Page 83 of Hunter

Hunter used to think that being immortal was a given pleasure of life. But his taste of Hell reminded him that immortal meant ‘you live until someone kills you.’ Searching for the skin book was rife with danger, he was certain. He didn’t trust Ilsbeth, unconvinced the artifact would sate the demon.

No, Willa deserved so much more than the shitty cards she’d been dealt. His clever doctor. His princess. His mate.

“Promise not to get crazy,” Hunter told Viktor, uneasy with his decision to let the vampire plan his date. “Keep it simple. We don’t have a lot of time.” A corner of Hunter’s mouth turned upward, a sinking feeling churning in his stomach. What could this vampire possibly know about romance, besides sex?

“Scout’s honor.” Viktor held up two fingers.

“I’m in.” The words passed through his lips before he could stop himself, but he wanted to do something nice for his mate.

“Delightful. Well, then. I guess it’s best if I get going. Chop chop. Things to do. People to buy off.” Viktor edged toward the front of his seat.

“Be careful.”

“Ah yes, well you too then.” He raised his hand into the air. “Alpha. One more thing.”

“What?”

Viktor grinned from ear to ear. “I was never a boy scout.”

Hunter shook his head as the vampire disappeared, praying to the Goddess Viktor didn’t draw attention to them.

Willa moaned, and he protectively laid his arm over her.

“Shh…. it’s all right, sweetheart. Get some sleep. Your Alpha’s not goin’ to let anything happen to you.”

What the ever-loving fuck? Hunter sat on the sofa, stunned at the sheer number of candles illuminating the room. It was official. He didn’t need to worry about the demons or the rogue wolves trying to kill them. Viktor was going to burn down his whole damn house. Fucking vampire .

The Alpha glanced up at the two-story-high ceiling. Over a hundred black and silver balloons danced in the air. His dining room table had been formally set; a silver candelabra sat centerpiece accented by exotic flower arrangements. In the foyer, a string quartet played Bach while flames lit up the fireplace. While it wasn’t his jam, the quiet smooth strokes of the violin calmed his nerves.

It was as if he’d hired a bad wedding planner. Except there was no wedding. And they had exactly five hours until the jet was ready to go. Skin book. Demons. No fucking wedding.

Hunter sucked in a deep cleansing breath, wishing he’d paid more attention at the hot yoga class his sister, Katrina, had made him attend. There wasn’t enough meditation that could keep him calm when it came to Viktor. Don’t draw attention. Keep it simple. Yeah, no. He should have known Viktor wasn’t capable.

Damn vampire had insisted he dress up and had sent him downstairs so he could attend to Willa. Why did I listen to him? he inwardly asked himself, exhaling a deep sigh.

Hunter closed his eyes and listened. Footsteps. He reached for Viktor but didn’t sense him. The distinctive sound of a woman’s heels tapping down the staircase sent him to his feet.

His eyes flashed open, his heart pounding in his chest as Willa descended. As he took in the sight of his gorgeous mate, blood rushed to his dick. The skin-tight, virgin-white, satin dress hugged every inch of her sexy-as-sin body. Goddamn vampire planned a wedding.

“Willa,” he managed. “You’re…you’re stunning.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “What is happening here?”

“I wanted to do something special. I know we’ve just met but you’re my mate, and I just thought…Viktor offered to help but clearly he’s gone overboard with some kind of human-themed romantic shindig…I’m going to take you on a proper date when this is all done but I…” Hunter lost his words as she drew closer. Her hair had been swept up, revealing the beautiful contours of her face, her red lips parted. Stop stammering like a fucking teenager and get it together, boy. “It’s just…I wanted to do something special for you. Is it inappropriate? We can stop all this.”

Willa smiled and reached for him, gently placing her finger across his lips. “No. It’s perfect.”

Hunter’s heart squeezed. “You sure?”

“No one has ever done something like this for me.” She closed the distance between them, tilting her head.

“I can’t take all the credit. Viktor.” Hunter glanced to the balloons and back to Willa. He wrapped his arm around her waist, her energy sizzling through him as her body brushed against his.

“But you agreed to this? For me?” She smiled broadly.

“Yes.” Hunter studied her face, the swell of her bottom lip, aching to devour her. Hints of her floral perfume complemented the distinctive scent of his mate. He smiled at her and began a slow dance.

“This is special,” Willa told him, her eyes swimming with happiness.