The Rogue Hunter's Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit 10] (Siren Publishing Classic) (8 page)

Bethany nodded and walked along at his side for several long minutes. Finally, however, she stopped and looked at him. “What will be my choice?” she stated bluntly. “Talk to me, Zaidu. What do you mean?” she asked quietly. “I’m more than a little confused here. I know what’s happening in my life.” Boy howdy, did she! “But what has to be my choice?”

“Whether you request our assistance in protecting you or if you choose to return to police protection and the WITSEC program,” he told her. “If you choose to have the police protect you we won’t be responding to any further calls that could be in relation to you. You will need to rely fully on them and not on us in any way. If you choose to request we protect you, you will be living by our rules, minimal questions asked and we will ensure your safety at all hours for as long as it takes to ensure your brother is permanently detained.”

“Oh.” Well that wasn’t what she had been expecting, to be perfectly honest. Wrapping her arms around herself, she nodded and looked up to the skies. The clouds began to gather. The chill lacing the air seemed to kick up even more as the wind began to howl and whip around them. “Which would you prefer?” If she asked for his people to protect her there was a chance that they would run into each other and he had made it perfectly clear he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. “Would you rather I go back into WITSEC or do you think I should ask your people to protect me? Keep in mind that we will more than likely run into each other if I choose option B.”

Shrugging out of his leather jacket, he wrapped it around her shoulders. “You misunderstand me,” he said. “When you request our protection you’ll actually be requesting it directly from me. I’m not under the same mandates as the Teams are that Talon runs. While I often work in concert with them and run joint operations on occasion, I’m a Hunter and only report to the Council. While I can pull in other resources should it be necessary, you and I would, for lack of a better term, be joined at the hip until I find, corner, and incarcerate your brother.” Or put him six feet under. Either option worked for him really, but he did prefer the second, much more permanent solution.

“Oh.” Bethany’s eyes went wide at that admission from him. She shrugged in closer to his jacket and inhaled the scent of leather and something she had never smelled before, a scent that was all Zaidu. “So I guess the question is still out there. Which would you prefer? Especially since you know how close you will have to stick with me. Which one would you prefer?” He could barely stand her, so she wouldn’t be surprised when he told her to go back to WITSEC.

Staring at her he suddenly put a hand at her back and urged her forward. “Since you’re not protesting the concept you are hereby under our protection,” he told her. “And the cops can suck it,” he muttered under his breath.

She nodded and walked along at his side once more. Chewing her lower lip, she knew she should just keep her mouth shut. Really it would only be the best thing, but she found herself looking up at him while they walked and asked, “Why, Zaidu? You made it pretty clear when you walked away from me that you truly didn’t like me at all, couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me, so why? Why would you offer to put yourself between me and a batshit-crazy sadist who lives off of others’ misery?”

Sighing, he stopped and looked at her. “Why does everyone insist on knowing the why?” Z looked at her and thought a moment. “I don’t have any issue with you. I have an issue with others interfering in my life and thinking they know better than I do about what I need or want. I’m not offering to put myself between anything, I’m telling you that I’m putting myself there and I intend to stop him, one way or another. That is something you need to accept. I don’t play nice with anyone, let alone someone that gets their jollies from terrorizing others and from killing people.”

Holding up her hands, she shook her head. “Trust me, you are preaching to the choir. I didn’t think he deserved the metal institution. He’s far too smart to be crazy,” she grumbled. “I truly believed that he needed the death penalty, not the bullshit that he got.” And it was sad when she, his twin, was saying that. “I will let you do what you need to do and when it’s over”—she shrugged—“then you are free of me.” She hated those words but she refused to be one of those women to beg a man to be with her. Fuck that. She would rather grow old and die a virgin than be with a man who was guilted into being with her.

“If that’s how you wish it,” he said and started moving again. They really needed to get off the street. Hearing the sirens, he looked back and sighed. “Come on, we need to get going. I really don’t want us being found out by the cops. Because I’m pretty sure they’d scoop you up as a witness to quote-unquote protect you in their own inept way.”

