Huntress

Chapter 83

I wanted to ask a thousand things on the drive. I didn't even know where we were going or who Ryder had called just after he bound and gagged the two fairies. I pretended not to notice the way Ryder snarled in Dawn's face when she whispered something under her breath. There was an edge to him that I seldom saw and I hated that I liked it right now. I hated that I envisioned him shifting back into his wolf and ripping out her throat.

But I was numb. Beyond numb. And sometimes, when I allowed myself a second of clarity and realized that I was in a vehicle with not only a werewolf, but also a vampire – who indeed could turn into a bat – and two fairies who had once been people I trusted with my life. Then I would stab my fingers into my temples and will the numbness to return to me. The only thing that mattered was the next step. And the one after that.

Max the bat-shifting vampire also rode in the vehicle with us. At one point, I asked him if his companions would be okay without a ride and he simply stared at me so hard that I worried he was going to burn a hole through my skin. maybe that was a vampire trait I wasn't aware of yet.

Max said something about it smelling like Dawn was bleeding a lot. When I glanced over at Ryder, he didn't pull his gaze away from the road. "I don't give a fuck if she bleeds out. I will not be held accountable. A werewolf hunter, someone from their own organization, found out the truth and acted out of self-defense when they threatened her with a gun. You were witness to that. No treaties have been crossed. If she dies like this, then she dies by her own hand."

Max didn't argue.

So, we drove and drove. No music. No chatter.

The mountain range that seemed to last forever and touch the sky, shifted and changed. Sometimes, it would become more rigid – snow covered peaks dominating the scene – other times it softened. And when a winding river came into view, I knew where we were.

"Kamloops?"

"Adrienne lives here. She runs something that would be close to a human prison," Ryder answered. Sensing that I had no idea who he was talking about, he added, "She was the person leading the conference. She's a wind howler by birth, but wasn't born with traditional powers. She nominated herself as something of a jailor."

I swallowed hard, nodding my head.

Adrienne was as lovely as I remember her being. She was all legs with that easy elegance that I thought only supermodels could possess. Even though it looked like she had just returned from a mid-day workout, she was as stunning as ever.

"Hello," she greeted, descending the front steps of a massive building with fluidity. I couldn't quite call the building a complex, just like I couldn't quite call it a home. Daunting and large, but not quite corporate. Far from anything I would call a prison. "Ryder Allen, we spoke on the phone. And you made some great accusations for being a werewolf outside of the royal family," she stated. Though it wasn't an unfriendly tone, there was something sharp to it. as pretty as she was, she wasn't afraid of using verbal daggers. Or maybe real ones, who knew.

"When accusations were made against my royals, they were taken into custody until further notice. I don't believe that this should be any different," Ryder stated flatly.

While Max stood and stretched – and I tried to wrap my brain around how this very human looking man could turn into something so small – Ryder grabbed ahold of Armond's arm and yanked him out of the back seat. The powerful fairy fell into the dirt face down. But as soon as he was out in the open air and saw that he had an audience, he started yelling, "This is absurd! This goes against all of our laws and agreements. How can you treat a fellow supernatural like this? Do you know that I am the highest among the fairies?"

"I know exactly who you are," Ryder assured. "I'm sure this will go to court." His gaze turned to Adrienne, unlike I had ever seen it. Dead. Certain. I wondered if this was the man who killed my fellow hunters. I wondered if this distant, unamused face was the last one they saw. There was certainly something terrifying about it.

"You making this accusation does not mean that your beloved royals will be set free, Ryder. I hope you can understand that. And though I was not born with powers for my kind, do not think that I cannot make you beg for death," Adrienne warned.

"Ajax and Keiko are not my concern," Ryder rumbled. He was a little gentler get Dawn out of the SUV, but not much. Though he helped her out and onto her feet, her injured leg could not support her. Ryder let her crumple to the ground. Adrienne winced at the sight of all the blood, then glanced at Max.

"Only human blood for me, thank you," the vampire said, turning up his nose.

"And can I ask what involvement you have in all of this?" Adrienne demanded.

Max grinned as if delighted by her question. A slender hand gestured to me. "Ryder called me to bear witness to a little werewolf hunter almost losing her life. And when Ryder came to defend her, they were willing to kill him too. Not terribly conducive to all those laws, dear Armond," Max purred. The vampire was still smiling when he returned his attention to the jailor. "And if you don't believe me, feel free to ask the hundred other vampires I brought with me to witness it."

Adrienne stilled for a moment. It must have been quite a sight. A vacant girl who was reeling, two powerful fairies groaning and rolling about, a vampire, a werewolf, all standing before her, claiming that the very fabric that kept the peace was being torn apart.

"A werewolf hunter?" she finally managed.

"That's me," I piped up. My voice felt like it was not my own, crawling out of my throat.

"You hunt werewolves, yet ended up at a fairy's home? And they wanted to kill you? Are you aware that Ryder is a werewolf?" she wondered.

"I'm very aware of what Ryder is," I promised. "We were mated, which is how I came to understand the werewolf culture. But that was after the we tried to kill each other a couple of times. Because I was groomed to be a hunter and these two are the people who created an entire army of humans who were so angry and so hurt, that they wanted to eradicate all werewolves."

Adrienne stared at me for a moment, hard. Then, she sighed. "Let's get these two inside and cleaned up. Once they are taken care of, I think I need you guys to go back a few dozen steps. And maybe after that, I'll need a few stiff drinks."