The Hunters

Chapter 1

Adriana

"Ria, please be reasonable. It's just one night!"

Head in hands, I force myself to try harder to block out her ridiculous whining. All because I won't do it anymore. Why should I have to take care of her spawn?

That bloody kid. The one that could throw tantrums for sport, and pukes on just about all my more expensive shoes. No. Not again.

"Ria, dear, it's not the end of the world! Please just come out, your father and I need to leave"

Just a little longer. If I can ignore her for a few more minutes, she might just take the hint.

"Adriana, I'm not going to stand here all night. We're leaving in ten minutes."

Oh no you don't.

Her footsteps echo in the hallway, especially loud with her unnecessarily loud, break-neck heals. Seriously woman, how do you do anything in those?

Slamming my hands down on my duvet, I leap from my bed, swing open the door and practically launch myself across the hallway to their room, almost knocking down a vase on my way. As I reach for the handle, their bedroom door swings open in front of me, giving me a full view of Edmund in all his bare chested, pissed off glory. Like the klutz I am, I almost tumble straight into him.

Honestly, put on a damn shirt.

Please.

"Adriana, you have been told repeatedly that you need to look after Emily tonight. Why do you always insist on making things difficult?" He growls, his posture dominant in an attempt to intimidate. My eyes narrow at him. I know it won't intimidate him, but I need to at least try. He and Diana do this at least 4 days a week, going out and doing who knows what for hours on end, leaving me to care for what is basically a demon in a meat sack. Not to mention the fact that every bloody time they go out, they get plastered and start acting like psychopaths. Now I'm not saying they are violent - they aren't and never have been - however they do say things that would probably get them in trouble, had Edmund not been the damn mayor. And despite hating the little demon's guts, that isn't something I'd want her seeing.

I turn to look at Diana, who stands timidly by the doorframe. Why she doesn't just leave him, I'll never know. She always comes home from a night out considerably more aware than her husband, but always agrees with everything he does or says, despite the fact that she is clearly miserable. She never speaks for herself, submitting to Edmund no matter what and agreeing with every piece of crap he comes out with.

Turning back to Edmund, I breathe in deeply. This could end badly; no matter how much I disagree with him, I've never spoken out before, mostly just because I know I won't have any backup. I make a final bid to appear confident, straightening my back and clearing my throat.

"I'm not doing it again."

Well if he didn't think I was pathetic before, he certainly does now.

He doesn't even look in the least bit affected, wearing that stupid smirk of his.

I grimace, knowing that there's no chance he's going to take me seriously. I glare at him.

I will be taken seriously.

"You do the same thing, multiple times a week, coming home so drunk you can't find your own arse, and expect me to just deal with it. Why should I bother? I can't babysit Emily; she won't listen to me, never sleeps, and pukes in my shoes as if she knows it pisses me off. But I also can't stand here trying to protect her from seeing how pathetic you are any longer. It is no sight for a 4 year old, Edmund!"