A Hunter's Passion (6 page)

Chapter Eight

A strange sound forced Ryker still.

Poised over Jenna, he listened, waiting for it to come again. When it did, he shoved her behind him and stalked across her bedroom, staring out the window over the small stretch of land framing Jenna’s house. It could have been anything—branches scratching against the siding, the wind rustling through the willows...but with all that was happening, he was on full alert.

It came a third time, and his chin jerked toward it. Whatever was out there, the crickets had stopped chirping, the coyotes as silent as the silvery moon. Even the wind hushed, dead quiet with anticipation of the inevitable.

“Ryker, what is it?” Jenna whispered.

There seemed to be someone—or
something
—rifling through the bushes below. The sense of invasion set off alarms in his head and with a string of curses flying from his lips, he snatched up his pistol and returned to Jenna, shoving yesterday’s sundress at her.

Ears primed, he listened to all the land had to tell him. Their visitor crept around the side of the house, their movements sloppy—something he delighted in. It made it so much easier to kill them when they were careless.

“Ryker?”

“Hunter.” He whispered, his chin jerking to indicate the window. “Get dressed.”

The color drained from her face as he loosened his grip, allowing her a moment to slip her dress on. He pressed a finger to his lips, cautioning her to keep quiet. The hunter downstairs might not have cared about the noise they were making, but Ryker did. When she nodded, he led her toward the door, her hand tucked firmly in his.

Anxiety tugged at Ryker’s stomach as he watched her gather herself. Her safety was all that mattered, and he swore to God that no harm would come to her; he would ensure that.

In silence, they inched through the house, his ears listening for any foreign noises. A thump came from the back, and something rattled against the door. Jenna stiffened against him, her nails cutting into his forearms.

“Stay behind me,” he whispered, pinning her with a firm glance. “No matter what.”

Bewildered eyes shot to his, her lips parting as she took in a wavering breath. When she finally nodded, he drew his hand out of hers and moved into a low crouch, craning his neck to see around the corners as he led them onward.

There was certainly someone out there; there was no mistaking it for a wayward animal or withered tree. Ryker slowed to a crawl, watching as a silhouette moved about without trepidation.

Slowing, he tightened his grip on his gun, his finger closing down on the trigger. The intruder’s arrogance was unsettling as they whipped about in front of her house with little care of what awaited them inside.

Swiveling on his heel, he tugged on Jenna’s sundress, about to draw her down when her eyes flew wide, a panicked gasp flying from her lips.

“Ryker!” she cried out, her hands clapping over her mouth as horror seized her.

Whirling around, he barely managed to gather Jenna in his arms before the world exploded in a wash of color and flame. Lifted from their feet, they were hurtled back, sent sprawling into the living room. At the last moment, Ryker managed to twist them around so that he took the brunt of the fall. Pain lanced through his back, his head slamming against the hardwood. Dazed, he pushed up from his back and cursed when he saw what had happened.

Flames had erupted inside Jenna’s house, abandoning them on the wrong side of an inferno. It spread quickly, the wood siding feeding the blaze. He stared around in wonder, his heart dropping into his stomach when he found every exit engulfed. They were trapped.

“We need to find a way out of here!” he shouted, eyes raking every inch of her house. Already, the smoke burned his eyes and singed his lungs.

Somehow, in a matter of moments, the hunter had managed to seal them in, imprisoning them within the blaze. Cursing, he fumbled in his pockets and snatched out his phone, quickly selecting the first name on the list.

“Ryker.” Mason’s voice came over the line. “Tell me you have good news—”

“Uh, not entirely,” he managed to get out before his entire body heaved with a great cough. Choking on the smoldering air, he broke from the call long enough to tear his shirt over his head and press it to Jenna’s mouth, filtering out the smoke.

“What’s going on?” His brother demanded.

“Ryker!” Jenna’s muffled voice rose.

He followed her line of sight and threw his body over hers just before a window of glass exploded next to them. Flash fires whipped through the room, stealing their oxygen.

“Ryker!” Mason shouted. “Talk to me!”

“Fire,” he ground out, his arms sealing protectively around Jenna’s head. “Other hunter set it. We’re trapped.”

Words snapped over the line, but Ryker couldn’t hear them any longer, the roaring blaze effectively deafening them to anything else.

“Jenna!” he shouted, dropping the phone An idea struck him, one that he prayed worked. Hands framing her face, he smoothed back her tangled hair, wiping the soot from her cheeks with his thumbs. “Do you think you can control this?”

Blinking, she watched him as though he’d lost his mind.

“Come on, sweetheart, stay with me!” He leaned in close, his lips finding their way to her ear. “We’re surrounded by something you can control. Don’t tell me you can’t, you did last night. You could have burned me alive.”

