aHunter4Trust (22 page)

They were being watched.

He felt it in his bones.

His skin crawled with the warning of peril.
It would be foolish to ignore it even though he could not see any evidence of
the enemy. They were out there, and if he did not act, they would be attacking
them in the house. The only thing that mattered was getting Tamsin to safety.

Last night he had glimpsed paradise.

He refused to let anyone destroy that.

Tamsin was his mate in every sense of the
word, and he would protect her with his life. This house had been set up by
Lorcan and his unit of Hunters when they had done mercenary work. It had been
outfitted with weapon supplies and an escape route. He intended to use everything
available to keep Tamsin safe until reinforcements reached them.

He went into the kitchen and kicked the
area rug away from the sink. There was a metal latch hidden under the base
cupboard trim. It was the entrance to an underground room and tunnel. He pulled
it free and then lifted the door up.

Tamsin came into the room. She was
straightening her sweater and stopped to look at the open floor. “Can we escape
through there?”

“Yes.” Darrogh lifted the cover wider. “I
want you to hide here. If I do not return, take the tunnel. It leads to another
property. You should be able to get help there.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“It is too dangerous.” Darrogh went to her.
“I need to be able to focus on fighting.”

“I could help.”

“I would only worry about you.” Darrogh
took her hands in his. “I am well trained and have survived worse attacks than
this.”

“That doesn’t comfort me.” Tamsin’s voice
was dry. “How many are out there?”

“I do not know.” Darrogh led her to the
sunken chamber. “There will be other Hunters arriving shortly. They will help.”

“You shouldn’t have to do this alone. It’s
my fault that you’re here to begin with.”

“You have given me a reason to fight.”

Darrogh’s voice was low. For the first time
in his life, he understood what it meant to shield someone you cared about. In
the past, it had been about fighting to survive and maintaining his honor. Now
it was to protect the one person in the world that completed him. He could not
lose Tamsin.

Tamsin started down the wooden ladder that
led into the hidden room. “I will hide because you insist, but I won’t stay
here if I sense that you are in trouble.”

“Fair enough.” Darrogh pointed to the bolt
that was on the inside of the door. “Close this and do not come out until I
tell you it is safe.”

Once Tamsin was below, and he had heard the
bolt pushed in, Darrogh went to the far cupboard of the kitchen. He pushed on
the lower backing of the last shelf. It gave way with ease. Behind it was a
stash of weapons and ammunition. He loaded the pistols and put two in his
waistband. He took two more for each hand along with a couple of full
magazines.

His instructions when he had contacted
Ardal last night, had been to stay at the farmhouse.

He would hold off the enemy until the
others arrived.

Darrogh opened the side door and scanned
the horizon. Sheep and cows were grazing in the distance, and the soft purple
of heather dotted the field edges. Stone fences bordered the roads and
laneways. They would provide good cover. He edged along the side of the house
and crouched low before running to one of the outbuildings.

That was when he spotted the first
intruder.

It was an Albireon, and he was carrying a
rifle.

Darrogh took a deep breath and readied his
pistol. Albireons were more fragile than humans and easier to kill. Years on
the battlefield had taught him that the best defense was to destroy them as
they attacked. Individually, they were easy to kill, but if they were in a
large enough group, they could overpower even a Hunter.

The Albireon jumped over one of the stone
barriers and was moving through the field toward the house. Darrogh took aim
and fired. The man went down. Three more Albireons hopped the fence and started
running toward the house. They were making no effort to hide their presence.

Darrogh aimed and shot all of them.

He killed the intruders until he ran out of
ammunition. Then he moved out into the fields to attack them directly. He
overpowered the first Albireon he came upon and broke his neck. He took his
weapon and used it to shoot the next aliens that attacked until it too was
empty of bullets.

One by one, he crushed them.

As fast as they came at him, he slew them.

He never let them near the house. Only when
the field was filled with lifeless Albireons did he stop. The number of dead
was staggering for an assault out in the open. Since they had been on Earth,
the Albireons had remained shrouded in secrecy. To see so many of them in one
place was unusual and worrisome.

