The Hunter's Savior
Northern Lithuania, Present Day
Vincent stared up at the blurred canopy of trees looming above him. The leaves swayed in the chill breeze. The sky was dark, drifts of snow falling around him. The puffs of white coated the thick old branches that arched above his prone form. The tiny specs of ice cooled his feverish skin, causing him to shiver as if he were a child.
He recognized these woods, the familiar scents drawing memories from his childhood. His pack had once roamed here freely. How ironic that he should teleport here when his life was nearing an end, the very place where he'd first lost it all.
The Teleportation Amulet still lay around his neck - he could easily leave - but something stayed him. Instinct told him this was where he was meant to be.
His inner wolf was quiet. It had been so long since he'd last heard it speak. If only he could hear it one last time, even just a whisper.
There was nothing but silence, his mind empty.
It was maddening.
He lay in the falling snow, letting the cold seep into his bones. His once powerful body was weak and tormented with pain. He could feel the poison coursing through his veins like fire. Dark spots began to filter over his vision.
Shit, he was really going to die here, on the ground like a damn animal. He attempted to lift his head and nearly passed out from the agonizing pain coursing through his skull.
How had it all gone wrong?
A dark shadow fell over him. A chill that had nothing to do with the cold ran up his spine. A face emerged from the darkness, red eyes glowing with madness.
Gabriel?
No, he was hallucinating.
An evil grin spread across Gabriel's pale face, revealing small sharp teeth. His face may have been handsome once, but the centuries of insanity had turned it cruel and sharp. A long vicious scar slashed from his left eye, over his nose, and down to his right jaw.
Vincent opened his mouth, blood trailing between his lips.
Gabriel laughed, the sound reverberating in Vincent's ears.
Not real. Can't be.
This was the poison, giving him one last vision of his ultimate mistake. He never should have joined the Legion. His impatience had made him weak. As soon as he'd signed a pact with Gabriel the Mad, leader of the Legion, his fate had been sealed.
The Forsaken vampire betrayed him, coercing him to take on a powerful enemy - the Demon King, Sebastian the Vanquisher. Weakened by Gabriel's leash, a vile poison that slowly killed an immortal, his inner wolf had grown dormant. Without his wolf Vincent could not turn, forcing him to resort to desperate measures in an attempt to kill the demon.
And still he'd failed!
His left arm burned where the Demon King had clawed him during their battle so many weeks before. Such a wound should have healed in minutes, but the poison kept it open, allowing it to fester. He could smell the rot.
In truth, he'd never stood a chance.
Should have ran. Lost everything.
Such a thought was nearly incomprehensible. Vincent Shaw should not lose; he was a dominant werewolf from a strong bloodline. Yet he continued to fail, over and over. Now he would die with nothing.
His body was broken. His wolf was gone. No pack. No mate.
Alone.
Laying there with the snow drifting around him Vincent wondered what his mother had thought in her last moments. It had been so long since he'd last thought of her. The image of her face had faded with time, just a blurred memory of softness and love.
The pain increased further, peaking to a point of agony he'd never known. He refused to let a sound leave his lips. If he would die he would do so with what little dignity he had left.
"My, how the mighty fall," a soft feminine voiced reached through his haze of agony.
Vincent forced his eyes to open wider. Gabriel's cruel face faded as another figure stood over him. The shadow turned to light.
Another hallucination?
He fought to focus on the figure standing over him. He could just make out the blurred shape of a woman, a vision in white, before his sight blackened. He licked his lips and tried to respond, but couldn't speak.
"Can't speak?" she asked. "Not surprising, you're a mess. And you were so handsome..." She sighed whimsically.
He gritted his teeth, wishing he could reach up and slap her. Insulting a dying man, even he wasn't that callous. He grunted, maybe that wasn't wholly true. Might as well be honest since I'm about to die.
The things he'd done...
"You certainly are in bad shape. Just about at death's door if I were to guess," she mused. The bitch actually sounded amused!
Go the fuck away and leave me in peace.
"Really though, what did you expect when you join with one such as Gabriel?"
Damn it. Who the hell was she?
"But I suppose you are rather strong. She just might be able to save you."
That got his attention. His eyes were open but he couldn't see. He tried to turn his head towards her voice but even that little movement proved futile. In the end he could only grunt.
"Still alive! Well, that's good. Bringing people back from the dead is such messy business," she laughed.
Was the woman serious? Who the hell had that kind of power? For a moment his heart went cold. Was she a necromancer? He'd rather die than become one of those freaks ghouls or zombies.
No, he might not be able to see but his sense of smell was still intact. She didn't reek of death. In fact she smelled of...flowers...
"Don't die just yet," she continued unfazed. "And you owe me one, never forget."
Hope stirred within him. He might just survive this. If he could just hang on a little bit longer...
His inner wolf stirred, as if sensing they had a chance.
Live!
The voice was so clear, an order from the deepest part of this soul. He had to hang on. He had to survive this. Don't die you bastard! You have business to finish before you die.
He slipped into darkness, his inner wolf howling with despair.
