The Hunted - The Hunt #2

4. Fresh Start!

Daniel couldn't stop staring at her. She was amazing, with her red hair and pale green eyes. Her scent reminded him of cherry blossoms and fresh rain. He loved it. The wolf in him was still present, wanting his mate with a vengeance.

"How are you free?" she demanded. Her voice, it sounded like angels singing to his ears.

"Werewolf in me. Vampire binds don't work on that part," he explained plainly. Daniel couldn't keep anything from her, he knew that. "You are amazing," he whispered. He needed to express his acceptance of the bond, wanted to touch her.

To his surprise, she blushed at the comment. "Don't," she warned. He would have been confused by her response, if she hadn't tortured him a bit. Clearly she wasn't too thrilled about them being mates. Daniel's vampire side understood, his werewolf part was upset about the revelation. He suppressed his wolf side, back into the depths of his consciousness. He sat back down on the chair, hoping to look less menacing to her. She did relax a bit and loosened her grip on her gun. Daniel was glad he didn't scare her too much.

"Can we talk?" he asked her. Keeping the ball in her court might give her enough courage to let him assure her he wasn't a monster.

"About?" she retorted.

"Anything and everything. You do know what's going on, right? I mean, I don't have to go all wolfman on you and yell out: MATE! Or MINE! I don't really see that working between us. I do want to assure you, I will accept whatever you offer. Even if it remains as these one word responses. Whatever you want or need, the supernatural in me needs to give you. I'm able to remain logical and calculating, even in this situation. Although, I have to confess, I'd really like to touch you. I know we're nowhere near that sort of trust, but I wanted to make myself clear. I would like to accept the bond, when you're ready," he poured his heart out. His pulse was out of control and he could hear hers beating like a jackhammer.

"I... This is not normal!" she shouted.

"Why not? My mother was a hunter, she ran into my dad's pack land and they met. They are mates. She did stay away from him, pushing down the bond, but they were both really miserable. Once she accepted the bond, they've been happy. Mostly," Daniel couldn't stop himself from sharing. His adorable mate seemed to absorb the information, confusion written all over her face.

"How? I don't get it! I have always hated vampires! I still hate them! Why don't I hate you?" she demanded, anguish lacing her words.

"I don't care if you hate vampires. I'm only about 85% one. I've never been around them, unless you count my mother and my siblings. And they're not fully vampires either. My brother is mostly wolf. I grew up with werewolves, in my dad's pack. And, to point out the obvious again, I'm your mate. You're not supposed to hate me, you know," he pointed out.

She laughed. She really laughed, a hearty loud laugh. The sound vibrated off from the walls, filling Daniel's mind and body with warmth and joy.

"I should warn you, vampires are very possessive. If you let me be around you for more than a few days, I'm going to never leave you. You would have to kill me to get rid of me," Daniel mentioned, as casually as he could.

"A few days? I kept you knocked out for two weeks. The bond, which you so lovingly talk about, has fully formed. I can't sleep, I'm hardly eating. All I want is to touch you, to kiss you, to be with you. I don't know what to do about this. When I hurt you, I almost died. I don't think killing you is an option for me anymore," she confessed.

Two weeks. Well, Daniel knew his mother was going insane. Poor dad, having to deal with her craziness. And he couldn't even mock her, he'd actually been in grave danger this whole time.