They had no fear of being exposed as
extra-terrestrials.

It must mean that capturing Tamsin, and
controlling her father’s bank, had to be very important to the Albirsion
Corporation. They knew she was being guarded by Hunters, so that could explain
the large number of men they had sent to attack. The only thing that made
Creighton’s stand out from other banks was their clientele. Somehow,
controlling them had to be part of the Albireon plans to conquer Earth.

Darrogh wiped his bloody hands on his
pants. He took a deep breath and glanced around. There were no other Albireons
in sight. Still, the familiar whisper of danger was with him. There was only
one explanation. Tamsin was at risk. The attackers had been a decoy, sent to
keep him away from her.

He left the dead in the field and rushed
back to the house.

The door was open.

“
Run
.” He sent the command to Tamsin
through mind connect just as the first man rushed toward him. This was not an
Albireon, but a human of about the same size and weight as himself. When he
raised a gun, Darrogh dived toward the man’s knees and the two of them went
down together. Darrogh grabbed hold of the hand holding the gun and pushed it
into the man’s chest. The reverberation of the shot echoed through the small
house.

Darrogh rolled off the dead man just as
another jumped onto his back. He gripped the man’s arms and threw him into the
corner of the main living area. When the man stood to attack him again, Darrogh
picked up the gun from his first attacker, and shot him dead.

“Enough.” An unfamiliar voice rang out.
“Stop or the girl dies.”

Darrogh’s heart skipped a beat.

He turned in the direction of the voice.

A large man with dark hair, and a military
type jacket, was holding Tamsin by the arm. The bars on his shoulder identified
him as a Major. Behind them, was the open trapdoor with the latch blown off.
Darrogh steadied his breathing. Years of training had prepared him for this
situation. He would not fail Tamsin.

“What do you want?” Darrogh dropped his
gun.

“The girl is necessary for our plans.”

“She will not help you.” Darrogh’s voice
was a growl.

“Her father will give us what we want.” The
man’s voice was smug. “They always do.”

Tamsin twisted her body in an attempt to
free herself. “I won’t let him hand over the bank to your organization.”

The man shook Tamsin.

She kicked him in the leg.

That was Darrogh’s cue. He lunged and
pushed the attacker’s gun up. At the same time, he chopped down on the arm that
was holding Tamsin. The Major shrieked in pain and released her. The Major
lowered his arm and aimed his gun at Darrogh. Darrogh wrestled it away and
fired the weapon into the man’s chest before rushing to Tamsin’s side.

“You have to leave.”

Tamsin clung to him. She was trembling and
did not resist when Darrogh led her to the escape tunnel. The trapdoor was
ruined, but the passageway was still open. He would hold off the rest of the
attackers while she ran to freedom. Before they could reach the opening, a
gunshot rang out.

“Stop.” The words were followed by another
shot.

Darrogh turned.

He kept Tamsin’s body covered by his own.

“I have no problem killing you to get the
girl.” This man was dressed in a military uniform and he was not alone. Two
other similarly garbed men stood behind him.

Darrogh took a step backwards so that
Tamsin was within reach of the hatch. He needed her to descend the ladder while
he held these men at bay. He sensed her fear and terror. He pushed back another
step.

“
Climb down.
” Darrogh mind connected
with Tamsin. “
I will hold them off until you are safe.
”

“
I’m not leaving you.
” Tamsin’s
refusal was a whisper in his mind.

“I will not let you take her.” Darrogh
readied himself to fight. “I will kill you first.”

“I’ll save you the effort.” The man pulled
the trigger.

A burning heat ripped through Darrogh’s
shoulder. From a distance, he heard Tamsin’s scream. She tried to move around
him. He held firm. He blocked the pain and Tamsin’s terror from his mind, as he
raised his weapon and shot the man through the forehead.

Another shot rang out at the same time.

He felt the bullet rip through his arm.

This time he fired two shots in rapid
succession. His aim was true and the men fell to the floor. The sound of rushing
footsteps brought three more men, dressed in similar military gear, into the
house. Darrogh kept Tamsin firmly behind him and shot at the first man. The gun
clicked, but no bullet was fired.

