“Thanks,” I say as Nath hands me a cup of tea, and Rick offers me a chocolate bar from the bags of shopping. I’ve already eaten Rick’s Oreos, which Nath seemed really surprised that Rick would share them with me. These last few days have just been insane, and I literally have no idea how to process it. Mum and dad aren’t my real parents. There is somewhere safe for shifters to live. Pixies are real, cute and crazy. I wasn’t born on Earth, and my neighbours are hunters. Safe to say, I need more than a cup of tea and chocolate to get my head around all of this. Being at university and studying history seems like years ago now.
“Chocolate always makes things better,” Rick explains. I’m surprised that he knows that. Guys don’t usually seem to care.
“Do you want some?” I ask as Nath sits next to Rick on the sofa.
"My stepmum, Winter, loves chocolate too. We learnt very quickly that no one comes between a woman and her chocolate... not unless you want an angry, crazy person chasing you,” Rick says, and Nath nods his agreement, a look of fear crossing over their faces. “So, it’s all yours.” This Winter sounds awesome, and I can’t wait to meet her. I pop some more chocolate in my mouth, trying not to laugh.
“Well, thanks…but I still need some real answers about the hunters,” I remark, putting the chocolate bar on the coffee table and wrapping my hands around the warm cup as I watch them for answers.
“Ten years ago, Paris fell,” Nath starts off and pauses as I nod my head.
“I know. Everyone knows that,” I reply.
“Let me tell the story then, smartass,” Nath retorts, and I chuckle. “There was a big war between the supernaturals and demons. Demons were the creatures that destroyed Paris, not the supernaturals like the world has everyone believing.”
“I didn’t know demons existed,” I reply. I can’t imagine they are nice things to be around.
“Demons are from hell, and they can possess other people’s bodies, amongst other things. Queen Winter and her four mates won the war, sent the demons back to hell, and closed the only portal. After that, Earth knew of supernaturals and wanted revenge for the millions of people that died,” he tells me. When Paris was destroyed, mum and dad had moved us to Spain, and we hid well. Regardless, life changed for everyone overnight.
“They wanted a way to make sure it never happened again, and the Hunter’s Organisation stepped up,” Rick carries on the story, “being the heroes everyone wanted by destroying the creatures and people they feared.”
“The Hunter’s Organisation was once a private business that was small, and they hunted supernaturals in secret. After Paris, they got the backing of the governments all over the world and started to grow in mass numbers,” Nath fills in what I always suspected happened with them. About a year after Paris, adverts looking for people to hire for hunters appeared all over TV and the internet. There were also warnings, ways to look for people that were different and where to find them.
“They attacked any supernatural. They took them, experimented on them and killed them. So, Winter and the kings attacked them back, destroying as many places as they could find and taking back our people in the beginning,” Rick tells me.
“But that didn’t stop the hunters,” I finish his story.
“No, it had the bad effect of making the hunters more popular. They got more money, they grew faster, and Winter was forced to back off because it was putting everyone at risk,” he explains.
“So how are you guys involved now?” I ask.
“Winter wasn’t stupid, she never has been, and she never gives up on her own people. She knew that the best way to take down any organisation is having spies and learning how to take them down from the inside rather than blindly attacking,” Rick answers.
“That’s what you are?” I ask.
“Kind of, but not exactly. Winter has spies in every organisation in the world now, except for the one in this village. The one here is the main base, with the most secrets and extreme tests to get hired. We have spent months getting in and getting close to Mr. Graves who leads everything. Yet, he doesn’t trust us, and we can’t figure out how to get him to,” Nath explains, seeming frustrated.
“What is the plan then?” I ask.
“There are ten floors to the base, and we need to evacuate every floor at the same time, and then blow the place up. Every spy is ready to do the same across the entire world, and put the hunters out of business for good,” Rick tells me. “This has been planned for a long time…we can’t mess it up. There are thousands of lives on the line.”
“I don’t understand why you can’t just go ahead with the plan now,” I ask. They are already hunters, and they are already inside the base every day, it seems, for work. What are they waiting for? Surely every day is dangerous in case they get caught.
