Silently Hunted

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“I don’t know whether to thank you or not,” the voice caused both in the bedroom to freeze. “Urim.”

Before her, with his hand still tight around her throat, she felt more than heard the sub vocal growl that edged from the Hunters chest. Coming out via the snarl that appeared on his face. “No one has given you permission to call me by anything other than Shadow Hunter.” The fact he had not turned to the voice, showed her he thought he could take whoever it was, while at the same time, not allowing this new participant in their show to see his true feelings towards them.

“Ah, you vampires have strange practices. Urim, is your surname I believe? Strange for the Shadow Hunter to be named so.” She still had not taken her eyes off of his face, could still not see who the new comer was. Though it was obvious the male still holding her life in his hand had full knowledge of this person.

Somehow that still did not stop her from responding as a part of her brain sparked in reply to the comment just made. “Urim? Meaning illumination? I have to agree with your new guest. Very peculiar for a Shadow Hunter.” Her eyes flickered over his shoulders but could still see nothing. At the flames she could see deep in the Hunters eyes, she knew he did not like the fact that she had agreed with this new form. “But our new companion is wrong on one point. It is in fact the angels who have strange practices. Both humans and vampires have the ability to call family by the knowledge of their surnames. It is the angels who are the only intellectual species who do not.”

The smile that replaced the silent snarl gave her an unexpected burst of pride. “Looks like you are out voted Ezekiel.” He saw the widening of the amethyst eyes before him as she realised exactly what danger had somehow slipped past his security, but her would be sure to make it a very painful way to find the truth. “What does the Archangel of death want in my lair?” Prepared for the move, though still winded he found himself slammed into the wall and held by the throat. In an ironic parody of the way he had held Anev…Anya in the office earlier.

“Ah, have you come to kill me? We both know in a fight you will lose, as every other time we have fought before. Which means you must have a death wish because there is no way you are leaving this cellar alive.”

“Who said I was here to kill anyone?” With a smirk that he knew would send many a woman to their knees, it only made him want to knee this too pretty angel in the groin. Staring into eyes of a metallic bronze that should have been impossible in their clarity, he could feel the hatred within this Archangel. One of great powers, but not quite to the power that he had gained over the years. Though in equivalency they held the same rank, as he was head of the Shadow Hunters, Ezekiel held the role of head of the Silent Wing. Stupid name for a group of spies and assassins in his opinion, but it fit them. As he had just proved, they were silent and deadly. Just not against one trained in the same art.

Anya could not take in what she saw before her. She knew of Ezekiel of course. He had the same job of hunting her down as the Hunter had this side of the border. And like her encounters over the years with the Hunter, she had had just as many run ins, face to face with Ezekiel. Seeing them both together, however, showed her exactly how opposite the two were.

Her Hunter, she shook her head slightly, no not HER Hunter, the Hunter, was the darkness. Hair the colour of bitter chocolate, eyes almost black, skin of a natural tan as if he spent most of his life in the sun. Leanly muscled, but with an inner strength that radiated with the power he held. He could easily take down any species twice his size and strength, not that being just over six foot made him small in any way. She also knew there was an intelligence within him that meant he did not rely on his strength alone, and never would. And at that precise moment he was still wearing his black on black suit, showing precisely the darkness he held in check. He accepted that darkness and worked with it.