“All right.” She looked around and frowned. “Where do we go? You said you had a bike, right? And you should take your jacket back. You will get cold on the bike.”

“The cold doesn’t affect my body as it does yours. Besides, you need to wear it in case we’re in an accident,” he told her. “Not that I plan on having a second bike destroyed, but with humans one never knows.” Guiding her along, he got them to the coffee shop and his bike. Climbing on, he held out a hand to her. “On,” he said as he started it and paid attention to the many, many cops arriving at the scene only a couple of blocks away.

Getting on, she didn’t think to argue, just did as he instructed. Grabbing the metal bars under the seat behind him, she clenched them tightly, refusing to grab him unless he asked for her touch. Another word wasn’t spoken by her. She simply watched the police filling the area and wondered again for the hundredth time how the hell Brian got out of the sanitarium.

Watching the cops for a moment, he slid on sunglasses and shot her a look over his shoulder. “I’d hold onto me, those bars aren’t good for much except keeping the seat where it should be,” he told her, pushing the kickstand up. Revving the motor a little he waited to see if she’d touch him or if she’d ignore his words.

Wrapping her arms around him, she settled on the seat and then leaned into him. “All right, let’s get out of here before one of them recognizes me and then causes us all kinds of issues. Will your boss be able to smooth things over with the DA here and the police chief and all that fun and happy stuff?” She hoped.

“One never really knows but we’ll see,” he told her before he pulled away from the curb and turned a corner at a nice leisurely pace, keeping the speed limit since he really didn’t feel like drawing attention to himself or her.

Pulling up to his house sometime later, Zaidu parked the bike near the garage doors under the overhang and turned off the engine. Turning slightly he looked to her. She was still holding onto him though her grip had loosened slightly if not fully. He didn’t want to disturb her into moving since she looked so tired. The weather was turning for the worse. They were going to get hit with another storm that night.

Slowly, she kicked her leg up and over the bike seat and stood. The shadows that seemed to lengthen only added to her chill. “Is this your home, Zaidu?” Her breath came out with a puff of the chilled air. She moved in a little closer to him when the howl of wolves cut the silence of the darker skies. “Please tell me that you don’t have wolves?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course I don’t have wolves,” he said, putting a hand on her back as he stood. “They seem to think they own me,” he told her, leading her to the front door. Pulling out his keys, he got them inside and turned on some lights. “Do you want a drink?” he asked her softly as he locked up and reset the alarm for them to be inside.

“A drink would be wonderful. Do you have anything really strong?” She was ready for a couple shots and then perhaps crawling into bed and forgetting absolutely everything that had happened the last couple days. If only.

“We’ve got plenty of things here,” he told her, taking his jacket from her and hanging it up. Kicking off his boots, he tipped his head. “We’ll get you something to eat as well,” he said. “Should have the fixings of a sandwich readily available, maybe even some leftover soup,” Z said as he led her toward the kitchen through all the wide-open spaces of the main floor.

“A sandwich would be good,” she assured him. “That’s really and truly all that I need. I’m not real big on soups. It’s just a thing of mine.” She hesitated. “Grilled cheese. I don’t eat meat,” she added. “I should let you know that now. I do not eat meat at all. I can’t even walk in the meat department at the grocery stores.”

Shooting her a look, he shook his head. “Then we’re going to need to go shopping tomorrow,” he told her. “Because you’re in a Wolf’s house. We eat meat here, large quantities of it and usually more rare than not, fair warning.” Moving to the cupboard, he pulled out a glass, got some ice and the hooch his brother had sent him the year before at Christmas. Pouring her two fingers he held it out. “Word of warning, this will likely strip your gullet clean and then roil in your gut.”

She felt the need to gag but nodded. “Thank you.” Accepting the glass, she added, “And I think that I will have to eat away from you. I can’t stand meat or blood at all.” Not with what she had endured, what she had seen. Never again.

