Hunting Haven

Gabriel

I heard glass shatter from above, followed by a large thump and the snarl of a panther. Holding a stake in hand, I felt the power in my tattoo activate. My run up the stairs to her bedroom turned into a blur as my vision began to adjust to my enhanced speed.

Dane yowled in pain as I burst into the room, setting on the vampire immediately. He was fast. Even with magic on my side, it was hard to keep up with his movements. His fist shot out, flying at my head with enough force to crack my skull open. I ducked, narrowly avoiding the hit, and countering with my own. He didn’t charge me again, instead testing my defenses as I tried my damnedest to get my stake within the vicinity of his heart.

I’d hunted vampires for years, but I had never faced one as skilled as this. Ending the creature wouldn’t be an easy task but for Haven, for the women who had lost their lives, I wouldn’t give in.

The vampire pump faked like we were playing a morbid game of football. His hit connected with my ribs and I could feel one snap under the force. I groaned in pain, my breath stolen for a moment, but I used the close proximity to my advantage. The tip of my stake slid into his chest, his skin sizzling as it came in contact with the lavender oil I’d routinely coated it with since Dane’s little reveal. I didn’t have enough leverage to pierce his heart, but I hoped residual oil lingered in his blood at the very least.

The leech hissed, fangs fully extended, as he recoiled. The stake slid free from his body, and he reset into a defensive position.

Dane, recovering from whatever injuries he’d been dealt, stalked closer. With both of our attentions turned on him, the vampire’s head whipped back and forth between us. We charged forward in unison, but the blood sucker had already dropped back, crashing through Haven’s window and sending glass shooting all over as he fled. Fuck.

As much as I wanted to pursue, I didn’t. I turned to Dane. He looked like he’d taken a severe beating before I’d arrived. Blood dripped off of his feline form, the fur matted on his side around a large gash. One eye was completely sunken in, as if the eyeball had been plucked out.

“Can I help you?” I asked uselessly. It wasn’t as if he could respond while an animal.

He shook his battered head slowly before collapsing onto the ground in an exhausted heap. I briefly wondered how the hell I was going to explain the giant, blood-soaked animal in her bedroom, but I had bigger things to worry about. Dane would be fine. Shifter healing was quick in their human form, but when they wore the body of their beasts, the rate at which they regenerated was nothing short of remarkable.

As I took a step toward the bathroom Haven hid in, I envied his power. Something as simple as walking made my ribs twinge painfully, and I definitely wouldn’t be fully healed in a few hours like the panther would.

“Haven, baby. It’s me. Let me in.”

The door opened immediately and a half naked Haven collided with me. She buried her face in my chest, sobbing as she squeezed my midsection.

I let out a hiss of pain. “Careful. I broke a rib or two.” She released me immediately, but I grabbed her again, hugging her “It’s okay. Just don’t squeeze.”

I held her close, stroking her hair gently, and murmured encouraging words about her bravery. When she began to quiet down, my gaze drifted back to the unconscious panther that lay on the floor by the foot of her bed. She’d yet to notice him, to look around at the damage in general. After trying so hard to protect her from the world of inhuman dangers, from the knowledge of what goes bump in the night, I had to bring her into the fold and it fucking sucked.

Part of being a hunter was keeping the secret from regular humans, but even after decades of hiding the existence of supernaturals, I wasn’t a skilled enough liar to sweep this situation under the rug.

I could probably explain away the damage to her house, even the window pane that appeared to explode outward from the house, but there was no way in hell I could come up with an excuse for the two hundred and fifty pound panther lying unconscious on her bedroom floor.

Leaning back, I gripped her shoulders and looked down at her face. “I’m really sorry about this. I need you to trust me. I’ll explain everything when we’re safe.”

She nodded wordlessly, her eyes glazed over and unfocused. From the way her body trembled to the cold sheen of sweat that coated her skin, she was in shock. I silently prayed that seeing Dane wouldn’t push her over the edge.

