AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where are you planning to go?” His voice is calm and controlled.
All I want to do is yell and scream at him to get out of my life so I can disappear.
I didn’t ask for any of this.
“Away from you.” I shrug, my tone surprisingly calm.
“You do realize no amount of running will save you from me.”
I raise my eyebrows and scoff out a mocking laugh. “I didn’t realize I needed to be saved. As far as I’m concerned, I belong to no one.”
Hunter chuckles, and it causes my stomach to twist with excitement. “Oh, Little Red, if only you knew everything.”
I lean against my bedroom wall. “What else can you tell me about my father?” I blurt out.
Hunter shrugs. “I don’t know much. I haven’t been told a lot about him. All I know is he hasn’t been seen in a while. If my father catches wind of him being alive, he will die.”
A coolness comes over my face as the blood drains from it.
Hunter takes two large steps and stands in front of me. The familiar woodsy smell fills my nose and calms my now jittery nerves. “Is that who was talking to you on the phone in the window?”
I swallow the concrete lump that’s formed in my throat and slowly nod.
“Dammit!” he yells.
8
Hunter’s outburst startles me so much that my body crumbles to the floor. My head falls to my knees, and my hands come over my head. It’s not a physical blow, but my body is trying to protect itself on instinct.
Within seconds, Hunter’s hand is on the back of my neck. His thumb rubs small movements, providing a tiny comfort. “I’m sorry for scaring you. That wasn’t my intention. I’m angry with myself that I couldn’t keep you safe and your father found you.” He releases a heavy breath before continuing. “He’s a tyrant, a dominant man who lives to rule by fear and intimidation. He’s a monster. It wouldn’t surprise me if he actually killed your brother, Nash.”
I tremble at the thought of someone so vile and evil killing their own blood, someone who was a part of their life. I feel Hunter press his lips to my head, and my stomach swarms with butterflies.
Lifting my head, I stare into the eyes of the man I was apparently promised to. “Hunter, why are you coming for me now? Why not just take me with you when you saved my life? I probably would have had less fight then, considering I was almost killed, and you saved me.” I give a small smile.
His hand stays on the back of my neck but stops moving. “I need you with a fight in your belly. I need you on my side to take over the underworld and push my father out. I don’t want any of my brothers to take the lead. Otherwise, they’ll be worse than my father. Right now, I’m mostly in charge and can run things how I want, but if my father asks for something, it has to be done because he hasn’t ‘fully’ handed it over.”
My eyes widen, and my heart jumps into my throat. I hesitantly ask, “Are you trying to wipe out your own family?”
Hunter stands, and I follow his movements. His expensive shoes track back and forth on the carpet in my bedroom. Staring at the floor, he says, “It’s not that simple.”
“Well, of course not. It’s your family.” I laugh nervously,, but how ironic is it that he wants to take out his family and mine? This makes no sense.
“No, what I mean is, they worship my father and what he stands for. Everything bad. Everyone dies around me. I can’t get close to anyone without him killing them off. I’m the eldest, but he has this hold over me for some strange reason, and my brothers do whatever he deems necessary. If I remove him from the situation, then perhaps I could change things...” He pauses for a moment and looks down at me. “We could find the rest of your siblings, and they would be safe. No harm would come to them, but that’s only if I can remove my father from his throne. You and your family are the threat he doesn’t want.”
Things are starting to fall into place, but I still have so many questions. “I’m still not seeing how I have a part to play. Okay, I was apparently promised to you, and you keep saying I can help. But how?”
I slowly push myself off the floor and walk toward him, resting my hand on his arm. His suit is the softest material I’ve ever felt. Not the right time to think about something like that.
Hunter turns to face me. “Me and you would bring our families together, giving us power over both. Your remaining brother would have to take his orders from you and me. Same with my family. Together, we could remove my father.”
His words slowly sink in.
“I’m not strong enough for this world...your world, and I don’t want to be a part of it.”
He takes my shoulders. “You’re stronger than you know. But you must understand that the world you’re about to be introduced to isn’t one with fairies and princesses. It’s full of death, blood, and betrayal.”
My body tingles with fear, but I can’t ignore the mix of curiosity that follows. “I’ve never even shot a gun. I’m not sure I could kill someone. That’s not who I am.”
