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

  Natalia knew she would never be able to stand as still as Taredd had done for long enough to catch anything that way. If there was an easier way to catch fish, then she was all for it. That's if it turned out any good, otherwise it would be a complete waste of time trying to find another way to catch them. If it tasted anything like the rabbit did last night, then she was definitely going to enjoy fish as well.

  "Here you go," Taredd said, passing her one of the cooked fish.

  "Thank you," she said as she accepted it.

  It certainly didn't smell as good as the rabbit had done. For such a small thing, it had a very potent smell. Natalia just hoped it tasted better than it smelt. Especially if she was going to stand any chance in getting the others in the group to try it.

  She knew without a doubt the others would want her to cook this meal outside of the bunker though, and she couldn't blame them, she wouldn't want the bunker stinking of fish either. It was hard enough keeping the bunker smelling fresh as it was, without adding to the problem. With it being deep underground, it wasn't like they could crack open a window or anything.

  At least the rabbit didn't smell as bad as the fish. Natalia didn't think she would have a problem convincing the others to try the rabbit, but the fish? She was going to have a hard time convincing them to give it a try whether it tasted better than it smelt or not.

  "Once you've finished, we'll get going again," he told her.

  "Okay. Have we got much further to go today?" Natalia asked, trying to postpone eating the smelly fish.

  Taredd didn't let the conversation stop him from eating though. He tucked right in, pulling it apart easily using his fingers.

  "It should only take us a couple of hours to reach our destination," he told her between mouthfuls.

  "Where is it that you're taking me?" she asked.

  "There's a town not far from here, that's where we are heading,” he said. "Are you going to eat that or what?"

  Natalia didn't like the sound of that. Being in a town surrounded by monsters that wanted to kill her didn't seem like the best of ideas.

  Even knowing there would be, Natalia couldn't help but ask: "Are there going to be Demons and other monsters there?"

  "Yes, of course there will be others there, it wouldn't be a town otherwise, would it?" he told her. "Now, eat up so we can get going."

  Natalia dubiously picked up a small piece of fish, she told him: "This better not taste disgusting."

  Shaking his head at her, he didn't say a word, just sat there smiling at her. Pulling a face at the smell, Natalia gingerly placed the piece of fish in her mouth. At first, she wasn't too keen on the taste, but after a moment she realized it was nowhere near as bad as it smelt. In fact, Natalia found that she really liked it.

  Fish is definitely on the menu from now on as well, she thought as she vigorously tucked in.

  Natalia knew Taredd was right about the town, it wouldn't be much of a town if there weren’t any people… or monsters as the case may be… living there, but it didn't make it any easier on her. The more monsters around her, the higher the chance she had of being killed.

  Reading her mind, he said: "Don't worry about the people in the town, I'll keep you safe."

  "How do you plan on doing that?" she asked. "You can't watch me 24/7."

  "Why can't I?" he asked.

  "What? So, you're going to watch me the whole time we're there?" she asked sceptically. "You're not going to take your eyes off me for one second?"

  "If I have to, then yes," he told her. "It shouldn't be necessary though. Once everybody sees that you are with me, they should leave you alone."

  It didn't matter how much he tried to reassure her, she didn't have as much faith in the other monsters that he did. He was only one person… Demon… at the end of the day. As much as he told her he can keep an eye on her 24/7, he couldn't because it was impossible to watch someone that closely.

  There were bound to be times when he wasn't watching her, and it was in one of those times that the other monsters could take the opportunity to kill her. These were the moments she was most concerned about.

  Natalia didn't bother saying anything more about it though. She didn't think it would matter what she said, he wasn't likely to change his mind on the matter. After all, she was his captive, so she didn't really have much of a choice but to do as he wanted.

  "Everything will be fine," he told her again.

  "Okay," she said, still not convinced but not willing to debate it anymore either.

  "I promised you wouldn't die,” he told her. "And I intend on keeping my promise."

  Dusting off her hands when she couldn't bring herself to eat anymore, she said: "I'm ready to go."

  The thought of being surrounded by a bunch of monsters had turned her stomach upside down. Completely putting her off the food. Luckily enough, Taredd didn't say another word about it. There wasn't much he could say to make her feel better about it. Only time would tell which one of them was going to be right. Natalia prayed it was going to be Taredd, but it was more than likely going to be her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Taredd

  Taredd knew she didn't believe he could keep her safe around the other 'monsters' as she called them, but there was no doubt in his mind.

  Natalia may not know what he was capable of, but he knew what his abilities were and he knew he could keep her safe because of them. But there was only one way he could prove that to her though, and that was by taking her there and showing her.

  Natalia hadn't said a word since they left the river, she didn't even look in his direction once. Taredd didn't know if he had done anything to upset her other than take her to the town, but he didn't want to piss her off more by asking either. So, he just walked next to her in silence.

  As he told Natalia, it only took them a couple of hours to reach the town, even walking at Natalia's slower pace. Natalia didn't say a word to him until the small town came into view.

  She turned to him, eyebrows pinched together with worry, she said: "I hope you're right about this."