A strip of color returned to her face, her eyes skirting toward the blaze.

“You can do this,” he encouraged, his hands cupping her cheeks.

Finally, she nodded and sucked in as much air as she could. Gathering herself, her eyes tapered. Concentration lined her brow, sweat running down the side of her face. She was visibly shaking from the strain, a wry twist of her lips doing little to soften her disappointment.

With a frustrated cry, she crumpled against him, shaking her head. “I can’t,” she panted, wiping her arm against her brow.

“You can,” he repeated. “Here.” He gathered her hands into his and jerked his chin toward the broken window. “Focus. The fire isn’t as bad at the window. I know you can do this!”

Coughing around her next breath, she straightened with a nod. He watched once more as her eyes focused with unwavering determination.

Ryker nearly shouted when he caught sight of the flames dimming. “That’s it, love,” he urged, his hand resting against the small of her back.

Jenna extended a hand, her teeth digging into her lip. Ryker hadn’t a clue what she was doing, until the fire leaped from the window and flew through the room before settling in the palm of her hand.

His chest hitched, burning eyes flying wide as he watched her handle it lovingly. “Jenna...” he whispered, veneration stealing his thoughts.

“I did it!” she laughed, the fire slicking up her arm.

Ryker would have loved nothing more than to celebrate with her, but their escape took precedence. Gripping the hand not engulfed in flame, he yanked her to her feet and rushed toward the window. A part of him feared the fire raging toward them, but one glance showed Jenna at work, moving the flames about with little effort.

“Jenna,” Ryker called. “We need to get out of here, now.”

Her attention snapped back to him, flames alive in her eyes. Forcing his thoughts to the matter at hand, he jerked his chin toward the broken window frame. “I hate to say this, but I need to go first.” He needed to ensure the hunter wasn’t waiting for them, and he had to admit that Jenna was safer in the flames than he was. But who knew what lay in the shadows beyond.

She nodded, her fear replaced by strength. “The flames won’t hurt me.”

Gripping his gun, Ryker dropped down and kissed her, confident that he would return to her. He’d underestimated the hunter once already, he wouldn’t do so again.

“Wait until I call for you. Don’t come out until then.”

Her gaze strayed to the nearing flames, her mouth quirking in a pleased smile. “Be safe.”

“You too,” he whispered before leaping out the window, the shards of glass slicing into his palms.

Ryker rose from the charred bushes and darted into the nearby shadows, studying his surroundings for the other hunter’s position. But beyond the blaze, there seemed nothing out of the ordinary.

Unwilling to leave Jenna alone any longer, he raced back. “All right—” he started, breaking off when a sharp crack suddenly sounded. “Get down!” he shouted, throwing himself between her and what had sounded like gunshot.

“I suppose I should have anticipated this,” a familiar voice called across the yard.

Pushing back to his feet, Ryker’s eyes narrowed as he took in their unwanted visitor. Long, dark hair pulled back to reveal sharp cheekbones and a wide mouth. It was her eyes that sparked recognition. He’d seen them before, peering up at him as she spouted the world’s worst pickup lines.

But it couldn’t be.

Ryker shifted his body, protecting Jenna not only from the gun but also the betrayal. Her fingers dug into his arms, her voice shaky as she whispered, “Kara?”

Chapter Nine

The revelation was astounding—Jenna’s heart pattered wildly in her chest. It couldn’t be, not Kara. Without thought, Jenna lunged forward, prepared to launch herself out the window, when a bullet whizzed into the ground near Ryker’s feet.

“Tsk-tsk. Move again, and the next one goes into Loverboy,” Kara mocked, before stepping into the firelight.

Jenna’s wide gaze took in her supposed friend. Clad in skintight pants and a slinky leather halter, she looked nothing like the woman Jenna knew. Dangerous, sleek and deathly—nothing like how Jenna felt in her sooty sundress.

“
You’re
the other hunter?” Jenna demanded.

A grim mask slipped over Kara’s face as she sighted down the barrel of her gun. “Did you think the renowned Bennetts were the only ones out there?”

Ryker drew to his full height. “You aren’t supported by the Church.”

“The Church!” Kara threw her head back and laughed. “You think I care about the Church?”

“You should. They sanction the kills—”

“Yes, hide behind your belief and faith.” She sneered, and in the harsh light she looked demonic. “The truth remains that there are more of us than you think. Those of us who learned about these...
things
through pain and misery.”

“Was it you?” Jenna suddenly demanded, stumbling away from the window, the flames hot against her back. Ryker’s hand sealed around her arm, attempting to pull her behind him, but she shook him off and stalked forward. She
needed
this answer. “Are you the one that killed my family?”