“Only Mr. Graves’s closest hunters go to the last two floors. We can’t get the codes for them, not until he trusts us more than he does right now,” Nath replies to me. “If we make the plan, we need the codes, or we can’t rescue anyone, and the mission would be for nothing.”
“Once you get the codes?” I ask.
“We set a date and then boom, we finish our mission and go home to our people,” Rick says with a big smile that slowly drifts into a more serious frown as he looks at me. “The problem now is you.”
“Me?” I whisper.
“Mr. Graves invited you to work with him, and if we send you to the castle, and you just disappear…he isn’t going to take that well,” Rick practically growls, sounding extremely over protective and worried about me at the same time. Nath briefly glances at his friend with a confused look before blanking his expression. I don’t know what is up with Rick, but I don’t need some protective alpha right now. I’m sure he is just worried about the chance of me messing up their mission.
“I can’t stay near a hunter base with my sister,” I remark. “We have to leave.”
“I’m not suggesting Sophie stays,” Rick lightly tells me, and I pick up on his unspoken statement.
“But you’re suggesting I do?” I ask.
“Yes,” Rick answers. “Just for a month, and then you can say you miss home and want to go back. Make some excuse up, and you can then leave.”
“That can’t be safe.”
“I will never let anything happen to you, none of us will. Anytime you are there, we will be near you and keeping watch,” Rick firmly tells me, and I don’t doubt him, but the idea of going into a hunter base is terrifying.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” I whisper.
“You do. If you want to go, you can go to the castle, and we will leave the mission. But it will cost a lot of innocent people’s lives. There are over fifty supernaturals kept in that base that we have seen go in, and god knows how many were in there before we got the job,” Rick replies. One look into his blue eyes, and I know he means it. If I don’t want to do this, I can just walk away, but that would be a coward’s actions. I’m no coward. If it was the other way around, and I was locked in a hunter base, I would want someone to save me. These guys are doing the right thing, and I can’t walk away, forcing them to give it up. I’d hate myself, and they would no doubt hate me too.
“Then I will stay to help, but you have to promise me that you will protect me if something goes wrong,” I ask.
“I will always protect you. I promise,” Rick says.
“Same,” Nath answers, staring at me intently as I sip on my cup of tea, wishing the warm drink would somehow make me feel better about all of this.
“Then I best go home and tell Sophie the news,” I eventually say.
“Sophie will love the castle. My stepmum’s best friend has a daughter who’s nearly the same age as Sophie, and a total troublemaker. She will make friends, and it’s only going to be one month until you are back with her,” Rick tries to comfort me, but it’s hard not to worry.
“Sophie has lost her parents, all her friends and her old home. Now I’m about to tell her she won’t see her sister for a while, and she has to leave…it isn’t going to go well, no matter what I say to her,” I reply.
“Let’s hope she doesn’t throw anything at you,” Nath says, rubbing his head even though the bump has healed. I smile internally.
“I’ll be sure to hide the shoes,” I can’t resist but say, and Nath glares at me. “After all, they are scary in the hands of a little girl.” Rick laughs, while Nath doesn’t look at all impressed. I finish drinking my tea before leaving the cup on the coffee table and standing up.
“From now on, one of us will be at your house at all times. For safety reasons,” Rick informs me, and Nath nods in agreement. “No more risks.”
“I will go over to stay tonight. Let me just grab the bracelets and the crystals to work on, and some pajamas,” Nath says and jogs to the stairs before I can even tell him no.
“I didn’t even agree to letting him stay,” I protest. “Or any of you to stay for that matter.” Rick walks around the coffee table to me and places his hand on my shoulder. The little contact sends shivers all over me, and I can’t help but focus on how nice his hand feels.
“Let us keep you safe. If anything happened to you, none of us would ever be able to forgive ourselves,” he urges, his voice gentle, and I stare into his blue eyes that are brighter than I thought they were.
“Okay,” I find myself saying, and he slowly slides his hand down my arm, sending goose bumps and making me shiver all over again. If he knows the effect he is having on me, he doesn’t show it. I’m sure a guy that looks like him and is a prince, is used to this effect on women.
“Thank you, Adie,” he grins, removing his hand and walking around me to the piles of shopping. “I will carry your shopping back for you. Let’s go home, Nath can catch up.” Why do I like him calling my house home?