Hunter

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

"You have a what?" I ask sharply and disbelievingly.

"We also went out," she adds, ignoring me. I glare at Carey. How can Alec have gone out with this... thing?

"On one date," scoffs Arthur. "And you were both only fifteen. It doesn't count." I sigh in relief.

"We did kiss," she shoots back. I share a look with Joel. What the hell was Alec thinking? He chuckles, and then smirks at me, shaking his head.

"How did you two get the bond?" I ask nervously, my heart speeding up.

"One of his first missions was to protect me and my family," she says. "He was busy watching my dad when I was taken. He came to find me, and saved my life. We started going out, things got kind of steamy--"

"Wait!" I order. "How 'steamy'?" She laughs, tipping her head back. Her eyes flash.

"We had this thing called sex. Just because you're a virgin--"

"How do you know I am?" I ask pointedly.

"You seem serious about becoming a Protector."

"Not anymore," I reply, narrowing my eyes. "I no longer want to be just an average Protector. I want to be a Hunter. Maybe, if I'm really lucky, you can be my first mission." I throw myself at her, and punch her in the jaw, the nose, and then the eye. I snap her wrist with my bare hands, and then ram my elbow into her ribs. I hope she dies. Then I stand up, spitting on her twitching and wailing form.

"Bitch," I hiss at her, stepping away. "What an easy target."

"Except, most people are smart enough to know that by hurting her, you hurt Alec. And he will kill anyone who hurts him," Arthur warns me. I feel the blood drain from my face, and I remember. The bond... it's like Joel and I. I look helplessly at Arthur. "Also," he adds, "he hates it when people target members of his team. As he says, everyone is as important as each other."

"Well said, Arthur. Exactly the way I taught you." I spin around and bare my teeth at Alec, who is leaning against a brick wall, arms crossed, a steely glint in his eyes. "I think you need to understand just how much it hurts when someone hurts the person you are bonded to," he says, and I see fury in his gaze. He grabs Joel, snapping his wrist. I scream as I feel my own wrist snap. Then my jaw cracks, my nose breaks, and blood pours down my face. Not only do I feel Joel's physical pain, I feel his absolute terror. He doesn't know just how far Alec will go to prove his point. Honestly, neither do I. Suddenly I can't breathe. Pain explodes in my lungs, and I feel them fill up with liquid. I cough violently, feeling and seeing blood flow from my mouth. I fall to my knees, then my stomach. Blood continues to pour from my mouth, completely cutting off my air supply.

Suddenly, everything stops. There is no pain in my body, and I look up. Alec watches me coolly, a perfectly calm expression on his face. I look to one of the women standing by. She looks slightly tired, and I realise the whole thing must have been an illusion.

"You tricked me?" I whispered. "I never realised you would honestly stoop that low. Do you not understand the relationship between Joel and I? Unlike you and Carey, we love each other. Everything is intensified by one hundredfold. I feel even more pain than he does, receiving it firsthand." Alec smirks at me.

"You mistake me for someone who cares. If you touch a member of my team again, I will kill your precious bond mate."

"What has gotten into you?" I ask, my heart skipping a beat. Where has this cold-hearted bastard come from?

"My dear Kate, I am merely putting our entire relationship behind me. I am just acting as though we never knew each other. You were just another stupid teenage girl with a hopeless crush on me." What a jerk.