  "I am,” he told her. "Nothing will happen to you while you are in my care."

  "Fine, but if you're wrong and I end up dead," she said, pointing a finger at him. "Then I'm gonna come back and haunt you for the rest of your life."

  Taredd couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that he didn't believe ghosts existed, because he knew they did. It was the way Natalia was threatening to come back and haunt him for the rest of his life that made him laugh.

  He didn't know whether or not to divulge that he could interact with ghosts just like he did with the living. He didn't think she would appreciate that bit of information, so he kept it to himself.

  "Okay,” he said. "But it will not be necessary, because nothing is going to happen to you."

  "We'll see,” she told him, turning her back to him again.

  "Yes, we will," he agreed.

  Even though he was confident no one would bother her since she was with him, he still kept her close to him while they navigated the streets looking for a place to stay.

  "In here,” he said when they came to a tavern.

  "Are you sure?" she asked, eying up the outside of the building.

  "Very," he said confidently.

  "If you say so,” she said sceptically.

  "Just... come on,” he said as he held the door open for her.

  She walked in without saying another word. He knew she wasn’t happy to be here, but it was the closest place with a bed and somewhere for them to clean up.

  Taredd scanned the street before walking in after her. It wasn't often a Human was seen walking around towns anymore, especially the smaller ones that were off the beaten track like this one. So he expected to garner some interest from the locals, and he wasn't disappointed.

  A few people had stopped to watch them as they walked down the street and into the tavern, while others watched as they continued on their travels. Taredd wasn't concerned with any of t
hem.

  In fact, he was more concerned about the people that didn't seem to have any interest in them at all. If anyone was going to cause them any trouble while they were here, it was going to be those people and not the ones watching them.

  Taredd had taken a note of each individual before he followed Natalia into the tavern.

  "What took you so long?" Natalia whispered as he reached her side.

  "Sorry, I thought I saw one of my friends,” he lied.

  There was no point telling her the truth, that he was looking for anyone who could possibly cause them any trouble, because otherwise she would definitely not believe that he could keep her safe. It would only cause him more problems in the long run. So, he kept it to himself.

  "I take it, it wasn't your friend,” she said, looking up at him.

  "No, it wasn't him,” he said. "Just someone that looks similar."

  "I'm sorry,” she said.

  Confused, he asked "Why?"

  "Because if it had been your friend, then you could have proven to them that you've won the bet sooner,” she said. "Then you wouldn't be stuck with me any longer."

  "It's okay,” he told her. "I'm sure we'll find them soon enough." Leading her over to the bar at the back of the room, he added "But for now, let’s just see if we can get a room for the night and something to eat."

  Taredd didn't mention he actually wanted her to stay with him for longer, a hell of a lot longer in fact. How much longer he didn't know, but he was slowly growing more attached to her the more time he spent with her.

  "Sounds good to me,” she said.

  "Good, come on."

  Natalia didn't say a word as she let him lead her over to the bar. Taredd noticed she was looking around the room at everyone in here. Nobody would start on her while he was with her, but he still wanted her to stay close to him. He didn't need to tell her though, because she was right on his heels the entire way.

  A Shapeshifter stood behind the bar, watching them as they made their way over.

  Greeting them with a smile, he said: "Evening, what can I get you?"

  "Evening," Taredd replied politely. "Do you have a room available for the night?"

  "For you... and the Human?" he asked with one eyebrow raised as he looked over at Natalia.

  "Yes," Taredd replied curtly this time. "Do you have a problem with that? If so, I am more than happy to take my business elsewhere."

  "Nope, it's fine by me,” he said, shaking his head. "Just needing to be sure, but as long as you don't cause any problems, then the Human is welcome to stay with you."

  "Good."

  "Just the one room?"

  "Yes, one will do. Thank you."

  "Do you want something to eat or drink before I show you to your room?" he asked.

  Taredd turned to Natalia in time to see her lick her lips at the mention of food.

  Smiling, he turned back to the Shapeshifter and said "I think we'll have something to eat first."

  After giving their food and drinks order, Taredd lead Natalia over to a table that was in the back of the room, tucked into the corner by an open fire.

  "Thank you," Natalia said, taking a seat in the chair he pulled out for her.

  "For what?"

  "Not making me sit out in the open,” she said, indicating the empty tables dotted around in the rest of the room.

  It wasn't the reason why he picked this particular table, but he was happy to let her believe it was.

  "You're welcome,” he told her instead.

  The real reason why he picked this spot was for the view. It was a prime location to be able to see everyone in the room, as well as anyone that came and went. It was also the perfect position to prevent anybody from sneaking up on them from behind, so he didn't have to worry about looking backwards every two seconds.

  There was even a reason why he held out a chair for Natalia to sit in, and it wasn't to be helpful or kind. It was so he had a completely uninterrupted view of the room.

  As soon as they were seated, the Shapeshifter brought over their drinks, then disappeared into a back room to sort out their meal. It didn't take long before he returned with a tray of food for them.

