Chapter Sixteen
Paris was thankful to have Dante, Steel and the other five Underground Agents that had joined him. Because he realized now, that it would have been foolish to come alone and that had been his original intention. Before they could even get to their destination, they were attacked by another pair of hunters, but fortunately, they were easy to take down.
He knew they were getting close. Paris could feel it. Just as they came upon the location given to them by the now deceased hunter, he spied a handful of hunters chanting around what appeared to be an empty plot of land. One particular hunter caught his attention. He was tall and pale. There was an air of power that surrounded him that made Paris uneasy. It was Gage.
Paris quietly disrobed, ready to shift and attack, but Steel held him back.
Not yet. They’re performing a spell and if I heard it correctly, it’s a chant to reveal the unseen, the warlock projected to his mind.
I don’t know what that means, Paris shot back.
It means, we see an empty plot of land but all isn’t what it seems. Watch.
Steel must have relayed the message to Dante and the others because they held off and silently watched the hunters, as quietly as possible so as not to draw attention to themselves.
The hunters continued to chant for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time. The longer it dragged on, the more restless Paris grew. His wolf fought to break free and just when he was near his breaking point, something extraordinary happened.
A house appeared.
Paris knew with absolute certainty that Anisa was inside. She had to be, why else would Gage himself put in an appearance. Unable to wait second longer, he yanked the rest of his clothes off and shifted. He then charged toward the first hunter he approached. He immediately went for the neck.
It was that surprise attack that allowed him to take the hapless hunter quickly. By now, the rest of his team had joined, each squaring up with an opponent. With his first kill over, he had his eyes set on Gage who looked as if he was heading inside, but Paris wouldn’t let him.
He ran into the hunter, tackling him to the ground. Gage however recovered quickly and grasped Paris by the neck and squeezed. “You filthy beast,” the hunter hissed. “Did you really think you could best me?” And with that, a jolt of pure energy sent shockwaves through his body. It was quite possibly the most painful thing he’d ever felt in his life but he refused to give up. He had to get to Anisa.
Though it felt as if his strength was being drained he reached into his reserves and swiped his paw against Gage’s face. It was just enough for the hunter to loosen his grip, given Paris the opportunity to break free. He then sank his teeth into the first thing he could reach, which was Gage’s hand. With all his might, he chewed it off.
Gage screamed in agony. “You will die for this!”
Before Paris realized what was happening a blinding light struck him, sending him flying backward. He landed on the ground with a hard thud.
That hit seemed to take more out of him than it should have. The hunters they had faced earlier had been difficult to take down, but Gage was on another level.
Just as he managed to wobble to his feet, he noticed that Gage was the only one left standing. Either his remaining hunters had deserted him or they were all dead.
“Give up, Gage. You’re surrounded and you can’t beat us all.” Dante declared with bared incisors.
Gage’s eyes blazed with fury as he stood up. Blood dripped from the stump where his hand used to be. “This isn’t over!” he screamed. “You may have won the battle for now. But you will never be safe from me. There are other ways to get what I want.”
Gaining his second wind, Paris readied himself to charge Gage yet again but the hunter disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Paris howled in frustration. He was certain they could have finally taken him out thus ending the threat that he presented. However, something told him that Gage would eventually be back, more powerful than ever.
In the meantime, with the area cleared of Hunters, they were free to enter the chalet. Paris shifted back to his human form and quickly retrieved the clothes he’d left on the ground.
Once he was dressed, he stepped toward the house. His heart raced as he knocked on the door. He was certain that whoever was inside had heard the commotion and was waiting for them.
When the door finally opened, a tall, slender man with dark red hair answered the door. Upon first glance, one would have thought he was human, but his scent was different.
Warlock.
Before Paris could speak, the man did. “I see you were able to fight off those hunters and for that, I thank you, but now I must ask you to leave.”
“We know she’s here. Where’s Anisa?”
“There is no Anisa here.”
“Liar!” Paris grabbed him by the collar and the redhead’s hands began to glow.
“What’s going on here? Gaspard?” A soft voice called from inside the house.
Paris froze. That voice. He hadn’t heard it in several decades nor did he think he ever would again, but it was her.
“Anisa?” Paris whispered.
Gaspard, as Paris, figured the man was called, turned toward the voice and answered. “Don’t worry bébé. It’s no one. You should be resting.”
