Hunting a Master: Hunter Elite, #3

Chapter One

SHAKEN BY OUR BATTLE with the human assassins, I peered through the windscreen just as Mirra ended her call to Quin. She turned to the SUV and staggered a step before catching her balance. Blood stained her dress from the bullets that had riddled her and from the stab wounds she’d received on her left side. As a siren, she was supposed to be immortal, yet the knife I’d taken from the body of one of the assassins had managed to injure her badly.

With as much dignity as she could muster, Mirra sauntered over to the car and climbed inside. Quin wants us to head straight back to our base, she informed me. She was breathing shallowly, which meant she had to be in pain. She’s sending a clean-up crew to get rid of the bodies, she added.

She glared at the knife I was still holding and I hastily shoved it into the glovebox. Are you going to be all right? I asked as I buckled myself in.

How would I know? she said crankily. I’ve never received a wound that I couldn’t heal before. It shouldn’t have been possible for the knife to hurt me so seriously.

Taking off, I flicked her a look. How bad is it?

She took her hand away from her side and showed me the thick blood that coated her palm. Does that answer your question?

Ignoring her snarky tone, I didn’t like how pale her olive skin had become. We need to stop the bleeding, I decided. We’d only travelled a short distance from the site where we’d been ambushed. Bodies and abandoned vehicles littered the road in the rearview mirror. Pulling over, I climbed out and jogged to the back of the SUV and grabbed the first-aid kit.

Mirra didn’t protest when I opened her door. She merely watched in silence as I took thick gauze out of the kit. Tearing it open, I leaned across her to slide it beneath the rips in her tightfitting dress. The cuts were deep, but at least they were centralized to one spot. Press on that as hard as you can, I instructed her.

Yes, Doctor Austin, she replied sarcastically, then tucked her elbow against the gauze and crossed her arms tightly. Her hands were shaking and she was beginning to shiver in reaction to being seriously wounded for the first time in her lengthy life.

Sliding behind the wheel again, I ignored the posted limits and put my foot down on the gas pedal. Mirra needed urgent medical attention and I wasn’t trained in that area. Even speeding, it took an hour before we finally reached the gate to our base. It opened automatically, either triggered by Quin, or from a device in the SUV that I wasn’t aware of.

Three stories tall, the mansion had recently been refurbished from top to bottom. It looked brand new when it came into view as I sped up the long driveway. Jonah was nowhere in sight, but Quin and Connor emerged from the house a moment after I parked out front.

Breathing even more shallowly now, Mirra didn’t stir as Quin approached me. How is she? she asked quietly when I opened the door and exited from the car.

Not good, I replied. I think she’s dying.

The pair exchanged a concerned look. What did they attack her with, lass? Connor asked. Stress made his Scottish accent thicker.

A knife with runes carved on the blade.

Get her in the house, Quin ordered. I’ll call Spencer and see if he knows anyone who can heal a siren.

Connor rounded the SUV and opened Mirra’s door. She was only semi-conscious now and didn’t have the strength to hold the gauze against her wounds. He carefully unbuckled her and picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Feeling helpless, I closed the door, climbed back inside the driver’s seat and drove the car into the garage.

Using equipment that was stored in a cupboard in the cavernous garage, I cleaned the leather seats before the blood could set permanently. With that task out of the way, I gingerly took the strange knife out of the glovebox and cleaned it as well. Without Mirra’s blood staining the blade, I could see the symbols more clearly. I wasn’t an expert when it came to the arcane and I didn’t recognize them.

Quin would want to see the knife that had almost ended the life of one of her employees. Carefully holding it by the handle, I entered the house. My vampire hearing led me to the murmur of voices upstairs and I found Quin and Connor clustered around the siren’s bed. She’d been changed into a light blue t-shirt and shorts. Even with fresh gauze on her wound, blood was seeping through the dressing and her shirt. I can’t stop the bleeding, Quin said bleakly.

Did you call Spencer? I asked.

She nodded, but her expression didn’t change. He’s going to make some calls. Seeing the knife in my hand, she instinctively drew away from it. Is that what the assassins used to stab her with? she asked in loathing.

Connor shied away from it as well. How can you stand to touch it? he asked me almost harshly.

I was a bit bewildered by their reactions. What do you mean?

It’s evil, he said with a shudder. Can’t you feel it?

Now that he’d mentioned it, I could sense darkness emanating from the weapon. I’d grown so used to the dark enchantment on the spell book Spencer had given me that the knife seemed almost familiar.

Get rid of it, Quin ordered.