******
Evelyn glared at her aunt from behind her glasses, her hands placed over her wide hips. "Levina, what the hell is this?"
The mystic beamed at her, completely undaunted by her angry glare. "Why Evelyn, what does it look like?"
Clenching her teeth Eve tried to remain calm. "It looks like there is a big dead male on my bed."
Her aunt blinked, looking over at the large dirty male tossed haphazardly on the bed. Eve was shocked the big man had even fit through her tiny cottage door. "Don't be silly, he's not dead." Levina frowned, inspecting the male closer. "At least I don't think so..."
"Why is he here?"
"Because this is where I need him to be," Levina answered point blank.
Eve counted to three. "You do realize that tells me absolutely nothing?"
Levina walked over to the big dirty male and poked him gently. He gave a slight groan. "Oh good, he is still alive."
"Again, why is he here?"
Her aunt smiled a little too sweetly. "I need you to take care of this man for a short time."
"What!?" Eve's jaw went slack before she pulled herself together. "No way! Just look at him! He'll be dead before nightfall. Why do I need to take care of him?"
"Because I asked you too."
"Ugh." Eve fought the urge to rub her temples. She'd been having such a nice day too, until she'd come home to the foul smelling half-dead male on her freshly cleaned bedding.
Levina gave her a pointed look. "Shouldn't you get working? Isn't there some sort of potion you need to brew or whatever it is you do?"
Eve narrowed her eyes right back. "What are you scheming?" If there was anything Eve knew about her aunt - more commonly known as Levina the Ever Watchful - it was that the mystic was a schemer.
"Oh, don't be silly." Levina waved her hands gracefully before smoothing out her white dress, which almost seemed to glow in the sunlight filtering through the cottage windows. Her brilliant blonde hair curled about her beautiful face, soft pouty lips stained red. Eve felt a stab of jealously before she quickly stomped it down. "We both know you are the best when it comes to healing salves and potions. If anyone can save him it would be you."
"I don't want him here," she grated. "You're a mystic, can't you just, you know, fix him?"
Rolling her eyes Levina sighed. "You know that's not how my power works. Besides, my talents lie in destruction. Healing was your mother's gift"
Eve winced. "A lot of good that did her..."
Levina walked over to her, gripping her slim shoulders. "You've been alone for far too long, beloved. It would do you some good to have a man around..."
Eve shook her head and backed away. "Oh no...I know what you're trying to do. I do not need anyone, especially not him!" She pointed a damning finger at the dirty male.
Levina glanced around the cottage with a raised brow. Eve knew what she was thinking. The cottage was small and extremely cluttered. On the far side was a four poster bed, across from her tiny kitchen and wood stove. Herbs and flowers hung from the wooden beams, drying before the intricately carved windows. There was a bookshelf next to the kitchen stuffed with books, potions, and herbs. A table sat against the opposite wall with two chairs, the worn surface littered with items.
Books and scrolls practically filled every corner - stacked against the walls, over tables, and on chairs. There were dozens of vials and bottles of various sizes, some containing liquids ranging in color, others empty. Ingredients for her potions were crammed in cupboards and tossed on the table. She had cauldrons and pots sprawled all over the place. To any outsider it would appear as if a bomb had gone off. To her it was organized clutter.
"Seriously, Evelyn, you've been holed up in this cottage for over eighty years-"
"I like it here!" she snapped. Most would be cautious of angering her aunt - the mystic could be ruthless at times - but Eve was one of the very few that could get away with it. "I can't do this. I mean really, just look at him!" She wasn't even sure what species the male was; just that he was massive, covered in blood, and very probably dead.
Levina gave her a sad look, almost pouting. "Evelyn, I need you to do this for me. I do not expect you to fall in love with the male. I simply need you to heal and care for him." She patted the top of Eve's head reassuringly. Eve hated it when she did that, all it did was remind her of how short she was. "Please, I do believe you owe me one."
Damn! She doubted there was a being in this realm, and many others, that wasn't indebted to her aunt in some fashion or another. Rolling her eyes she sighed in defeat, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "I doubt I can save him," she warned cautiously.
The mystic nodded, beaming from ear to ear. "If anyone can it's you, my dear. I will return in a few months to check on him."
Eve gaped at the other woman. "A few months! Are you nuts?"
"Why yes, I believe this has been established," her aunt replied almost gleefully. "Besides, he'll need time to regain his strength after all."
Eve wanted to argue, she really did. But she knew there was no point. Her aunt had set her mind to this and she knew it was a waste of time to try and convince her otherwise. "Fine. A few months."
"Excellent!" She clapped her hands. "Also, I've beefed up the wards for you. If you need to teleport you'll have to go outside the boundaries."
Fantastic. Which meant danger. "Should I be worried?"
"Oh no, of course not..." Levina reassured her with a nervous laugh. "Just a precaution. You know I would never put you in harms way."
Sighing, Eve relaxed. "I know." Levina was the one person in the world she could trust. Her aunt had always protected her.
Giving Eve a tight hug Levina kissed the top of her head. "And do be careful, dear. I hear he can be a handful."
AN: Hope you like the story and thank you for reading!