He was out of ammunition.

He would have to kill them with his bare
hands. He took a step toward the man when the sound of a bullet being fired,
rang through the air. Three shots were fired in rapid succession, hitting each
of the intruders. They all fell to the ground dead.

Tamsin screamed as two men pushed their way
into the farmhouse.

Tamsin braced herself for another attack.

One of the men started toward them and she
stood in front of Darrogh. She wasn’t going to let anyone else hurt him. It
took her a second to realize that they both looked similar, with dark hair and
dark eyes, massive muscles, and height. She knew without being introduced that
these were Hunters. They frowned at her and then glanced at Darrogh.

Darrogh dropped his pistol. “It took you
long enough to get here.”

He’d been shot defending her and he hadn’t
even flinched. She should have been able to feel his pain, but he had blocked
that from her. Her heart beat frantically as she turned to look at his wounds.
It was worse than she’d imagined. Tamsin gasped when she saw the blood on her
hands.

“He needs a doctor.” Tamsin’s voice
trembled. She had just found Darrogh and she wasn’t prepared to lose him now.

“It is a scratch.” Darrogh’s words sounded
slurred.

One of the new arrivals stepped forward. “I
have medical knowledge.”

“Tamsin this is Ranon and Gur. Ranon is
used to patching us up.” Darrogh had clasped her shoulder and she could feel
how unsteady his stance was.

“You need to lie down.” She wrapped her arm
around his waist and led him into the bedroom. When she’d backed his legs
against the bed, she pushed him down onto it.

“That is a first.” An unfamiliar voice
spoke behind her.

She turned to see another warrior. He
hadn’t come into the house with the first group. Beside him, stood a beautiful
blonde-haired woman who was looking at her with raised eyebrows.

“I’m certain you’ve seen blood before.”
Tamsin’s tone was dry.

“Often.” The man’s voice held a hint of
laughter. “I have never seen Darrogh let a woman touch him.”

Tamsin glanced over her shoulder. “Is that
a problem?”

“You must be Tamsin Creighton.” The woman
came up beside her and tried to move her away from the bed. “You have to give
Ranon room to work.”

Tamsin turned back to Darrogh. Ranon moved
to the opposite side of the bed and started to cut through Darrogh’s shirt.
There was a large hole in his left shoulder that had an ugly puckering around
it.

“Tamsin, this is Grace and Partlan. They
are mated.” Darrogh grimaced as Ranon poked at his shoulder. “Go with them.”

Tamsin crossed her arms. “
I stay
.”

She wasn’t going to leave Darrogh when he
was injured. She didn’t care what the new arrivals thought. She was grateful
that they had come in time to rescue them, but Darrogh was her mate, and she
intended to be at his side.

Darrogh’s eyes focused on her. “
I will
be fine.
”

Tamsin sat on the edge of the bed.

Partlan left the room, but Grace stayed
with her.

Ranon opened a small pack of supplies and
pulled out some gauze. He pushed it into the shoulder wound before wrapping a
cloth bandage around Darrogh’s chest. Other than a quick inhale of breath,
Darrogh showed no sign that he was in pain. Ranon moved to the hole in his arm.
The bullet had gone straight through. Ranon put a dressing over it.

“You should be able to travel.” Ranon put
his supplies back into the small pack and shoved it into a large pocket in his
jacket. “I will take the bullet out when we are in a safe location.”

“Thank you.” Tamsin smiled at Ranon before
turning to Darrogh. “Can you sit?”

Darrogh groaned as he pushed himself
upright.

“I told you I would be fine.” His voice was
gruff.

“You would not have left me.” Tamsin helped
him stand.

Once on his feet, Darrogh walked into the
main room. There were five Hunters present, including Partlan. They all looked
at Darrogh when he appeared and nodded. The bodies of the dead men had been
cleared away and the furniture put back in order.

“The site is contained.” Partlan was the
first to speak.

“I would have killed the rest, but I
appreciate your help.” Darrogh’s voice was strong. “It was dangerous for you to
bring Grace.”