Clearly, she wasn’t up to studying the knife right now. Destroying it would be a bit extreme, so I decided to hold onto it for a while. There was only one place I could keep it where no one else was likely to go, so I headed to the basement.

It was as quiet as a tomb in the bowels of the mansion. It was a rabbit warren of identical concrete hallways and heavy metal doors. My sense of direction was terrible, but I’d memorized the way to my conjuring room where I performed various spells.

Winter would be here soon and it was even colder than usual in my sanctum. Opening the cupboard where I stored my spell books and components, I placed the knife on a shelf. It looked right at home there among the jumble. Quin might not be interested in learning more about it, but I was. I would take a closer look at it when I had some spare time.

There was one more thing I had to do before heading upstairs again. I’d banished Jonah to his cell after he’d saved Mirra’s life. I’d been angry with Jake when he’d created the prison that could hold a spirit. Now I was grateful there was a safe place for the ghost to calm down in.

Jonah’s cell was only a couple of hallways away from my den. His door was marked with mysterious symbols surrounded by a chalk circle that acted as a lock. I’d broken the circle to let him out the last time, but it was now intact. Apparently, each time I banished the ghost, the spell became active again.

I stood outside Jonah’s door for a while, trying to psych myself into opening it. He’d destroyed the house the first time he’d become a poltergeist and he’d also tried to kill me. Once he’d calmed down, he’d been horrified by his actions. The binding spell that allowed him to leave the mansion had a major drawback. It enabled him to be used as a weapon. I’d promised him I would never use him like that, but the very first time I’d taken him away from the house, I’d unleashed him on my enemies. There was a good chance that he would hate me now. He might be a ghost, but he was still the best friend I’d ever had. If I lost his friendship, living in this mansion together was going to be dismal for us both.

Chapter Two

FORCING MYSELF TO BE brave, I used my finger to break the circle. The door unlocked with a click and I pulled it open. Jonah stood in the center of the cell, looking at me uncertainly. The darkness that had overwhelmed him when he’d become a poltergeist was gone. His suit had changed from funeral black back to its usual powder blue. The rose on his lapel looked fresh once more and his hair and eyes were brown again. He’d used up a lot of energy and was almost transparent. Are you okay? I asked him cautiously.

I feel weak, but I’ve lost the urge to kill everyone in the world, he replied. Looking down at the floor, he spoke almost too quietly for me to hear him. I called you a monster, but I’m the real monster here. I tore those men apart like they were made of cotton candy.

You only killed them because I ordered you to save Mirra, I reminded him.

He looked at me and I saw despair in his eyes. I wanted you to unleash me on them, Ari. Turning away so his profile was to me, he wrapped his arms around himself. I’m so full of rage now that I remember my past that a part of me wants to go on a killing spree. I’m not sure if my anger will ever go away.

We have something in common then, I said and he looked at me in surprise. After my family was slaughtered by Alakay and his minions, I went through a dark period where I wanted to kill everyone, too.

Do you still feel that way? he asked in a small voice.

Sometimes, I admitted. I take it out on the creatures we hunt.

His expression became thoughtful. Maybe this isn’t as bad as I first thought, he mused. As long as you have the locket, you’ll be in control of me. I can be your secret weapon. He grinned and it was mirthless and nothing like his normal mischievous smile. For a second, his eyes darkened to black. Then the moment passed and he was back to his usual self again. Are you going to let me out of this cell? he asked.

I stepped aside and swept my hand at the entrance. The door is open.

He didn’t move and made an exasperated noise. You commanded me to come here and wait for your orders, he reminded me. I can’t leave until you tell me I can.

I stared at him, expecting him to laugh, but he didn’t seem to be joking. Just how binding is that spell? I asked.

You know when you threatened to make me dance naked for Mirra for a week? I nodded and he grimaced. I’m pretty sure I’d have to do it if you told me to.

Unable to stop myself, a snigger escaped from me. You know what this means?

What? he asked warily.

You’re my minion. My ghostly minion, to be exact.

Rolling his eyes, he put his hands on his hips. We both know you’re not going to treat me like a lowly servant. Now let me out of here. I want to see how Mirra is doing. That assassin managed to stab her a few times before I tore his head off.

That was so awesome, I told him solemnly.

I know, he replied without an ounce of humility. I’m a real badass when I turn to the dark side.

We shared a grim smile, then I focused on releasing him from his prison. Jonah, you can leave your cell. You have free run of the house as normal and you can be your usual self. It was vague, but I was still a novice and had no real idea what I was doing.

To test whether it had worked, he flipped me the bird. Yep, that seems to have worked. I’ll meet you upstairs. With that, he vanished, leaving me in the basement alone.

