Heart of the Hunted (Infernal Hearts Book 1) Read online

  She looked up at him and then back at her food before saying: "It's really nice."

  "You sound surprised," he said, smiling.

  "To be honest,” she said. “I wasn't expecting it to taste anywhere near as good as it does."

  Smiling at her reply, he said: "So, does that mean this is going to be on the menu from now on?"

  "If it's as easy for me to catch them as it was for you, then yes, they'll definitely be on the menu from now on."

  "Good, I'm glad you're enjoying it," he said. "And I promise, it's that easy for everyone, you just need to find the perfect spot to set the trap."

  "I hope you're right," she said.

  "I am," he assured her.

  Natalia was going to take his word for it. She couldn't wait to try it out for herself, she just hoped she lived long enough to be able to try it on her own.

  She was even more eager to show Amberly and Donovan, but it was impossible at the moment. Until she could get away from Taredd, she had no chance in showing them or any of the others in their group.

  Just because he promised not to kill her, it didn't mean he was going to share the same courtesy for the rest of her group. There was no way she would willingly risk the lives of everyone in the group, but especially not Amberly's and Donovan's lives.

  Thinking about them made her heart ache. She longed to be back with them again. From as long as she could remember, this was the longest she had been separated from either of them. A small part of her even missed Bella, with her whiny voice and constant bitching.

  Natalia wished she could at least check on them to make sure that they were safe and well. She wanted to let them know that she was okay, because she knew they would be just as worried about her as she was about them. She was beginning to feel more than a little homesick.

  Mentally she shook her head to clear it from the negative thoughts. Then she said: "Thank you for catching and cooking this for me."

  "You're welcome, Natalia," he said. " I couldn't let you starve to death now, could I."

  Well, technically he could, but it would be breaking his promise to her.

  She didn't want to point that out to him, so she said: "Well, thanks anyway."

  Taredd nodded. "Have you had enough?"

  "Yes, thank you."

  "If you haven't, I can sort something else out for you to eat," he offered.

  "No, seriously, I've had plenty now," she told him. "I'm going to try get some sleep now, that's if you don't mind?"

  "Of course, you can," he said. "Why would I mind?"

  "I don't know,” she shrugged. “I just wanted to check, is all."

  "Well, feel free to sleep whenever you're ready," he told her.

  "Thank you."

  "You don't have to thank me for that," he said. "After all, that's why we've stopped for the night."

  True, but Natalia couldn't help saying 'thank you' anyway. Her mother had taught her to always be polite, so it was ingrained in her to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, even if it was to a Demon.

  Laying down facing towards the fire, Natalia watched Taredd for a moment before closing her eyes and throwing her arm over her face, trying to block out the light from the fire. When that didn't work as planned, she turned over and faced the other way.

  Even without looking Natalia could feel Taredd's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before he fell asleep, and that’s when she was going to make her move.

  If Natalia stood any chance in escaping, then she needed every advantage she could get.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Taredd

  Relaxing against a tree Taredd watched Natalia, waiting for her to fall asleep. When her breathing evened out, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  His kind didn’t need as much sleep as hers did, but he still enjoyed closing his eyes and listening to the sounds around him. What he hadn’t expected, was to hear the sound of snapping twigs a short while later.

  Taredd opened his eyes in time to see Natalia sneaking off.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, making her jump.

  “Urm…I’m…urm…just going to the toilet,” she stuttered.

  “Over there will do,” he said, pointing to a bush.

  Natalia raised her eyebrows but didn’t complain as she shuffled over to the bush.

  He knew it wasn’t what she originally had planned, he wasn’t that stupid. She was trying to escape while he was asleep, at least, that’s what she thought she was going to be doing.

  Her shoulders were slumped when she walked back from the bush.

  “Night,” she said, laying back down in the same place as before.

  Not trusting her to try sneaking off again, Taredd spent the rest of the night watching as she slept fitfully on the hard ground. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything he could do about their sleeping arrangements tonight, but after watching her toss and turn he was going to make sure they had a proper bed tomorrow.

  As much as he kept telling himself to put some distance between them physically, so that he could clear his head, he just couldn't bring himself to actually leave her. He could watch her to his hearts content and she wouldn't have a clue, not that he was content at all, far from it, in fact.

  Taredd just couldn't seem to get enough of her. Her hair had a golden-brown appearance in the firelight. Her rosy lips and long thick black lashes stood out against her pale face.

  Even though she tried to hide her body under tatty old clothes that were in serious need of washing, he could see her ample breasts and perfect curves. She was perfect in every way but one. She was Human, and he had to remember that.

  As much as he wanted to wrap himself around her and hold her tight against his body, he couldn't. How could he when he had killed so many of her kind? How could he expect her to want anything from him, especially his touch, when he was holding her captive? He couldn't. It was in both their best interests if he kept a tight hold of himself.

