aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) (19 page)

“Why
me?” Kimi’s breath caught at the intensity of Niail’s gaze.

“I
cannot explain why we were chosen to be as one.” Niail reached for her, his
hands soothing over her arms. “I just know that I will never mate with another
woman. You are my pair bond.”

“I’m
not ready for that kind of commitment.” Kimi’s voice shook. “We’ve just met. I
swore I would never become involved with a man who didn’t believe in the same
traditions as me. You’re not Blackfeet.”

Niail
grinned. “I am not human either, but that does not change how I feel. We are
bonded.”

Kimi
pushed away. “This is too much for me to deal with right now.”

“There
is nothing to concern you.” Niail reached for her arm and started leading her
to the road. “I am bonded with you. The longer we stay together, the closer our
connection will be.”

“And
I have no say?”

“You
can refuse the bond and the mating.” Niail pushed a branch clear of the path.
“I will honor your decision.”

“Then
what happens?”

“If
you do not want the bond, then I will not be able to link with you.”

Kimi’s
eyes narrowed. “Connect through our thoughts?”

“Yes.”
Niail stopped walking and turned to her. “When those men were holding you I
knew that you were afraid. I knew there was danger.”

“So
you’ll always know when I’m in danger?”

“Yes.”

Kimi
bit her lip. It seemed like a good thing. If Niail knew when she was in peril,
then he could help. There didn’t seem to be a down side to it, especially given
the situation they were in right now.

“That’s
all?” Kimi took a deep breath. “You won’t be expecting anything else from me?”

“You
can trust me.” Niail stepped out onto the road. “I will honor your decision.”

Kimi
nodded. “Then I suppose the sensible thing would be to see what happens after
we’re out of danger. If there is still some connection, then we can explore
what to do about it then.”

“As
you wish.” Niail waited until she was beside him. “Know that I will always
protect you whether you agree to be my mate or not. The pair bond is real.”

She
heaved a sigh. “I still think you’ll change your mind about that. For now,
let’s get to safety.”

Niail
clasped her arm and a thrill raced through her. Whatever this attraction was,
it was powerful. All she wanted was to sink into his arms and surrender. It was
irresistible. She would have to be careful not to fall under its spell because
she had no intention of uprooting her life.

“Hurry.”
Jake motioned them toward the truck. “I need to get to my contact’s house. He’ll
know the best course of action.”

Niail
threw the packs into the truck’s box. Then he clasped her waist and lifted her
onto the truck’s bench seat. She scooted past the steering wheel and moved to
the far door. When Kimi was settled, her Grandfather positioned himself on the
driver’s side. Niail and Jake jumped into the open back of the truck. Mark was
already in the box, with his hands cuffed to a tie down.

Her
grandfather turned the key and put the pickup in gear. “We’ll stop at the cabin
and pick up the other vehicles.”

Kimi
clasped her hands in her lap. Niail’s words from earlier were spinning in her
head. His talk of pair bonds and mating was foreign to her. Her stomach churned
with indecision. She didn’t want her life turned upside down.

She
turned to her Grandfather. “What do you think about Niail?”

“He
is a man to be trusted.” The vehicle jolted and sputtered.

“But
he kills.”

Her
grandfather shifted gears and the truck started to run smoother. “He protects.
He is a man of honor.”

“He
thinks I’m his mate.” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance
to think.

“What
do you believe?”

“If
he’s a Star Person, then he’s not from earth.” Kimi’s voice wavered. “That
means he’s an alien.”

“That
doesn’t make him a lesser man.” Her grandfather gave her a sideways glance.
“I’ve noticed you are not indifferent to him.”

Kimi
frowned. “There’s a strange energy that pulses through me when he’s near, or
touches me. He calls it pair bonding. Niail believes that when the bonding
strengthens, he will always know when I’m in danger.”

“Your
brother says he was willing to take a bullet for you.”

“He
has promised to guard me.” Kimi wrung her hands. “I can’t let him continue to
do that, especially when I don’t know how I feel about him.”

“It’s
what he wishes.” Her grandfather frowned. “You’re at risk. Why would you deny
his protection?”

“I
can’t promise to return his affection.”

Kimi
knew she sounded indecisive, but she couldn’t help it. As much as Niail said he
didn’t want anything in return, her experience of men had taught her
differently. She refused to be indebted to any man. It always led to hurt
feelings, and disappointment.

“It
seems you already care.” Her grandfather’s tone was dry.

“He’s
not Blackfeet.” Kimi’s voice was tinted with sadness. “I vowed after Sam that
if I let another man into my life, he would have to share our traditions.”

“You
search for perfection.” Her grandfather tilted his head at her. “You won’t find
it in this world.”

“I
couldn’t’ bear to be hurt again.”

“There
is no remedy for that.” Her grandfather sighed. “You’re grandmother left this
earth when I was still a young man. There has been no healing the hole she left
in my heart. To love is to grieve.”

“Then
why chance it?”

“The
joy and beauty of love is never forgotten.” Grandfather smiled, his face
softened by memories. “That is worth the pain.”

“I
want the children raised in our traditions.” Kimi glanced out the side window.
“Niail’s beliefs are so different. I don’t think he would be a good influence.”

“You
are making excuses.” Her grandfather’s voice was stern. “Do not forget the
legend of the choosing of mates. Chief Woman disguised herself as a beggar
woman and chose Old Man as her mate. He refused to go with her because she
looked old and poor. After all the other women had chosen mates, she came out
as herself, and Old Man did everything he could to make her pick him, but she
chose another. Old Man was left without a mate and Chief Woman turned him into
a pine tree.”

