Hunting night.

17.

When her consciousness brought her back to the bedroom, her first thought was of surprise. Franz's fingers had entwined with her own and Eva couldn't help but feel all warm inside.

You foolish woman, what are you even thinking, she thought with a sigh.

Then reality claimed her whole attention abruptly. Tara was unconscious on the floor with a dark bruise already forming on her jaw and a tall man with a bandage on his left arm was standing next to the bed pointing a gun at Eva.

"So I finally found you". He spoke with a satisfied smile. "You seriously have given me more trouble than all these beasts together. What were you doing with that guy by the way? His life is not worthy, you know. You can't save him. I'm a great shooter after all."

"Who sent you, Hunter?" Without letting go of Franz's hand, Eva sat in the bed and looked at the man wondering if she had enough strength to fight him back.

"How flattering! So you do know who I am. That saves me the trouble to explain".

"I only know your reputation actually. Who sent you to get me? Can you at least tell me that?"

"I don't mind. However I am a hunter of heart and soul, my dear. I don't need anyone to send me anywhere. But... you're right this time. The new look and name didn't save you although they did frustrate my plans at first. It took me more time to find you."

"For an experienced hunter, you sure ramble a lot".

Her words made the smile on his face vanished and that was a little triumph for Eva. He frowned and observed her clearly unpleasantly as he continued:

"A distinguished millionaire would love to have you in his collection. No need to know his name. Do you have any idea of what he could do by manipulating people's mind? He got lots of ideas."

"I can't manipulate minds... Only dreams somehow".

"You can be Freddy Krugger for all I care. Whatever you do, it's enough for him. Money talks only one language and he paid me a lot to take you to him."

"What about them...?" Eva refused to look back at Franz afraid of seeing the grey veins taking control again of his body. "Why did you attack them?"

Hunter laughed haughtily before answering and the tone of his voice made a shiver ran her back.

"I did this for my own pleasure".

"Fine. Cesar bit you, didn't he? Do you think it will be funny in a month?"

Oh, that certainly brushed the satisfaction off of his face. Eva stared at him pleased noticing the fear in his eyes that he was also trying so hard to hide. Believing or not what that group was, he surely understood the consequences of their bite.

"Shut the hell up. I'll deal with that later. Now get away from that guy and come here. We have a long ride home."

"What makes you think I wouldn't rather you shoot me right here than go with you?"

"Don't make me lose my patient, Eva... I already have used too much ammo."

"Because you're afraid that his friends will show up and find you still here?"

"Move!"

He surely was impatient, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of the bed and towards the door without another word. Dizziness hit her like a truck as she tried to get a handle of something on their way out but Hunter couldn't care less. What they both missed to realize as they walked out of the room was how the grey veins on Franz's chest had begun to retreat swiftly.

***

Some clouds had shadowed the moon again by the time they left the cabin getting into the forest. Eva looked around but she was too weak to fight back and she knew it. Where was the pack now? Were they close? She couldn't believe that they would have lost track of Hunter in their own territory. Maybe it was a trap? Or was that only her foolish mind hoping for the best?

Danny's words returned to her as Hunter forced her to stop for a moment.

"Believe me. I could find your trace anywhere now".

Maybe she had the answer literally in her hands. Eva took a glimpse at her right hand and saw the punctures on her thumb that Tara had made out of her desperation to bring her back. Blood was still coming out from them but strangely it wasn't painfully. Perhaps because she had others things to worry about.

"Come on. We're close".

Hunter pulled her by the arm again and walked through some bushes looking for the path that would take them back to the road. A howling broke the silence and the man cussed out as he watched the shadows surrounding them. Besides him, Eva flashed a confident smile as she whispered:

"You won't win... They were born for this".

"Shut the hell up." He replied angrily glancing at her.

For that reason Hunter didn't perceive the grey wolf until it came out from the darkness and growled dangerously. Another one followed it and soon the whole pack surrounded them. As she watched them silently though, Eva realized she wasn't afraid. Not from them. Hunter, however, had special ammo in his gun. What if he shot at them again and this time...?

The man lifted the gun and laughed dryly as he pointed at the closest animal. Eva didn't wait any longer. She was aware of screaming something, a warning of some kind probably as she grabbed the man by the arm and tried to move away the weapon. But Hunter pushed her out of the way easily and his gaze returned to the wolves ready to pull the trigger. However he had seemed to forget that it wasn't their first hunting night.

When the black wolf finally came out of the shadows and fell abruptly over the man ripping his hand off before coming to his neck, Eva refused to look away this time. They had saved her life. They had stopped the threat over her life as well as over their own. They had set her free. She thought the least she could do was honoring that.