty. "To kill a mystic, imagine what that would mean to a hunter. Villagers where there too, surrounding us. They said awful things, threw things at us."