The wicked grin that spread across Kara’s face was answer enough.

A shriek spilled from Jenna lips, one of pain and torment. Her best friend was the one responsible for destroying everything. She couldn’t believe this! For two years, she’d called this woman her sister, only to be made a fool of now. “Why did you wait so long to come for me?”

“Had to make sure I had the right person. You’d changed your name, and played everything so close to your chest, never speaking of your family. But you can thank your man.” Kara threw Ryker a cocky smirk. “The moment he walked into the coffee shop, I knew I had you.”

Rage spurred Jenna’s magic, her will gathering in her hands. The very air grew heavy, sparking with more heat than her engulfed house. Trembling, she lifted her arm, a ball of fire swelling in her palm.

The haunting image of her mother flashed before her eyes. Kara had been brutal with Jenna’s family, had ripped her mother’s heart out and left it for her to stumble across. That, from the woman who had pretended to be her closest friend for the past two years. Jenna should have
known
, should have suspected when Kara showed up out of nowhere, adamant that they get to know one another.

Jenna’s teeth ground as she lifted her teary eyes. In one single glare, she released all the hate she felt for this woman. She let it eat away at the loving memories until nothing remained but loathing.

Kara’s lips twisted, her mocking laugh rising above the roaring flames. “Think you can toss that fireball before I pull the trigger?”

“Only one way to find out.” Jenna whispered. One way or another, this ended tonight. Kara was outnumbered and so outmatched. The odds were not in her favor. Jenna knew she could do this—control the fire, save their lives. And when she did, she and Ryker would finally be together.

Movement caught Jenna’s attention and before Kara could squeeze off a round, she released the fireball. It zipped through the air, its trajectory a touch off. Kara let out a cry as she threw herself to the ground, the flames missing her by a fraction.

“Jenna, go!” Ryker hissed as he slid up next to her. “Let me take care of this.”

Grimacing, Jenna threw her hand out, waiting for the right moment to call on the inferno burning within the house. There was
no
way she was leaving. This wasn’t Ryker’s fight.

“Think you can hide behind your fire?” Kara shouted as she scrambled to fix herself.

Jenna’s eyes widened, the fire leaving her fingertips when a sudden
pop
echoed across the distance. Frozen by fear, she waited for the hard thud of the bullet to tear through her, anticipating the searing pain as it shredded her innards. Instead, a soft grunt came from Ryker, his shadow encompassing her before he dropped midstride.

“Ryker!” Jenna cried, throwing up a wall of fire between her and Kara before she fell to her knees at his side.

Time stopped the moment she caught sight of blood blooming over his shoulder. That bullet had been meant for her...and he’d taken it without hesitation.

Groaning, he rolled onto his back, his palm pressing into the wound. “This...has been a bad week for me,” he panted, pain dimming his eyes.

Jenna trembled. She knew little about gunshots, but it was so close to his chest. Rage rushed through her, her fingers tightening into a hard fist. Kara had done enough damage. No one else would die because of her.

Standing, she turned toward her former friend, determination steeling her. She stalked forward, walking fearlessly through the fire. On the other side, Kara’s mouth dropped, her face blanching as Jenna came through unscathed.

“Abomination!” Kara spat, fumbling to lift her gun. Jenna’s lip curled and she extended her hand once more, her magic summoning the wall of fire to her fingers. There was little doubt in her mind—in the end, she would win. The knowledge filled her with untold strength, and with a hardened gaze, she stared Kara down. Hate emanated from her, for all the pain this woman had caused. With one thought, she released the caged inferno raging within her. The fire wanted to burn, longed to consume something, Jenna simply allowed it the freedom to do so.

Kara got off another wild shot before the flames whipped across the distance, hunting down the source of Jenna’s ire. And when they smacked into Kara, all Jenna offered was a small smile. Perhaps Kara’s screams should have terrified her—the wretched noises that tore from her blistering lips were harrowing, yet Jenna couldn’t conjure one scrap of pity for the woman.

Engulfed, Kara dropped to the grass and tumbled about, but these weren’t natural flames and smothering only incensed them. They obeyed Jenna—not the earth’s natural laws.

It was the stench of burning flesh that softened something in Jenna, wrenching her back to the reality that she was burning someone alive. She was about to cull the flames when pandemonium erupted in her backyard. Figures melded out of the shadows, their weapons shimmering in the firelight.

“Jenna,” Ryker rasped before her. “Run.”

One single word and her heart stopped. She ran back to him, sinking next to his side.

“Run,” he grunted, pain creasing his brow. “I can’t protect you from them right now. Go, I promise, I
will
find you.”

