We Are The Hunted [Demetri Volturi]

Chapter 28

They left the bike in a ditch as it half sunk into the river at the bottom. It was such a shame really. The hunter wished to keep it but they had to avoid suspicion and being tracked by the police. Much to her annoyance this left her to piggyback on the tracker's back upon returning to the bed and breakfast entrance. When reaching the room Kahlen couldn't go to sleep right away.

"Mother..." her voice trailed off.

A hiss escaped the lips as the tracker rubbed the alcohol over the open wound. It was one thing traveling through the city at breakneck speed, twisting and turning around traffic and riding atop a moving vehicle to fight off vampires. It was another coming down from the high upon entering the residence to realize that everything began to ache. And not in a good way. It started in the lower back upon ascending the staircase to the room, and only grew worse when Kahlen attempted to remove the jacket only to instantly tense at the sting of pain that shot up the spine. Nothing was broken, and it wasn't a nerve being pinched. The close call she had with the underside of the bridge definitely made its mark.

Demetri cocked a brow at the young woman's jerked movement, quickly halting in pulling off the jacket and tugged it back on with haste. It took him nearly a half hour to get a straight answer out of her. As to why she refused to remove the clothing, or insisted on lying face down on the bed. It wasn't until he dared to sniff the air that he caught the hidden blood and by that point there was no use denying it was 'nothing'. Even if a hunter healed quicker than a normal human it still needed to be tended to. To Kahlen's dislike, the vampire helped her out of the article of clothing and the shredded fabric that could once be viewed as a shirt. Behind the clothing angry red markings covered the skin and oozed blood in areas. A very unflattering 'road' burn that stood out against the already pale skin. Very tempting...

The tracker forced the young woman to follow him into the bathroom where she sat on the closed toilet seat, back to him, shoulders slightly hunching because it hurt to straighten too much. The bra needed to be removed, also stained red, and Kahlen held a towel to the chest to not be completely exposed. He then took the products from underneath the sink and began to clean out the cuts where some gravel from the stone broke off and embedded in the crevasses. And that was when Kahlen began cursing every now and then. Even with Demetri's enhanced vision it wasn't a simple task.

"You enjoy putting yourself in danger, don't you?" the tracker finally questioned.

"Well, it makes things interesting," she muttered. Another hiss quickly escaped her when the vampire roughly pressed against an area. "Watch it."

"I am only trying to remind you of what happens when you become reckless. You are not immortal."

Her brow cocked, even though he could not see it. "You honestly think this is the worst I have suffered, you're wrong, vampire."

Demetri stared at the back of her head while washing another piece of gravel down the drain and leaning back in again. It was clear to see the scars that lined the pale skin in areas, even if most blended in rather well. But to a vampire's sharp eye they stood out. He knew she was capable of holding her own, and could go up against the strongest creatures of the night. After all, the young woman was alive to prove it. Didn't mean he had to like her methods.

As much as Kahlen hated the fact that the vampire needed to help her into a loose shirt she refused to allow further help. The young woman kicked him out of the bathroom. When the hunter emerged her hair was damp from soaking it in the sink and wore baggy black pants. Demetri stood leaning against the window frame watching the street below as she crawled onto the bed lying face down.

"Which mission did you suffer the most on?" he questioned when her eyes were about to close.

"Are you really asking me this right now?" He didn't respond. "I'm exhausted. Maybe another night..."

Kahlen instantly tensed at the sudden touch at the inside of the knee. Despite the pain she leaned on the left arm to push up slightly and give a warning glare at the vampire sitting to the right of the bed now. But he didn't move away from the threat, staring her right in the eye. If anything his grip on her tightened to hold the young woman in place. His touch directly over the hidden scar under the clothing.

"Was this one of your daring stunts?" he questioned. "And don't think I didn't notice. I first caught sight of it in the shower when you were cleaning the blood off from your episode. Just a glimpse, but I became more aware of it during those times you spar, wore pants that cut off around that area, and that dance of yours on stage under the dim lighting. So I want to know whether you're reckless or being a daredevil, placing your life on the line?"

"Don't act like you know me, vampire," she said. "Even if I have been living in the Volturi for months you are far from knowing who I am and where I come from."

They held each other's gaze for a moment of tense silence.

"It's neither. I was simply an inexperienced hunter at the time. My mentor brought me on a mission with him thinking I was ready. And it wasn't until I realized after the attack happened when I was lying on the ground, as he wrapped me up so I didn't bleed out before reaching the nearest hospital, it was all a test. To see how I would handle myself in that kind of a situation. If I would falter as a human or carry out the mission."

And to exaggerate her point Kahlen reached up. The tip of the pointer finger pressing against the middle of the vampire's forehead while the thumb stuck straight up in the air.

"By putting a bullet in their brain. Pew-shoo," her voice mimicked the sound of a gun going off when the thumb came down. She even tilted the hand slightly against his hard skin to show the small kick back of the shot. "While I returned the favor to the werewolf that did this permanent damage, in a way I thank him all the same."

His brows furrowed in mild confusion. "Why would you thank a mutt?"

The hand pulled away from his face to rest once more on the mattress.

"Because he made me fearless. Once you experience fear in the field, that instance where you think death is about to have you in its clutches only to be just out of reach, you realize nothing could compare to that. So any other experience you have against an unnatural creature is nothing to be concerned of. Why worry about something so trivial when death is a bigger risk? The fight to survive overpowers that feeling. But you can never experience such a thing unless you are nearly dead yourself."

As Demetri stared at the hunter, he hated to admit that her words actually made sense. Though he still didn't completely approve of her reckless behavior from time to time.

"Tell me, vampire, when you died and became reborn was there anything you feared?"

"No," he answered truthfully.

"And nothing should, because there is nothing more terrifying than the darkness and silence of death which has you fighting to see the light. Not all who are bitten survive the process. That person must have a strong will to push through. Your behavior helped you 'survive' in a sense, as does mine when on missions."

His grip on the leg slightly lessened. "No more stunts. You're still mortal."

Her brow twitched in annoyance. "I'm not useless."

"I didn't say that. But you're not immortal."

"And you feel like it's your duty to always remind me," she muttered. "Now will you let go of my leg, pervert?"

"Pervert, I am a gentleman."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that..." She slapped his hand away. "Now let me get some damn sleep."

He watched as the hunter's body relaxed, slowly slipping under.

"And stop worrying all the time... otherwise you'll get wrinkles."

Demetri smirked as she finally passed out. "Hard not to be with you constantly by my side."