“Understandable,” he said, setting the bottle on the counter. Grabbing a frying pan he got it warming before he collected butter, bread, and the only cheese he had in the fridge. He had no idea how it would work but in theory it should be fine. Putting the sandwich together, he set it into the pan and threw one in for himself. Since he wouldn’t be eating a steak any time soon, he needed calories of some kind.

She watched him carefully and frowned. “I don’t mean to interrupt your life,” she assured him. “I really don’t. If you want meat I won’t argue with you. I just won’t be close,” she admitted honestly. “Because I really and truly can’t be anywhere near meat. It just…” She shuddered. “I just can’t,” she whispered with her gaze down and pain lacing her tone.

“It’s fine,” he told her, moving to the fridge to grab a bottle of juice. “I ate earlier but I need to keep up a certain calorie intake because of the Wolf. We tend to burn through the calories fast. I’ll have something later, after you’re asleep and after I’ve done some work.” Watching her as he leaned on the counter he sighed quietly. “Don’t think about that time, Beth. It won’t do you any good except to give you heartburn, ulcers, and more nightmares than you likely already have.”

“All right. Thank you.” She tried not thinking of that time but so often she was pushed back into it by the smallest of things. “Trust me, you aren’t telling me anything that the shrinks aren’t telling me every single week. When it first happened…” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I saw a therapist three times a week. I was hospitalized for a great long time, not just because of the damage that was done to my thigh but because I simply couldn’t function at all,” she admitted. “Thankfully I was able to pull out of my own head and now only see my therapist every week.”

Pausing with the bottle up near his mouth, he shot her a look and lowered the bottle again. “You see your therapist every week? The same therapist as you’ve always seen?” he asked her quietly. At her look, he nodded. “You will need to call your therapist and warn her or him that your brother is loose and will likely come for them to get any and every piece of info on you he can. Advise that they arrange for private security if at all possible.”

“Oh crap.” She felt her vision wavering and felt a little sick to her stomach. “I should make sure that she’s told now,” she whispered. “It would kill me if something happened to her. She’s an older woman and over the years become more like an aunt to me than a therapist. I need a phone. Can you give me yours or do you have a line I can use?” Something, anything.

Digging out his phone he unlocked it and passed it over to her. “Call and warn her,” he said to her, getting up to flip the sandwiches. “If you want to go into the other room to make the call, feel free,” he told her, not wanting her to feel the need to stay in the kitchen if she wanted some privacy.

She didn’t move. “Should I call the officers who were handling this case and ensure that they watch over her and my assistant?”

“No, call them, warn them, and have them call the police. If you call the police, they’ll try and convince you to come back into their protection. Besides, they will likely try and trace the call, and since my cell is set up to send them to the base if they manage it, there will be a bunch of seriously pissed-off Changers waiting there. For the record, pissing off a bunch of Dragons, Wolves, Cats, and various others, never a good plan especially right before they all get off duty,” he told her, sliding the sandwiches out to cut them and plate them. Carrying the plates to the counter, he slid one across to her and sat down with his. “Make the calls and then eat up.”

She nodded and began to make the calls. Getting Dr. Abrams first, she explained the situation quickly and succinctly. Getting the woman’s agreement to contact the police she then made a call to her assistant. Thankfully the woman was now dating a cop so he would keep her safe, that she was sure of. Closing the phone, she rubbed her temples lightly and nodded. “All right. They are the only ones that I’m even somewhat close to so it should be good now.”

Nodding, he took a bite of his sandwich. He didn’t tell her that anyone she even had the smallest contact with would be in danger, from the person that made her coffee at the cafe to the cashier at the local store that wished her a good day. Basically anyone that she’d been seen with and had even the most minute contact with could be a potential next victim. “Then you should eat and we’ll get you set up in a room to sleep. It’s been a long day for you and I’m sure the adrenalin is likely down to the last drops about now.”

“You have no idea.” It had been a shitty day from start to finish and now she was ready to go to bed and forget everything. She had drunk the hooch that Zaidu had offered her and was feeling warmer now, so that was a bonus. Taking a bite of the sandwich he had made for her, she sighed happily. “Thank you for making me a grilled cheese. I really do appreciate it.”