  "Thank you," Taredd told him as he placed the plates on the table in front of them.

  "No problem,” he replied. "Just shout if you want anything else."

  Natalia picked up the spoon the Shapeshifter placed on the table for her, and started swirling it around in her bowl of food.

  "It's not poisonous, you know," Taredd told her. "It's only food, and I promise it doesn't taste that bad."

  "It doesn't look too nice though,” she said, pulling a face at it.

  "Try it,” he encouraged. "You won't know if you like it if you don't try it."

  "Fine, but if I get food poisoning, you'll be cleaning up the mess after I've projectile vomited everywhere,” she said, waving her spoon at him.

  "Okay, that's a deal," Taredd agreed.

  "I'm not offering you a deal,” she told him. "I'm stating a fact, because I'm seriously not cleaning up sick after being given food poisoning again."

  "As I said, it's not a problem, because you're not going to get food poisoning,” he said, shaking his head. "Now, stop playing with your food and eat up already."

  "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," Natalia told him.

  Admittedly, it didn't live up to his standards, but it didn't taste too bad, and it certainly wasn't going to give her food poisoning. Even still, Natalia sniffed the food and licked a little off the spoon before finally giving in and eating it properly.

  Taredd couldn't help but smile... and be slightly turned on... when her tongue peeked out and licked the spoon. Whatever spell she had on him, was getting stronger by the minute. Taredd didn't know whether he should be worried or not, but for the time being, he was going to take each moment as it came.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Natalia

  As much as Natalia didn't like the look of the sloppy food in the bowl, it didn't taste too bad. It reminded her of the fish she had eaten earlier that day, it smelt awful but tasted delicious.

  The drink Taredd had ordered for her on the other hand, was absolutely heavenly. Natalia didn't have a clue what it was, and she didn't care either. It gave her a nice warm tingly feeling in her stomach, and a slightly fuzzy feeling to her head.

  "See? I told you it wasn't poisoned," Taredd said, pointing towards her nearly empty bowl.

  "Hey, it still could be poisonous, it might just take time to kick in,” she told him. "I've had that happen before."

  Taredd shook his head at her, but he had that cute smile back on his face again.

  How can I find anything about him cute? He's a Demon for fuck sake!

  It was really starting to confuse Natalia. She was supposed to fear his kind, and had done for all her life, but now she was finding it difficult not to be attracted to a Demon. Not just any Demon though, it was all for Taredd.

  Looking around the room at all the other monsters, she didn't know if any of them were Demons like Taredd, but she knew for sure that none of them were anywhere near as attractive as he was. Which was a good thing, because being sexually attracted to one Demon was bad enough, especially since she should be as scared of him as she was with the rest of them.

  Natalia mentally kicked herself. She needed to pull herself together if she was ever going to find a way to escape from him, because that was still her plan. She needed to get back to the others as quickly as possible. Her heart ached because she missed Amberly and Donovan so much.

  Natalia didn't even know if they had made it through the pass alive. For all she knew, they could have frozen to death in one of the caves, or worse, they could be out looking for her. That was the last thing she wanted. It was too dangerous, especially if they found her tracks and followed them here.

  Natalia got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of them following her here. They would have to sneak past an untold number of mon
sters just to reach the tavern. If they made it that far unseen, then they would definitely be seen as soon as they stepped foot inside the building.

  She could imagine her friends being surround by a sea of monsters before they'd even had a chance to do so much as blink.

  She wasn't only worried about the other monsters in the room though. As much as Taredd had promised that she wouldn't die by his hand, he had made no such promise to her friends.

  Admittedly, Taredd didn't know anything about her friends, but that was for their safety. Until she knew for sure that they were going to be safe around Taredd as she was, she couldn't say a word about them to him.

  Natalia couldn't shake the worry from niggling away at the back of her mind that they have managed to get themselves caught by the monsters since she left them. She prayed that nothing bad had happened to them. It would hurt worse than it already did knowing that she wasn’t around to help them.

  Natalia lost her appetite. The thought of something bad happening to the rest of her group… to Amberly and Donovan in particular… twisted her stomach into knots.

  Placing her spoon in the bowl, Natalia picked up her drink and downed the last of it. The tingly feeling spread deliciously through her body again. Surprisingly, it helped to ease the feelings that swirled around inside her, trying to consume her with thoughts of helplessness and grief.

  "Have you finished?" Taredd asked, making her jump.

  "Urm..,” she said, looking between him and the half-eaten bowl. "... yeah... I've had enough... thank you."

  "You're welcome," Taredd said. "I'll be finished in just a minute, then we can go up to our room if you're ready?"

  "That's okay, you can take your time,” she told him, but he didn't listen.

  Putting his spoon down on the table, Taredd then picked up the bowl and drank the last of its contents before doing the same with his drink.

  "Come on, let’s go,” he said, putting the cup back on the table when he was finished.

  "You didn't have to do that you know, I was quite happy to wait for you to finish,” she told him honestly.

  "I know,” he said. "But I don't know about you, but I could do with some rest."