The Hunters

Chapter Thirty-Seven

    He sighs, "I know it's cruel, but he deserves it. Amaia, I don't care that he stabbed me, I don't care about that. I care about how he was going to murder you. If you hadn't woken up, who knows if we'd be here right now. Sullivan is a sick person."

    "And that's why you're going to torture him to death?" I whisper.

    Cyprian sighs and sits up so he can directly look at me. He kisses me gently across the lips and then whispers back, "No, that's why you're going to torture him to death."

    I pull my hood over my head as I run through the village towards the woods. It grows closer and closer and I hold my breath as I start to feel the branches brush against me and I sigh in relief, in familiarity. I look up towards the sky and I feel the tears roll down my warm cheeks. I cry, I can't stand holding it in anymore.

I'm sobbing as I run. I just keep running. I don't stop until I catch the tree to my right. I stop to take a breath. I can't stop crying and now I'm shaking. So much, so much, has happened to me. I've been kidnapped, I've been left alone, I've been in pain, I watched my father die, I almost died. And I'm going to have to kill a human man. Everyone I love is constantly in the face of death, but I can't help them. I scream to myself and bang my hand on the tree as hard as I can.

"Now, now, love, is that really a good way to relieve yourself of pain?" Kane. He's leaning against the tree with a smirk plastered across his face.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I scream at him, but he isn't phased by my outburst.

"I'm here to see you, Amaia," he laughs up at the sky.

"You're psychotic, Kane," I grit through my teeth, "you killed my father. You did this to me!"

"What did I do to you, Amaia? What?" He fires back.

"You gave me this! You gave me this anger, all these problems: misery, hatred!" I yell at him through my sobs, "You've made me hate my own life!"

For a second he looks somewhat sincere and his lips glue together, "I'm sorry that that's happened to you, but I want you to think: is it all because of me? Truly think about it."

I take a shaky breath and close my eyes and do think about it. I want to believe that this is all his fault. It is all his fault. He's caused the chain reaction so everything is to blame on him. Sometimes I wonder if I'm already in Hell.

I reopen my eyes and gasp because Kane's inches away from me now. He moves so cunningly and so mysteriously, "I hate when you do that."

"Do what? This?" he smirks and places a finger on my cheek and runs it down my face, brushes it across my lip, then down my neck, along the cusp of my neck, and he keeps running it down my body and I'm shivering. I gasp when he runs his whole hand up my body. And all I can think is, stop, but the one word can't reach my lips and no one is in sight to help me.

"P-please" It takes all my power to say that word... and then the next: "Stop."

"Mm," Kane mumbles, his hand rests on my waist, "Is this bothering you, love?"

"It is bothering me," I bite my tongue, "So if you can stop that'd be very much appreciated."

"Stop?" He asks like the word isn't in his personal dictionary. His ears flick like he can hear something that I can't. I look around to see if I notice anything. Nothing.

And then his lips are entwined with me and I'm screaming internally. I want to vomit when I feel his tongue lick my lips. I try to pull away but his werewolf strength overcomes mine. Until I knee him in the groin and I hear someone else approach.

"Amaia? Amaia Kingsley!" Aramis's shout shatters my mind and I grab onto the tree but my hand falls on the inscribed names of me and Cyprian. My heart falters.

"Oh God, Oh God, Aramis, please-"

"What the hell did I just watch? Were you—" Aramis stops short and eyes me and Kane like he can't believe what he just saw. I can't believe what I just went through. Kane kissed me. And it took me too long to stop it. My vision spins and I throw up nothingness from within my stomach.

Kane smirks, "Sorry you had to see that." He acts like I wasn't forced into what I just went through. And like I didn't just throw up.

"I'd like to think I did not just see that, but Amaia you're with Cyprian! What the hell! You can't just go around kissing other boys, especially not werewolves. Oh God, how will I tell him-"

"Aramis!" I choke, looking at him through my eyelashes, "It's not what you think—"

"Oh?" Kane raises an eyebrow.

"Can you leave? You're lucky I haven't dug this knife into your heart, you bastard. You're in hunter territory," Aramis snarls.

"Aramis, please!" I run my hands down my face, "can I speak?"

"Yes, Amaia, please. Tell me why you kissed a fucking werewolf!" Aramis's voice raises.

I'm about to speak when I empty my guts again and again. Everything is darkening but I force myself to stay upright. I need to focus. I need to tell Aramis what happened.

"Amaia, love... are you alright?" I look over towards Kane. His hands pull my hair up so it stays clean but I shove him away.

"Can you leave?" My eyes are sore from my cries and my throat is throbbing from throwing up. Kane's eyes soften like I've never seen them before but then before I can protest more he disappears in the blink of an eye.

I look over to Aramis and his face is unreadable. I still have so much to explain to him and so little time, but before I can he leaves me standing there alone. He doesn't even give me the chance to speak right now.

And I'm alone. Again. Like I've always felt like I am, but I need to tell him before he can tell anyone. I need to explain to him what happened. He needs to know it wasn't my choice and that I was forced.

But I'm left to the darkness of night to devour me again... and again.