Night Of The Hunter

The Search

Looking out the window as Aiden drove toward the city, I gave the car a once-over. It smelled brand new—that mix of leather and "manly" air freshener that dangled from the rearview mirror. I almost sighed. I missed my car.

I glanced over at him. He had one hand on the wheel, the other draped casually over the console, focused entirely on the road. The silence in the car had stretched awkwardly for the past thirty minutes, broken only by the occasional honk and the hum of traffic over the bridge.

"How long have you been out?" I asked, letting the question hang in the tense air between us.

"A while," he replied, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

I shifted slightly in my seat. "Been here long?"

"Not really."

Two-word answers. Classic.

"Well, aren't you just a poet today," I muttered, glancing over at him.

A subtle smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Stop fishing."

I huffed. "Fishing is part of my charm. Don't act like you don't miss it."

"Yeah," he said with a short exhale that might've been a laugh. "Still pesky as ever."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not much has changed over here, which is more than I can say about you."

"Jealous?" he teased, flashing that cocky little grin that used to make me want to smack it off his face.

I scoffed. "Of what? Your supernatural upgrades or your charming way of dodging every question I ask?"

He turned his head slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Both."

I rolled my eyes and shifted in my seat. "Fine, new topic. How did you know where I live?"

"I have my ways," he said casually, eyes back on the road.

"Which sounds an awful lot like stalking."

"I wasn't stalking you," he said, his tone dry. "I just figured I'd get to you before Xavier did. No need to thank me."

That gave me pause. My thoughts spun back to the fight club, to the guy who shot himself and the little girl who handed me cash. It had to have been him. Mind control—an ability some elder vampires possessed. Maybe Aiden had picked it up, too.

"So, why were you at the fight club?"

"Had a lead on Xavier. Thought I could intercept him before he got to you."

"Also known as stalking," I muttered, raising an eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh. "Relax. If I were stalking you, you wouldn't have noticed. I'm way more subtle than that."

"If we do find him," I continued, "What's your plan? Cage him again?"

"I have a place," he said, his voice tight. "It's secure. Learned from last time."

I raised a brow. "The same place he escaped from?"

His jaw ticked. "No. Upgraded."

I leaned back into my seat, satisfied I ruffled his feathers a little.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, the tension lingering in the space between us like a fog we couldn't shake. Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the narrow alley where Xavier had attacked me. Aiden parked the car and jumped out without a word. I stayed behind, my hands resting on my thighs as a wave of unease washed over me. My gaze drifted to the brick wall where my body had been slammed. I could still feel the pressure, the helplessness, the taste of fear thick on my tongue.