  Whatever spell she had him wrapped up in, was digging its claws in deeper and deeper. He was worried if he spent too much more time around her, that whatever was wrong with him would be irreversible. But even knowing that, he still couldn't bring himself to leave her alone, just in case anything bad might happen. At least, that's what he kept telling himself anyway.

  By the time he was finally ready to tear himself away from her, the sun had just started to rise. So much for pulling himself together while she slept. If anything, his feelings towards her had grown overnight, rather than diminish. He wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to leave her when they finally caught up with Arun and Dain, but it was looking less and less likely as time passed by.

  He waited for the sun to fully rise before waking her, he didn't think she would appreciate being woken while it was still dark. He knew a Humans eyes weren't as good as his, so he knew Natalia would prefer to travel when she could see where she was going.

  Gently nudging her, he said: "Natalia, Natalia, it's time to wake up."

  "Five more minutes," she groaned, rolling away from him.

  "Okay, but then you have to get up," he told her.

  Groaning some more, Natalia said: "Fuck sake."

  "What's the matter?" he asked her.

  "Apart from being woken up by a Demon?" she asked.

  "I wasn't sure if you remembered it was me or not with the way you asked for five more minutes," he admitted. "But I'm assuming I'm not the issue here. So, is there something else bothering you?"

  "Oh, I didn't forget I was with you. I tried to... but I didn't forget,” she said grumpily. "And yes, something else is bothering me."

  "What is it? Can I help?" he asked.

  "Not unless you have a soft mattress hidden somewhere," she said sarcastically. "Because these fucking sticks and stones have been digging into me all night."

  "I'm sorry," he said. "But there's nothing I can do about that."

  "Of course, there is," she snapped,
sitting up to look at him.

  "What could I have done?" he asked.

  "You could have let me sleep in the bunker for one more night," she said. "But no, you wanted to leave straight away."

  Taredd sighed. "I'm not going over this with you again. You'll never get me to stay in a hole in the ground."

  "It's not a hole in the ground!" She snapped at him again. "It's a bunker. There's a difference, you know."

  "Not as far as I can see, there isn't,” he told her. But giving in a little, he added: "If you're that adamant about sleeping in a bed, I can arrange somewhere for us to stay tonight that isn't outside, but it does mean we have to leave sooner rather than later."

  "So, in other words, get your ass up Natalia, because I've got a whole day of walking planned for you," she said, making her voice sound deep as she tried to imitate him. Then in her normal voice, she added: "Why, thank you, that sounds like loads of fun."

  "Well, if you want to sleep in a bed tonight, then yes, we have a great distance to cover between now and then."

  "Fine, I'll get up,” she moaned.

  "Not much of a morning person, are you?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Taredd wished he could take them back.

  If looks could kill, Natalia would definitely have killed him with that one.

  "Sorry," he said, holding his hands up and backing away in surrender.

  Natalia didn't say a single word as she got herself up and ready to set off. She did, however, stomp around and giving him an evil look every time she glanced in his direction.

  "Right, I'm ready to go," she said a short time later.

  "Do you want anything to eat before we go?" he asked. "We have time if you do."

  "No, I'm fine," she said. "Let's just get going."

  "If you insist," he said.

  Even biting off his head as soon as she opened her eyes didn't seem to alter his growing feelings for her. The fact she’d actually spent the night under the stars was more than he thought she would do. He knew it wasn't easy sleeping rough on the hard-unforgiving ground, so he was happy to take whatever she wanted to throw at him.

  When he first mentioned sleeping rough, Taredd had imagined her getting up in the middle of the night and storming back to the bunker. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had because she had been right, they could have stayed there until the morning. It was only his stubborn refusal to stay underground that they didn't. They hadn't even travelled very far from the bunker before stopping for the night.

  Taredd might have even gotten into her good books if they had, but at the time he didn't care about her feelings or staying on her good side. It amazed him at how quickly all that had changed. Now he wanted to be in her good books, he wanted to do anything in his power to make her happy.

  Taredd followed behind Natalia, directing her when she drifted off course, but otherwise he didn't say a word to her. She didn't attempt to have a conversation with him either. She barely even acknowledged he was there half the time, so he assumed she wouldn't appreciate him trying to start one with her. Taredd didn't want to disturb her or piss her off more than he already had, but he wanted her to talk to him, he wanted to hear her voice.

  They travelled like that for most of the day. Not once did she complain, or ask to stop for a rest. It was only when Taredd heard her stomach start to growl that he decided it was time for them to stop. He didn't care whether she wanted to or not, but he had a feeling she appreciated the break from walking.

  Taredd didn't bother setting up a trap to catch a rabbit this time, mainly because he didn't plan on stopping for that long, but not only for that reason. Since they were right next to a river, he opted for catching a fish instead.

  Natalia found a spot along the shore where she could sit and watch him fish. He didn't mind her watching what he was doing, because as long as her attention was focused on him, she wasn't looking for an escape route. But still, as he waded into the water he made sure to keep her in his sights at all times.