“She refused to leave my side.” Partlan put
his arm over Grace’s shoulders. “She killed a couple of the Albireons.”

“It was a pleasure.” Grace must have seen
Tamsin’s surprised expression because she explained further. “They held me
captive in one of their underground labs.”

A shiver went through Tamsin. “How
terrible.”

“Every horrible thing you’ve heard about
the Albireons is true.” Grace leaned against Partlan. “I wouldn’t be alive if
Partlan hadn’t saved me.”

Darrogh pointed to the other men in the room.
“You’ve met Gur and Ranon. This is Maloc and Turlo. Partlan is the team
leader.”

Tamsin nodded at the men.

Darrogh took her hand. “This is Tamsin
Creighton, my pair bond and mate.”

There was a moment’s silence and then Grace
smiled. “I wondered if that was the case when you refused to leave Darrogh’s
side.”

Partlan shook his head. “I am amazed that
you let a woman get close to you.”

“It was not easy.” Darrogh raised her hand
and kissed it. “I fought the pair bond for as long as possible.”

The other men slapped Darrogh on the back.

Maloc grinned. “If Darrogh can mate, this
gives hope for the rest of us.”

Grace gave Tamsin a hug. “Welcome. It’s
wonderful to have another woman in the group.”

“Thank you.”

The warmth of acceptance flowed through
Tamsin. She knew that the other Hunters who’d been guarding her had accepted
her bonding with Darrogh, but she’d been uncertain about how these new Hunters
would react.

Darrogh cleared his throat.

“We cannot stay here.” Darrogh was in
command again. “What are Ardal’s orders?”

“He wants you back at the main compound.
The Albireon situation has become more serious and he needs to discuss
strategy. He cannot leave because Fiona is about to deliver her baby.”

“We will head to London first.” Darrogh
grimaced as he bent to pick up a gun from the table. “What about the Albireon
bodies? Are they cleared away?”

“Yes. We came by helicopter. There is not
enough room for everyone so Turlo and Maloc will drive the vehicle back.”

“Let us go.”

Darrogh and Tamsin left the house together.
A touch of sadness filled Tamsin at the thought that so much violence had
happened where only hours earlier they’d made love.

“
Nothing can destroy our bond.
” She
heard Darrogh’s words in her head and smiled. He was right of course. Adversity
had only made it stronger. She squeezed Darrogh’s hand and climbed into the
helicopter.

The flight to London, and the ride from the
airport to her house in Chelsea Square, took a couple of hours. Tamsin was
worried about the bullet in Darrogh’s shoulder. Instead of weakening, Darrogh
seemed to be getting stronger. By the time they arrived at her house, he seemed
out of pain and was using his injured arm freely.

When they arrived, Firbin and Savis were
hunched over a computer in her reception room. Tamsin heaved a sigh of relief
and threw her bag on the couch. Darrogh went to the computer and leaned over
Savis’s shoulder to look at the screen.

“What have you accomplished?”

“I have drained all of Albirsion
Corporation’s assets and the police are aware of Winchester’s money
laundering.” Savis leaned back from the computer. “They arrested Nethercott
this morning.”

Tamsin’s chest tightened. As much as she
despised the man’s behavior, she still didn’t want to see him in jail. He’d
been a lousy fiancé, a traitor, and a criminal, but she’d known him most of her
life and had no wish to see him destroyed.

“Are the Albireons still watching Tamsin’s
house?”

“No.” Firbin stood. “No one has replaced
the ones we killed.”

Partlan and his team moved further into the
room, followed by Breanon, Jehon, and Kerm.

“I need to get the bullet out of your
shoulder before it heals over.” Ranon put a large bag on one of the tables. “Is
there a room I can do that in?”

“Wouldn’t a hospital be better?” Tamsin
couldn’t hide her dismay.

“We cannot risk it.” Darrogh walked to
Tamsin, stood behind her, and put his hands on both of her shoulders. “I want
to announce that Tamsin has agreed not only to be my mate, but to marry me.”

