The Hunters Saga #2: The Wolfsbane Rubies

Chapter 20: Stakes Not Included

A/N: I'M ALIVE! XD Bet you thought I wasn't coming back, that I would NEVER finish book 2 (or this trilogy for that matter... ) Well, have I got news for you :) Chapter 20's finally here, guys! As promised! :D Thanks so much for being patient, hope you love this chapter as much as I loved writing it ;) Thanks for reading and enjoy! <3

Chapter 20: Stakes Not Included

   I was apparently exhausted when we arrived at The Dakota because as soon as my back hit Henri's silky covers, I was out like a light.

   For a long time, it seemed that I was stuck in the nightmares of the past and of the future. My uncle killed me in some, while others involved Gavin or even Henri. Then I would be thrown back to my wishful past, when my parents were alive. This scared me even more, it seemed, because the images made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.

   For some reason, a certain childhood memory arose from the horrors of my dreaming state. See, when I was in Kindergarten – yes, I actually went to school... before my parents died, of course – I made plenty of friends, most of which I've broken off with due to vampire hunting. I was much more friendly and social back then, more than I was currently. It must've been some weird personality change that ultimately resulted from my high-end hunter life and occupation.

   Anyway, out of all of my friends – both close and barely acquainted with – one stood out from the rest. It wasn't because he was more outgoing, it wasn't because we'd known each other the longest, and it certainly wasn't because we were closer than close.

   It was because Joshua Wood was a bad boy; a troublemaker who made messes, lied and cheated constantly. He didn't act interested in school, he barely showed up half the time. On a social standard, every girl steered clear of him.

   Every girl except for me.

   I remembered being enamored by his alluring yet aloof personality (guess I really liked the dangerous type), and usually found it hard to focus on anything when Joshua Wood entered a room.

   My parents were the first to notice my strange behavior.

   "Toni, sweetheart, what's this boy good at?" my Mom asked me one day after school. Her question barely stumped my Kindergarten-educated mind. I thought about it, then said. "He's good at being bad, Mommy. He doesn't like to follow the rules." She stared at me as if I'd gone insane. Which I guess was close enough. I still had no idea where my strange, sudden attraction to the stereotypical kid had originated.

   My Father eventually stepped in to intervene. "Honey, being bad isn't good. It's dangerous."

   Oh, how right he was!

   Thankfully, I eventually got over my fascination for Joshua Wood. I guess you could consider him to be my first ever crush. My parent's deaths, of course, wiped out any thought of friendships – much less romantic relationships – to focus on. At the mere age of 7, my life had changed dramatically, and not in a good way, either. Yes, I gained strength over time thought the traumatic event. I've gained a lot and lost a lot, but that's required with the life I've been living. What did I have today? A life of pure Hell. Emotional, physical – hell, even mental – baggage claimed me, but that's life, I guess.

   The image of my parents dissolved into nothingness as I woke up slowly, my mind the first thing awake, then my body caught up. I was in Henri's bed yet again. Sighing in slight annoyance – when really I didn't mind whatsoever – I stretched out my stiff limbs. Why was I always so Goddamned tired?

   "Toni?"

   I glanced over my shoulder, finally noticing the occupied space beside me beneath the silken sheets. I barely held back a giggle at the sight of Henri's outrageous bedhead. How the Hell had that happened when the vamp hadn't been sleeping?