Torment (Primal Progeny Book 1) (29 page)

Closing his eyes and sighing heavily he stood by the kitchen sink for a moment, holding his mug in one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. Then he noticed a sound drifting through the window. A normal man would have heard nothing but his sensitive ears pinpointed it the moment it started. Lowering his mug he lent forward and squinted out into the distance. It was a car engine, but not a vehicle he was familiar with the sound of. It sputtered a little and from the sound of it had a part or two coming loose.

The sound grew steadily closer and Hunter began to become suspicious as to who it might be. It did not sound like the pack cars he had been in and the police had already visited… Who else knew he was there?

The vehicles lights, which blared into view at the end of the road that led to the cottage were high compared to a normal car. As it drew closer it revealed itself as a dirty old blue 4X4, which looked as unfamiliar as it sounded. Hunter scowled and watched it approach, trying to discern who was behind the wheel. As it grew closer and closer he suddenly realized who the shape in the drivers seat was. It was Eve.

Dropping his mug onto the countertop with a clatter he turned and darted to the door. Opening it wide just as the engine cut out in front of the house. She had a lot of explaining to do as far as he was concerned, and she might not have heard about the new murder….

… But when she stepped out of the car and her scent hit him, he forgot it all…

Chapter 30

Eve stepped out of the rusted old car carefully, her leg was stiff and slightly sore and though she tried not to show her wounds it was obvious there was something amiss. Trudging through the mud, she watched the ground to ensure she did not place her feet on unsteady ground and sink into the filth. Had she looked up she would have seen Hunter staring at her intently as she approached. She might have noticed his puffy eyes or the tremble in his breathing. As it was she was too focused on getting to the door without making her leg hurt.

Hunter did not call out to her or wave, or even smile. He simply watched and waited, holding the door open for her to pass him by. Breathing in her sweet scent as she advanced. It was amazing how powerfully her pheromones affected him, even in his intense grief for the loss of his friend. He noticed that her outfit was plainer than the last time he had seen her, and her limp was obvious. On top of that, her tattoos had entirely vanished, which perplexed him greatly.

Eve walked past him into the cottage without looking at him, instead making her way straight to the kitchen and retrieving his cup of tea. She carried this into the lounge and sat herself on the sofa, taking a long sip and watching as Hunter finally moved away from the door to follow her. He seated himself in the armchair opposite her and his frown deepened.

‘How have you been?’ She asked, almost perkily, trying to cover for how serious her situation had been. She had always been an over-compensator. ‘Thanks for the tea.’

Confused and slightly agitated at having almost been caught out crying, Hunter’s response was snappier than it otherwise might have been. Despite his inner wolf’s determination that she should be theirs. ‘It was mine.’

Eve ignored his tone and took another sip, tucking her dreads behind her ears and replying. ‘All the same, its delicious, and I can make you another if you’d like?’

Hunter shook his head. ‘I’d like to know what the fuck is going on if I’m honest. Tea can wait.’ His inner wolf snarled at him, how dare he be so insolent, she was higher up the ranks than him! Hunter snappily reminded it they were not part of the pack.

Eve did not look surprised by his response. He had every right to be angry; he’d been through a lot in a short space of time after all. Sitting back in her seat she kicked off her boots and curled her legs beneath her on the sofa. The previously broken limb ached a little but did not hurt as much as she had expected it would. Taking another sip of sweet tea she answered at length. ‘Firstly I’d like to say that I’m very sorry for leaving so soon earlier. It wasn’t my intention to pay such a flying visit and I can understand why you’d be angry at having no explanation.’

Hunter wanted desperately to interrupt, but let her continue on. Unable to help his overactive nose drawing in great lungful’s of her scent. He tried to be discreet about looking her over, but his lusts were more obvious than he would have liked.

‘I had discovered on my way back here from your cabin that another murder had been committed.’

Hunter did interrupt at this point. ‘I know, I had a visit from a police officer not half an hour before you arrived.’

