A Hunters Promise by Gwendolyn Cease Page B

barrage from society in general was often too much for someone to take. He knew some Ancients went crazy because they couldn’t develop the mental defenses to block everything out.
    “Thank you,” Aislinn said softly.
    “For what?”
    “Coming for me. Knowing I needed to get away. It’s been so long since I talked about it. I guess it caught me off guard.”
    “Do you want to tell me what happened? I’d like to know who hurt you.”
    Silence greeted his request. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to talk about it again, but a small part of him was hurt. She trusted others over him. He called the thought foolish. It had nothing to do with trust. Talking about it made her sad, and he didn’t like her feeling that either.
    “When I was twelve, I was living at a boarding school,” she said and retold the story of the vampire who killed her roommate. As the story progressed, anger bubbled up in Charon’s gut. Whether or not anyone had believed her, someone still should have taken care of her. Instead, her family had made it their personal mission to get rid of her as quickly as they could. Well , he thought, your loss. Aislinn is with me now, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
    When she finished speaking, the room once again fell in silence. She wasn’t crying this time, which seemed like a good thing. Charon opened his eyes and looked down to where she rested her head on his chest. After a moment, she lifted her head, and the two of them watched one another.
    “Do you think someone caught him?” she finally asked.
    “I’ll check,” Charon said. “The PIA is bound to have records. I’ll check and see what happened to him.”
    “What if he’s still out there?”
    “Then I’ll hunt him down and kill him.”
    She nodded and laid her head on his chest, apparently satisfied with his answer.
     
    Joelle clutched her twenty bucks as she headed back to her rooms. Man, Kenshin was such an easy mark. She couldn’t believe he still wasn’t convinced Aislinn was Charon’s liaison. What? Did he need a text message? Did someone need to write a report? She laughed as she opened the door to find Talon waiting for her. Damn, he was so beautiful to look at with his long curling black hair and aqua eyes.
    “You’re early,” she said as she closed the door. “Are you okay?”
    “I brought you something.”
    She smiled as she shook her head. “You didn’t have to get me anything. I have you.”
    She went up on tiptoes so she could kiss him. They’d only been apart for maybe two hours, and she still missed him. The bond they shared allowed her to sense him at any time, but she preferred to touch him and be with him. She knew he felt the same way because she knew his feelings as well as her own.
    A small sound caused her to pause and look around. On their large bed sat a gray kitten. She gasped and hurried over to sweep it up. The baby was tiny in her hands and immediately began purring as she cuddled it.
    “Do you like it?”
    “Oh, Talon, she’s beautiful and so sweet. Where did you find her?”
    He put his arms around Joelle and the kitten. “Someone had her who meant her harm. I knew you would love her.”
    “I’ve never had a pet before.” She kissed the kitten on the head. “The apartments I lived in never allowed pets, and I worked so much, even if they had, it wouldn’t have been fair.”
    “Now, we have time and space.”
    “Thank you,” she said and kissed him. “She’s beautiful. I love you.”
    “Always.”
    * * * *
    Reaper hesitated before entering the library. He hadn’t been alone with Quenton since he’d kissed him. He didn’t even understand what had driven him to do it. Something about the man got under Reaper’s skin. He supposed it was because Quenton always seemed so calm and cool. Reaper found himself doing something or saying something to the other man to get a rise out of him.
    Just go in , he told himself. Tell him the stupid thought you had, and then get out .