Addictive (Hellish Mates #1)

Chapter 7

When it was time to leave on their mission, Rina and Zachariah went straight to the location through a realm gate created by another witch—who wasn't Kiki this time. While the two of them went into the woods, the witch stayed at the gate, awaiting for the eventual cleanup.

There were a few signs stationed around the area that indicated the woods they were in was a hiking trail of some sort often frequented by humans. The posts warned people to stay on the trail or risk getting lost.

It was the perfect hunting ground.

"How are we going to find it?" Rina asked.

Zachariah bluntly stated, "Simple. Use yourself as bait. You're a halfling, are you not?"

She didn't know how to feel about that, but it made sense. "And where will you be?"

"Close by."

And that was their plan. Rina was to wander the woods, while Zachariah would be close by—whatever that meant. As she stomped through leaves and dirt, she had no idea where he was. The forest was completely quiet, save for her footsteps and a slight breeze. In the air, Rina didn't catch the scent of anything. If she didn't know any better, she'd believe she was entirely alone.

But there was both a vampire and a shifter with her.

To pass the time, and attract more attention, Rina began whistling.

"Stop that."

She yelped and looked over her shoulder to see Zachariah standing directly behind her. He did not look amused.

"Try and be more convincing, little halfling."

And just like that, he was gone again.

"Says the vampire blinking in and out," she muttered under her breath.

>>>>>>>>>>

Zachariah observed Rina from afar, weaving between trees and shrubs, matching her distance traveled. Though he had already warned her once, she exuded boredom. If he were the predator they were hunting, he would have no interest in her lax demeanor. All they could do was hope the shifter was too deranged to be suspicious of the all too willing prey.

While time passed, Zachariah made sure to observe their surroundings, but he also couldn't stop his eyes from straying to the halfling before him.

His desire to both protect and dishevel her was strong tonight.

The assignment was meant to launch her straight into what it meant to be a Hellion, and Alistar had given him specific orders: to not interfere. When it came to training new Hellions, the process was always different with every individual.

Sometimes, Hellions could start right after one session. Other times, they were given many trials. And in some cases, trainees died before they could even claim their title.

Per Alistar's directive, Zachariah was to take his time with Rina. The reason was unknown, but if it had anything to do with their first mission, he had an idea where she was headed. Rina herself didn't have to know anything about that though.

At least, not yet.

For now, she just had to survive.

In the distance, he heard her whistling again, and knew she was getting bored once more. Just as he was about to stop her, he felt a shift in the woods to the east. He scanned the area and saw someone approaching who looked human. The mortal was clothed in hiking gear, and carried an electric lamp in one hand, and a rifle in the other.

If Rina was seen, there'd be one more mystery for the humans to be hysterical about.

Zachariah blinked to the halfling and dragged her to hide behind a large tree. She squeaked again at his appearance, but he pressed a finger against her lips to quiet her. The human was heading straight towards them—probably because he had heard the whistling.