“Good.” Savis looked up from his monitor.
“I am glad you were able to overcome your doubts.”

“So am I.” Darrogh pulled her close and
kissed her cheek.

Warmth and love flowed through her. Amazing
as it seemed, Darrogh was almost back to full strength. He’d told her that
Earth had increased their abilities, and faster healing must be one of them.
That meant the bullet had to be taken out soon.

“Would one of the bathrooms work for the
extraction or would you prefer a bedroom?” Tamsin asked.

“The bathroom would be best.” Ranon picked
up his bag. “Where is it?”

“Follow me.” Darrogh left the room with
Ranon.

Tamsin refused to think of all the things
that could go wrong with the bullet removal. Instead, she lifted her chin and
looked at the rest of her guests. “We have food in the kitchen. Is anyone
hungry?”

Darrogh and Ranon returned a half hour
later and sat at the dining room table with the rest of the Hunters. Tamsin
gave each of them a bowl of soup. There were a few sandwiches left, and a
cheese and fruit platter that she passed to the two men.

“Coffee?” Tamsin asked as she offered both
of them a mug.

Darrogh nodded and pulled her down onto his
lap. He held her close as he ate. His embrace eased her fear about his
shoulder. Gradually, Tamsin relaxed and leaned her head against his chest.

“I need to make plans to visit the main
compound.” Darrogh addressed the rest of the Hunters. “Ardal wants me back
there and I will take Tamsin with me. We should go tomorrow, but I want to be
certain everything is being monitored here.”

“What do you want done?” Firbin put his
elbows on the table.

“Someone needs to watch Sir Robert.”
Darrogh’s voice was serious. “The Albireons were willing to risk exposure to
kidnap or kill Tamsin. That must mean controlling Creighton’s Bank is very
important to their plans. Sir Robert needs protection.”

“My team can set up surveillance there,”
Partlan offered. “That will allow your team to continue their work here.”

Tamsin straightened away from Darrogh. “My
father can be stubborn, but once I’ve explained what happened at the farm,
he’ll understand the need for bodyguards.”

“I hope he takes it better than you did.”
Savis’s voice was dry.

“I think my father is beyond the age of
nightclubs.” Tamsin grinned.

Partlan frowned. “I do not understand.”

“Tamsin dragged us to a new nightclub every
night.” Darrogh’s voice was gruff. “It was her way of protesting.”

Grace laughed. “I would have loved to have
seen that.”

“The women were throwing themselves at
them.” Tamsin shook her head as she remembered how ridiculous it had looked. “They
kept trying to get them onto the dance floor.”

“What are these clubs?” Partlan asked.

“You do not want to know.” Darrogh groaned.

Just then the doorbell rang. Tamsin moved
to get it, but Darrogh kept a hold on her. He nodded to Breanon who went to
assess the situation. She heard her father’s voice and stood.

“Have you heard?” Sir Robert walked into
the dining room.

“We just arrived back in London.” Tamsin
guided her father to a chair. He had a grey tinge to his face. “What happened?”

“Winchester Nethercott was found murdered
in his holding cell.”

Tamsin’s breath caught in her throat.
Winchester might have done some horrible things, but he didn’t deserve to be
killed. “Who did it?”

“The police don’t know.” Her father sat.
“They said that their security cameras malfunctioned during the time the murder
took place. I came here to be certain you didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“It is the Albireons.” Darrogh clenched his
hands. “They are making certain no one speaks.”

“Where does that leave us?” Sir Robert
asked.

“You need protection.” Darrogh’s voice was
firm. “We were just discussing having a team stationed at your house.”

“Tamsin needs to be guarded, not me,” Sir
Robert said.

“My men and I are watching her.” Darrogh
gave her father an intense look. “The Albireons are willing to risk discovery
in order to get their hands on your bank. You and Tamsin are the key to keeping
Creighton’s out of Albirsion Corporation control.”

Her father leaned back and seemed to debate
Darrogh’s words for a few seconds before nodding. “You’re probably right. If
they can’t blackmail or threaten me into giving them the bank, then they’ll
kill me.”