Kimi
smiled. She had heard this tale many times. “Are you suggesting I’ll end up a
tree?”

“You
should not judge Niail by what you see.” Grandfather turned into the drive for
the cabin. “You may find yourself alone. Trust me, time moves slow when there is
no one to share it with.”

The
truck came to a stop in front of the cabin. Kimi looked over at her grandfather
and nodded. “Thank you.”

“You
let your mind dwell on the things that don’t matter.” Her grandfather put his
hands over hers. “Let you heart lead you in this.”

“I’ll
try.”

At
that moment Niail pulled the door open. “We must not delay.”

Kimi
jumped down and started toward the cabin. The sooner they got on the road, the
better. She knew that Ann would be taking care of the children, but she wanted
her life back to normal. That wasn’t going to happen until Jake contacted his
superiors.

Jake
was ahead of her and he ran behind the cabin. Their vehicles should still be
there. Kimi leaned against the cabin door and waited for her grandfather and
Niail to reach her. She was exhausted emotionally and physically. Too much had
happened. Her mind was churning with everything that Niail had told her.
Grandfather was right. She needed to stop thinking and let her heart lead her.

Her
grandfather opened the door and Kimi stumbled in behind the men. She headed for
the couch and sank into it with a sigh.

“You
need rest.” Niail stood behind the couch.

“You’re
the one injured.” Kimi settled her head into the backrest. “Let me know when
the vehicles are ready. I’ll be happy when these guys are arrested and I can
sleep in my own bed.”

“That’s
not happening for a while.” Jake stood at the cabin door.

Kimi
straightened up and looked at him. He was out of breath, and his eyes were
darting around the cabin. Before she could speak, Niail had pushed past Jake
and gone outside.

“What
happened?”

“They’ve
vandalized the vehicles.” Jake pulled a chair out and sat. “The tires are
slashed.”

“Can
we fix them?”

Jake
shook his head. “We only have two spare tires between the vehicles.”

Niail
came back into the cabin. “We will all have to leave in your grandfather’s
truck.”

Grandfather
had gathered his pack of supplies and put it on the table. “I will drive you.”

“Sooner
would be best.” Niail grabbed the pack off the table. “There is no sign of the
dead men’s vehicle so we have to assume they were dropped off by someone. That
means they will return when the men we have killed do not show up.”

Jake
heaved a sigh and stood. “I forgot about that. We should go to Andrew’s house.
He’s my supervisor and no one will expect us to meet up with him there.”

Kimi
sighed and pushed off the couch. There would be plenty of time to rest later.
All that matter now was getting to safety. She joined Niail at the door and he
pulled her close. She inhaled his scent and instantly felt energized.

“It
will be over soon.” Niail led her to the truck.

When
she was seated, he shut the door and jumped into the back. She turned and
looked at him, her gaze never leaving his face. A sense of comfort and safety
infused her body.

This
was a man who could possess her totally. With a start she realized that was
exactly what she wanted; to be utterly and completely part of Niail. She ached
for him. She wanted his words about pair bonding to be true. She needed to know
that she was as much a part of him as he was of her.

A
flame flickered deep within Niail’s eyes and she knew. No words were needed. He
had sensed her thoughts. She didn’t know how, but he had reached deep within
her. Somehow he had captured the part of her that was scared and frightened and
was soothing it. His protection surrounded and comforted her.

The
spell was broken when her grandfather opened his door and sat behind the wheel.
Kimi sighed and turned away from Niail. Once they were safe, there would be
time to explore the sensations that were racing through her. Now she must focus
on getting help from the police. She needed her life to get back to normal.

The
drive to town was accomplished in silence. Her grandfather was a man of few
words and Kimi knew that he had said all he meant to about her relationship
with Niail. Grandfather saw no reason for them not to be together. That was all
he was going to say about the matter.

They
arrived in Cut Bank just after dark. They drove down Main Street and turned off
past the County Building until they came to a residential area. He stopped in
front of a small beige clapboard sided house. Jake jumped down and unlocked
Mark from the tie down.

“I’ll
contact the head of the department from here and see what he wants me to do.
Hopefully we can get a police van sent to transport Mark to Billings. I would
feel safer that way. I don’t know how far reaching Kowal’s control is.”

Grandfather
turned the vehicle off and jumped out. “I will come with you. I need to stretch
my legs.”

Niail
opened the truck door beside Kimi. “Are you certain you can trust this man?”

“He’s
law enforcement and my contact in the area.” Jake’s tone was impatient. “You
see conspiracy around every corner.”

“No.”
Niail rested his arm on the vehicle’s door. “I have seen more corruption than
you. I have also cleaned up more messes.”

Mark
snickered. “Nothing is as it seems.”

Jake
gave him a shake. “Enough. There’s no doubt of your guilt. If you had your way
we would all be dead.”

“All
we wanted was the Hunter. Remember that.” Mark pulled against Jake’s lead. “Now
it’s probably too late.”

A
shiver raced up Kimi’s spine. Niail glanced down at her and she forced a smile.
The thought of someone taking Niail away was painful. She would barely be able
to handle it when he returned to his own kind. At least then she would know he
was safe.

“I
will never leave you.”

Kimi’s
eyes widened. How had he known what she was thinking? He’s said his brain was
too confused to read thoughts.

Niail
leaned close. His breath tickled her ear. “Our bond is strengthening. My head
is unclear of everything, but you.”

“That’s
not possible.” Kimi’s words were a whisper.

“It
is possible for a Hunter.”

Kimi
bit her lip, her eyes glancing from side to side. “Can you read everyone’s
mind?”