Eve nodded, looking up from her drink and suddenly seeming to notice his red eyes and swollen face. ‘So you know then, that you’re in the clear?’

Hunter nodded ‘Yes. I know. Which leaves me clear to go after the monster who started all of this.’

For a moment they stayed silent, Eve’s searching eyes roaming all over his tear stained face. Then slowly she leaned forward and put her mug onto the worn carpet. Her breasts pushed against her knees in a way that he could not ignore, and as she continued to lean forward the scent of her arousal hit him like a slap in the face.

Her delicate features were full of concern. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, and to comfort him. The wolf in her had other ideas; it danced behind her eyes and called to his inner beast. They became slaves to their other selves.

He leaned forward himself, moving towards her and coming to a halt when they both somehow ended up kneeling together on the hard floor. Staring into each other’s eyes they slowly drew closer, until all of a sudden Eve lunged forward and mashed her lips onto his. He responded in kind, kissing her passionately as their hands began to roam each other’s bodies. A quiet moan escaped Eve’s full lips as he brushed against her breasts. He took this cue and pulled her tightly to him, his throbbing erection burning hot against her soft belly. Her kiss became harder, more hungry; and he grabbed her backside firmly with both hands, pulling her into him.

Then all of a sudden she drew away. Pulling her head back she looked up at him, bleary eyed and suddenly overcome with remorse. Her eyes were full of sadness as she lowered her hands to his and pulled them from her rear slowly but firmly.

‘I’m sorry…’ She coughed quietly, backing away a little. ‘My wolf… It feels some kind of connection with you. This is not the time for this… We need to focus.’

Hunter rocked back on his knees, his expression revealing the hurt he felt at her rejection. ‘Your wolf?’

‘Yes’ She replied quietly.

‘Not you…?’ He asked, dreading her response.

‘My wolf is me Hunter… Is yours not you?’ She looked up at him with eyes so filled with sadness and confusion, that for a moment he did not know how to respond.

‘Not in the same way that yours is.’ He finally managed to muster. ‘I can feel it urging me on to have you, to possess you; but its not entirely down to the wolf. I want you too, there’s something about you Eve. From the moment I laid eyes on you in the hall I felt it.’

Eve’s response simultaneously comforted and confused him. ‘You cannot separate the two Hunter, it is within you and therefore it is you. Whether you understand that fully or not. Therefore whatever it feels, you must feel too… Whatever it feels is a legitimate feeling of yours as well. Just because the wolf feels it first that does not mean it is not your feeling… Or my feeling too…’

‘…Why…?’ Hunter responded quietly, trying to calm himself down and wanting to throw himself forward into her arms once again.

Eve shook her head slightly, almost shrugging but not quite completing the motion. ‘Nobody really knows. Sometimes there is just a connection. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.’

Hunter saw the look in her eyes and pulled himself back up into the chair, hurt. ‘You think my grief is affecting me?’

Eve sighed and closed her eyes, dragging herself back up into her seat and sitting proud and tall. She was still pack beta after all. ‘It is a possibility. Only time will tell.’ And after a brief pause ‘believe it or not I’m not keen to get hurt myself.’

Hunter sat forward slightly, his face stern ‘I know my own mind.’

‘Not if you’re trying to think entirely separately to your lupine self you don’t. She retorted so quickly he could not think of a response. He simply sat in dumbfounded silence, picking at the fabric of his jeans to make his receding erection more comfortable.

Eve leaned forward and placed one hand on his knee. ‘I don’t want to hurt you either. You know there is attraction here; you can smell mine as clearly as I can smell yours. We just need to address the situation at hand before we get carried away.’

As he looked at her beautiful face his anger began to fade, no matter how much he wanted her right there and then, she was speaking sense. They needed to go after Varulv before he killed again. Their feelings and instincts had to come second to that. He nodded and placed his hand over hers.

‘Perhaps you can explain to me exactly why I feel so drawn to you on the drive?’ He suggested, looking deep into her crystal clear eyes.