His brothers
, she realized, watching as they closed in. They’d come to finish the job Ryker had failed at. With a shudder, she turned back to Kara, shivering as she watched her in the final moments. Her shrieks had quieted and turned to wretched moans.

A shadow moved closer to Kara, and Jenna extinguished the flames so as not to hurt Ryker’s youngest brother. With an arched brow, Callen cast Jenna an uneasy glance before he aimed his gun, and put a round through Kara’s head, ending her misery without so much as a blink.

“Jenna!” Ryker groaned, his sticky hand brushing over her wrist. “Go, now.”

Her fingers threaded through his. She’d just murdered the person she’d considered her best friend and her house was burning down. She had nowhere left to run. And she wasn’t leaving Ryker again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Easing back on her haunches, Jenna turned her gaze up toward Ryker’s brothers with his hand resting in her lap. She was done running and hiding. She’d left him once and it had nearly destroyed them both. The fates were giving her another chance to do it right this time, and she wouldn’t let them or Ryker down.

She met Mason’s unflinching stare with one of her own.

“Wait,” Ryker moaned, and in a clumsy move, he rocked to his feet, stumbling into one of his brothers. “Please, wait. Just let her go.”

“You know we can’t do that.” Mason cursed. “Open your eyes, Ryker. Look at what she just did.”

Jenna followed his gaze toward Kara’s singed corpse. The sight was beyond disturbing and she was quite sure she’d just added to her nightmares.

“She did that save us!” Ryker argued.

“This time!” Mason shouted. “You know this has to be done. She’s a witch, Ryker. You
know
this.”

His laugh was shaky. “I don’t know anything anymore. I thought I knew
everything
, but Mason...”

“This is our duty—”

“To murder an innocent?” Ryker challenged, grimacing as he stepped closer to his brothers.

“Doesn’t look so innocent from where I’m standing.” Callen put in. “I see a dead hunter, and a witch that still breathes.”

“Callen, this is Jenna for crying out loud. You know her. She wouldn’t harm a fly.”

Both Callen and Mason dropped their narrowed gazes to Kara’s body.

Ryker sucked in a ragged breath, his hand pressed firmly over his chest. Jenna’s eyes skipped through all the brothers. They seemed content to stand there, arguing, when one of their brothers needed a doctor. Not to mention that the fire department and police likely weren’t far off.

“I know what the Church taught us,” Ryker said. “But I also know what I
feel.
”

His four brothers fell quiet, their attention shifting entirely to him.

“Father told us to protect family, told us to always trust our instincts. Let no one tell us what is right and wrong. He always said that was something we had to decide for ourselves.”

Jenna dared to steal a glance at Mason, watching as his jaw tightened.

“I’m telling you, killing Jenna is wrong.”

“Because you’re in love with her,” Mason sighed. “I knew I shouldn’t have given you this job.”

“No,” Ryker snapped. “Because she isn’t evil. Kara wasn’t either. She was just a hunter doing her job. But what if what the Church taught us wrong? What if there are darklings out there trying to make an honest living for themselves? Who are we to decide their fate?”

Ryker’s two middle brothers cast shocked looks toward Jenna, amusement alight on their faces.

“Just let her go,” Ryker prompted once more. “I swear—”

“No,” Jenna interrupted, hoping to put an end to this argument. “I’m not going anywhere.” Her gaze flicked to Ryker’s. “I threw us away once already. I won’t do the same thing again.”

“Jenna,” he whispered, his face crumpling.

Pushing to her feet, she stepped into his chest and brought his head down to rest against her brow. “No more running,” she whispered.

He stiffened with the need to argue, the urge to protect her. Jenna shook her head, her eyes fluttering shut as she drew in his scent for what was possibly the last time. No matter what Ryker argued, it seemed unlikely that his brothers would change their mind about her.

She summoned what lingering remnants of courage she possessed and turned back to Mason, holding firm even when he sighted down the barrel of the gun.

“Do it,” she challenged him, her heart beating like mad.

A flicker of doubt raced through Mason’s eyes, his lips flattening into a grim line. His gaze darted to Ryker’s for the briefest moment, his brows dropping low. Jenna could see the gears spinning in his head, and she had a feeling his thoughts were straying to Ryker’s argument.

It didn’t matter what she said, Ryker still stood protectively beside her, blood seeping from his shoulder. It was obvious he wasn’t about to let Mason kill her without a fight, and from the look of it, Ryker didn’t have much fight left to give.

Cursing under his breath, Mason dropped his arm. Profanity filled the night air as he returned his gun to its holster. “You’d better be right about her,” he grumbled, refusing to take his eyes away from Jenna. “Let’s go.”