The term of endearment Gaspard used toward Anisa was enough to set Paris off. When he would have thrown a punch, Dante appeared behind Paris, catching his fist. “Calm down, Paris.”
“Calm down? My mate is in there!” he roared.
Gaspard chuckled. “You are the one who is mistaken. It’s just me and my wife…Camille.”
Hearing the warlock refer to Anisa as his wife pissed Paris off. He didn’t go through all of this only to find her claimed by someone else. She belonged to him! “You fucking liar! Let us in!” If Dante wasn’t holding him back, he would have charged the warlock and fuck him up. And then he’d take Anisa back home with him.
Gaspard narrowed his eyes and held up his now glowing hands. “I think not.”
Steel stepped on the porch, his own hands surrounded by what looked like lightning. “You’re not the only one with talents, so let’s be reasonable here.”
Gaspard forced his gaze on the other warlock. “So I should lie down and surrender? It was you who have come to my home uninvited and I will do what I must to defend it.”
Steel held up his hands which had gone back to normal. “Look, we mean you no harm. We would just like to talk?”
Gaspard looked in Paris’s direction. “Is that everyone’s purpose? Simply to talk?”
Paris, you’re going to have to handle this situation with more tact. You have to realize there’s something going on we don’t understand. Dante communicated with him telepathically.
Paris wanted nothing more than rip this smug warlock’s head off but Anisa didn’t need to bear witness to that. There was something about this man he didn’t like but Dante spoke the truth. “Yes. We’d like to talk. Do you think if we were here to harm you, we would have fought off those hunters? Obviously, you’re in hiding and in need of protection or else you wouldn’t have used whatever spell it was to keep your house hidden.”
Gaspard raised a dark red brow and smirk. “Or perhaps I’m just someone who prefers my privacy.”
“Well, if you value your privacy that won’t last for very long because those hunters will be back in full force, possibly with more of them next time. I need you to understand that you’re in grave danger as long as you’re protecting Anisa. I can keep her safe.”
The warlock narrowed his eyes. “As I’ve said before. There is no Anisa. Only my wife Camille. If you must see for yourself then you can come inside briefly and see for yourself.” Gaspard stood aside enough to allow him inside.
When Dante released him he walked toward the house but Gaspard shook his head when the others attempted to follow. “Only him.” Gaspard pointed to Paris.
Dante shot Paris a questioning look but Paris nodded his consent. He had to see for himself. “I’ll be fine.”
“If you try anything, we’ll be out here waiting,” Dante threatened.
Gaspard shrugged. “I would expect nothing less.”
Paris walked inside to see a modestly decorated home. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, but it seemed cozy. The fireplace was lit. Paris noticed the lack of modern appliances as if this house hadn’t been updated in decades.
“As you can see, there is nothing nefarious inside my home.”
“It’s not the home I have a problem with. It’s what you’re hiding inside of it. I can smell her.” The scent was driving him insane. Everything within him cried out for her. She was so close. “I need to see her.”
“You’re wasting your time.”
“Now!”
Gaspard glared before leaving the room. Paris presumed he had gone to retrieve Anisa, which is exactly what he did. When the warlock returned, Paris only had eyes for her.
She looked almost exactly as she had all those years ago. She had matured a bit. Though she was still petite and fine-boned, her body had filled out more. Her breasts were larger and hips wider. Her height was below average but most wouldn’t notice because of her regal bearing. And all that beautiful hair that had crowned her head like a huge halo was pulled back in a neat bun, but she was still just as beautiful as he remembered. Paris couldn’t stop staring at her. From the large expressive brown eyes to the full lips that he’d never forgotten the taste of.
He wasn’t sure if he should cry or howl with relief that she was actually here. “Anisa,” he whispered. He stepped forward to touch her but she backed away from him and moved behind Gaspard. She looked up at the warlock with uncertainty in her beautiful eyes.
Gaspard bent over and gave Anisa a kiss on the top of the head. “It’s okay, bébé. This man believes that you’re his lost mate.”
It suddenly dawned on Paris that there was no recognition in her eyes when she saw him and his heart fell to his feet.
“Anisa…” he whispered her name as an ache he didn’t expect took over his heart.
She shrank away from him when he took a step forward. She shook her head vehemently. “Who are you? And…who is Anisa?”