‘I can try’ She replied ‘though I’m not promising it will make any more sense once I have.’

Hunter shrugged ‘an explanation of any kind will be enough.’

‘We need to leave soon Hunter. I have much to tell you but we may as well be on the move when I do.’

Hunter quirked an eyebrow ‘more than the discovery of another murder?’

‘Much more’ Eve replied grimly.

‘Perhaps we should be leaving then?’ He stood and held out a hand for her to take. She took it and pulled herself up, walking past him to the door and turning to look back at him.

‘What are you waiting for?’ She asked, smirking to herself. He followed her to the doorway and was stunned when she tilted her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then she walked off to the car and waited for him in the drivers seat, as he locked the cottage door and stuffed the key into his pocket.

Jogging down the garden path he hopped into the passenger seat and buckled up as she started the engine and pulled away.

‘Well?’ He asked ‘what have I missed…?’

Eve didn’t look away from the road as she answered. ‘Honestly, a lot. Firstly, Audra’s gone fucking AWOL. Secondly, Tobias and I crashed two of our cars and totaled the pair of them. I broke one of my legs.’

Hunter didn’t know where to start with his questioning. ‘What? What do you mean? Audra’s gone walkabout? Where? You broke your leg?’

Eve rolled her eyes ‘if we knew that it wouldn’t be a problem. And yes, but as you can see its all better now doctor, not a problem any more.’ She smirked and slapped her thigh, which sent a grimace jolting across her face.

‘Looks like it’ Hunter quipped. ‘How did you fix it? And what’s happening with Audra?’

‘I had to change so that the bones would re-set. ‘I’m not going to lie to you, I wouldn’t recommend it under less extreme circumstances, it hurt like hell. It was the only way to ensure a quick heal though… I mean, initially the idea was experimental but it worked. As for Audra, We’re not entirely certain. She went to the barn with Tobias to look for clues and scent trails, and while he was inside, she buggered off and fucking changed in the fields. She’s gone after Varulv by herself, which is typical behavior for an idiot like her. She’s going to get herself killed if we don’t intervene and fast.’

Hunter sat heavily back in his seat. ‘Well that would explain why the police couldn’t get hold of my solicitor then…!’

‘Thankfully it doesn’t seem to have damaged your case.’ Eve quipped.

‘Though they did find some hair at the scene…’

‘What?’ Eve took her eyes off the road for a moment to glower at him.

‘Yeah’ Hunter affirmed that he had just said what she had thought he had.

Eve mused over this for a moment, before finally responding. ‘Well if its human form any tests will just show it as human, and if its lupine… Well hopefully testing will show it up as canine and they’ll write it off as a scavenging dog. We need to stop this fucker before he does it again. He’s getting too reckless.’

Hunter nodded ‘So where are we going?’

Eve suddenly looked startled. ‘Actually, I don’t know.’ Awkwardly she reached across and popped open the glove box. Reaching inside she fished around and pulled out a mobile phone. Handing it to Hunter she instructed. ‘Find Tobias in the contacts and give him a call, he’ll tell us where to meet him.’

Hunter did as he was told, scrolling through the minimal contacts and quickly locating Tobias’ name. Pressing the dial button he lifted the phone to his ear and waited, listening to the ring.

After five rings Tobias answered, his voice not the jovial one Hunter remembered. He sounded stern and agitated, and it made Hunter’s inner wolf somehow eager to do as it was bidden.

‘Where are you?’ Hunter asked.

Tobias sounded surprised to be hearing a voice other than Eve’s. ‘We’re in the fields around the barn, following Varulv’s scent trail. Meet us here as fast as you can. And tell Eve not to crash.’ Though this last sentiment was obviously half meant as a joke, his tone was serious.

‘Ok, we’ll meet you there.’ Hunter replied, promptly hanging up. He turned to Eve and instructed her as to what they were supposed to do; she nodded and put the car up a gear. There was no time to waste.