It was tempting to take a few minutes to study the strange knife, but Mirra’s welfare came first. Hopefully, Spencer had gotten back to Quin by now. If he couldn’t find a healer to help her, she would be in deep trouble.

By the time I reached the upper levels, a helicopter was touching down on the front lawn. Instead of heading upstairs, I veered to the front door and opened it to see Spencer Von Hades jumping to the ground. He was one of the original founders of the Hunter Elite and he was also the Master Archivist. There were many Archives spread around the US and the world. He had ties to all of them and he was the leader of the ones in our country. For all I knew, he ran all of them from his office in the Main Archives in Rosethorn.

We all knew he was ancient and powerful, but I was aware of his true identity now. He was a demon, which meant he couldn’t be trusted. He’d amassed vast wealth over the millennia since he’d been drawn to our world. I still didn’t know why he’d created the Archives or the Hunter Elite, but he was invested in keeping us alive. Once again dipping into his wallet, he’d used his money to assist Mirra.

A small team of four medics jumped to the ground and followed him to the mansion. They all carried bags and various medical equipment. As always, Spencer was dressed in a pricey dark suit. It was black rather than gray this time. He was handsome, with black hair that was silver at the temples. His gray eyes were somber when he reached me. I came as fast as I could. Where is Mirra?

In her bedroom upstairs, I replied and moved aside to let the team of three men and one woman inside.

We need a sterile environment to perform our duties, the woman said in a clipped tone. Short and thin, she was African-American and had a no-nonsense attitude that I liked.

I will show you to the medical room, Von Hades offered, then turned to me. Be a dear and ask Connor to carry Mirra downstairs, will you? I nodded, then froze when he spoke again. You and I are going to have a private chat, young lady. He’d spoken too quietly for the others to hear him. I looked over my shoulder at him to see his eyes were faintly glowing red.

Dread settled into the pit of my stomach. While it sounded like he was asking me to retrieve Mirra, it was an order that I couldn’t refuse even if I’d wanted to. His manservant, Harrow, had fed me Spencer’s blood and it had turned me into the demon’s lackey. Jonah might be my minion, but I was bound even more tightly to Von Hades. My friendship with the ghost meant I would give him as much freedom as possible. I seriously doubted Spencer would afford me the same respect.

Connor’s hearing was acute, but he waited for me to race upstairs before picking Mirra up. We weren’t sure if the medics knew that we were supernatural creatures or not. It was best to pretend to be human until we were told otherwise.

Mirra had become even paler now and was almost as white as her sheets. Blood had soaked through her dressing and t-shirt. Quin’s lips were pressed tightly together and she looked as helpless we probably all felt. Jonah hovered beside me as we hurried downstairs. There was no love lost between him and the siren, but even he was worried about her. We might not get along with her, but neither of us wanted her to die.

Chapter Three

EVEN UNCONSCIOUS, MIRRA’S power affected the medics when Connor carried her into the room. Breaths were sucked in by the trio of males and murmurs sounded. Luckily, the female was in charge and managed to shrug off the siren’s allure enough to do her job. Everyone out, she ordered. We will do our best to save this young woman, but it appears that she has lost a lot of blood. A transfusion of human blood wouldn’t be as effective as siren blood, but we didn’t have any handy. Our blood wouldn’t be compatible with hers. We just had to cross our fingers and hope it would work.

Do what you can for Mirra, Doctor, Spencer said, then ushered us out. You two should go and wash up, he said to Quin and Connor. Arienna and I will have coffee waiting for you in the kitchen.

Quin wasn’t pleased that he was taking charge in her house, but she didn’t challenge him. He’d paid for the repairs to the mansion after Jonah’s little temper tantrum. Speaking of the ghost, Von Hades didn’t realize Jonah was trailing along after us as we made our way to the kitchen.

I switched the coffee machine on, then turned to face the music. All traces of friendliness had left Spencer’s face. I trust you’ve learned your lesson not to betray me? he said. I don’t know how you managed to circumvent my will, but I forbid you from telling anyone anything you know, or think you know about my origins. Is that clear?

The façade that he was a human slipped and his true nature shone through. His skin and eyes were red and his fingers were tipped with long claws. Large black wings flared behind his back aggressively. Flames seemed to dance around his head and shoulders. Agony pounded inside my head at his threat. It was far worse than the pain I’d felt when I’d told Connor that I’d been chased by hellhounds and a gargoyle in his mansion. It’s clear, I gasped.

Good, he said, suddenly jovial again. Thankfully, the pain