Hunting the Hunter (Second in Lone Wolf series)

Chapter Fourteen

“I want to shoot your gun.” Maggie declared with excitement as the three of them settled into camp three nights later.

The tension had been thick between Ella and Brendon, though Brendon knew the tension came from him. Ella didn’t seem to understand why he was being so distant.

Brendon was doing it for her safety just as much as he was for his own. Ella needed to understand that their relationship could go no further than it already had. He was only going to make sure she was safe and then he would leave her behind and never see her again.

If the council discovered her existence and what she was to Brendon, or rather what he was to her, they would have her killed just to ensure his loyalty would not be divided.

If they learned that she was in fact the vampire they had sent Brendon to kill then the Council would kill not only Ella but Brendon himself for his deception.

There was simply no way for Brendon and Ella to ever be together.

And then there was the fact that Ella seemed to see him as a captor, an owner. She had even said that she would allow him to force her if he wanted to.

Hell he didn’t want to force any woman! He had never forced a woman in his life. It didn’t matter if Brendon was Ella’s life mate, she was still a vampire with very serious issues and Brendon did not have the time or the capability to deal with them.

Ella, from what he knew, had never been loved and Brendon had never loved. They simply did not fit. She deserved love, though he had no way of knowing if she would ever find it, or if she would knew what to do with it once she did.

“Alright, I don’t see what harm can come from that.” Brendon replied as he tousled her hair. He was finding that he had a soft spot for the crippled girl. She seemed to be fairly taken with him as well and he worried about what would happen to her once he left her… It was clear that Ella knew nothing about caring for a child and Brendon wouldn’t want to put that kind of responsibility on a vampire just learning about freedom and getting her own life.

Maybe Grange and Dawn could care for her? Or Nickolai and Brie. It wasn’t something that either of them had ever mentioned aloud but Brendon was fairly certain that they could not have children given the fact that she had never gotten with child in all their years together in the past nor in the time they’d been together before Brendon had left.

Maybe they would raise Maggie. Brendon would not have to worry about her safety in Grange’s territory. Grange kept those around him safe and swiftly dealt with those who threatened them. He had known a lot as a lone wolf and had grown and learned more as an alpha.

It wouldn’t hurt to ask, and knowing Grange, even if he had reservations about allowing a crippled mortal girl into his pack, Dawn would quickly change his mind. It seemed that with Grange, Dawn always got what she wanted. Always.

Brendon wouldn’t try to take Ella there though. There was too much risk involved in that. If Warren had other vampires watching her and they came one day, Grange would hunt Brendon down and kill him, friend or no friend, for brining such danger around his mate and child.

Brendon knew the town he was taking Ella to. It was only another three days ride. A fairly large town in west Tennessee. They had covered a lot of ground in the last few days and Brendon knew he was probably pushing the animals and Maggie too hard but he was not accustomed to pacing himself and old habits died hard and you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks or some such nonsense as that….

Brendon figured he just lacked patience and stopping so they could all get the eight to ten hours of rest that mortals required seemed a waste to him when all he needed was two or three.