  Staying as still as possible, Taredd waited patiently for a fish to swim between his submerged legs. Luckily for them, the river was teaming with fish, so it didn't take long for one to brush between his hands. Clamping his hands around the fish, he swiftly lifted it out of the water and then threw it on to the shore, right next to Natalia.

  As soon as it landed next to her, she squealed as she jumped up and away from it. Taredd couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't known she would react in such a way when he threw it, but he had to admit, he might still have thrown it just to see how she would have reacted. And it would have been so worth it.

  "Not funny," she said, pointing her finger at him. "You could have told me you were going to do that."

  "What would you have done differently if you had known?" he asked.

  "Well, I would have moved further away for starters."

  Taredd wasn't sure if he should mention that it didn't matter if she was further away, he would have still been able to throw it next to her, so he kept it to himself.

  Taredd replaced his hands in the water so he could catch another one. This time he didn't throw it to the shore, he carried it out of the water instead, and made his way over to where Natalia was currently standing. He bent down and picked up the other fish as he walked passed where it landed, still flopping around on the ground.

  As he reached Natalia side, he said "I hope you like fish."

  "If it's anything like the rabbit, then I probably do."

  "You've not even tried fish before?" he asked in surprise.

  "Nope," she said, shaking her head as she smiled. "We tried to catch one once, but all we got was soaking wet."

  Taredd had never seen Natalia smile before, but that wasn't what halted him. No, that was all down to Natalia's laugh. The sound was so magical it ensnared him instantly. Taredd wanted to hear more of it, so he swore… to himself at least… to make her laugh more often. Taredd didn't know how he was going to accomplish that feat, but he was definitely going to give it his best shot.

  When she noticed him staring at her, she suddenly stopped laughing. He instantly missed the sound, and hated the fact it was because of him that she stopped.

  "What?" she asked.

  When he didn't reply straight away, she started looking behind and all around her.

  "What is it?" she asked again.

  "Nothing," he finally said.

  "Then why were you staring at me like that?"

  "Sorry, it's just..."

  "What?"

  "Nothing," he said again, shaking his head. "Just forget about it."

  "I don't want to forget about it," she told him, placing her hands on her hips. "I want to know why you were staring at me like that."

  Taredd didn't say a word. He just walked passed her and headed towards the trees, so he could collect some firewood.

  "I'm not going to give up, you know," she said, following hot on his heels. "You look as if you’ve seen a ghost or something."

  Spinning around to see the look on her face as he admitted: "Because I liked the sound, okay?"

  "Oh..." she said.

  "Happy now?" he asked. "Does knowing that a Demon likes the sound of a human laughing make you happy?"

  When she didn't reply, just stood there staring at him, he spun back around and stormed off towards the trees.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Natalia

  The more time that Natalia spent with Taredd, the more she was becoming confused by him. She didn't have a clue what his problem was with her laughing. So what if he enjoyed the sound? It didn’t bother her if he did like the sound, even if she didn’t understand why.

  Natalia had never liked her laugh, she thought it sounded stupid. So, for someone to say they enjoyed the sound, it was a complete first for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be a Demon though. Then again, she never thought she would spend this much time with a Demon and still be alive to talk about it.

  Natalia had to admit, she was amazed he hadn't ch
anged his mind about killing her this morning after she bit his head off. She knew it wasn't the wisest idea to piss him off, but she couldn't help herself.

  Natalia wasn't a morning person at the best of times, but she was a bitch when she didn’t get enough sleep and she knew it. After spending several nights camping out in freezing cold caves, Natalia was already in a crap mood.

  Add in a shitty night’s sleep on top of that because of the sticks and stones that dug into her while she slept, when she could have easily slept on a nice soft mattress. She had been pushed to the limits, so she was bound to let loose at the closest person to her.

  Luckily enough for her, Taredd hadn't taken it the wrong way and didn't seem to be holding it against her.

  She still wanted to know what his problem was though. She knew he was doing all this for a bet, but that still didn’t explain why was he letting her live when he’d killed so many others of her kind.

  She was positive just from looking at the size of him that he could have easily carried her dead body to wherever it was his friends were. He didn't need her to be alive to prove he won the bet, so why hadn't he?

  It would have saved him a lot of hassle in the long run. So, what made her so different from the rest that he not only promised that she wouldn't die, but he actively went out of his way to make sure she had plenty of food and rest as well? It didn't make sense... he didn't make sense.

  If Natalia was to believe every word he had said, then he would be providing her with a safe and comfy place to stay tonight as well. She didn't know if he was doing it for her benefit or his, but she was grateful either way. She wouldn't blame him if it was for his own benefit. After all, she was just a Human. A tiny insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things where he was concerned.

  Sitting with her legs crossed in front of the fire, Natalia watched as Taredd cooked her yet another meal. Another new meal for her to try. She hadn't been paying close attention to how he caught the fish. After the first couple of minutes of watching him stand motionless in the water, Natalia had lost interest in what he was doing. Instead, she leaned back to look at the clouds in the sky.