As much as I wanted to scoop her up and carry her out to my car, I had a heavy ass animal to carry. “Don’t freak out,” I said as I let her go and walked to the foot of her bed.

Squatting down, I scooped the giant panther up and threw him over my shoulder as best as I could. If you’d told me that morning that I’d have Dane’s panther ass—literally—in my hands, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here I was with his feline head and front paws bobbing against my back as I stood with his hind legs on either side of my hips. I sincerely hoped he remained unconscious until I put him in the back of my squad car. I definitely did not want to listen to the shit he’d talk if he saw the way I had to carry him.

My ribs screamed in pain as I turned to face Haven. Her eyes were wild, wide and full of fear again. I let out a soft sigh. “Trust me. He won’t hurt you. I promise I’ll explain everything once we’re safe, okay?”

She nodded and mumbled, “I need a fucking drink.”

I flashed a half smile and gestured toward the door with my head. “Let’s go. Once we’re somewhere safe, I’ll buy you a bottle.”

She led the way down the stairs and to my haphazardly parked car as I followed closely behind. I scanned my surroundings, watching for the vampire’s return. It had fled when Dane and I threatened to attack at the same time, but now that the panther was unconscious, I was afraid it would come back for Haven. There was no sign of the leech, though. Not when Haven opened the back door for me to deposit Dane. Not when we got in the car. Not even when I sped off towards the panthers’ farm.

The entire ride was spent in tense silence. Haven clung to my right hand, her nails biting into my flesh, but neither of us attempted to speak. I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t started interrogating me yet, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth either. There was so much I needed to tell her to explain, but I didn’t know where to begin. Getting Dane back to his pack was my primary objective. Hopefully, saving their leader’s life would be enough for them to grant us asylum for the night at least. Once the sun rose and the vampire crawled back into its lair, Haven and I would head for my safe house.

As I pulled onto the pack lands, I slowed my speed to avoid looking like a threat. It was bad enough that Dane was unconscious and bleeding in my back seat. I didn’t want to come in hot and have them think I was attacking or something. I could handle fighting off a shifter or two, but not the whole lot of them.

Panthers came from all directions, slowly converging on my car. I rolled to a stop and parked. After telling Haven to stay inside, I exited the vehicle with my hands above my head. Each move I made was calculated and measured. If they thought I was a threat, we weren’t making it off their lands alive.

“He’s hurt but healing. It was a vampire,” I explained. Tension filled every inch of my body as I waited on bated breath for a response, any response. My eyes shifted from panther to panther as I watched them silently communicate. The way their heads tilted and gazes met made me nervous. They were either deciding to believe me or eat me, and honestly? I couldn’t confidently predict which way they were leaning.

“What the fuck!” Haven shouted from inside the vehicle. I spun around, forgetting the cardinal rule of being a hunter. Never turn your back on a supernatural. But, when it came to this woman and her survival, I ranked my own safety pretty low on my list of priorities.

“Stand down,” Dane commanded as he got out. He stood, leaning heavily on the hood of the car as he shuffled around it slowly, naked as the day he was born. Unfortunately, that meant that his dick ended up damn near staring Haven in the eye.

I clenched my teeth together, trying to refrain from yelling at him. He’s injured, I chanted to myself in an attempt to stop me from telling him to cover himself. I had a sneaking suspicion that even wounded he was fucking with me. The inkling I had was all but confirmed when he hesitated the moment he was parallel to Haven’s window. His body was bruised and bloodied, but he still managed to wink at me. Asshole.

She watched him like a science experiment. I couldn’t exactly blame her. While I had no doubt she realized there was something odd about the animal, seeing a naked man standing in its place had to have been a hell of a shock. At least she averted her eyes when his junk swung into view.

“Angel, shift and give them a room in our house,” he directed one of the panthers before turning to the rest. “The vampires I fought are public enemy number one. One is dead. The other, we’ll hunt. He wants the human woman with Gabriel. We protect them both with our lives.” His voice was serious and full of authority, which was so unlike Dane that I was shocked.

“We’ll be gone at dawn,” I said, hoping to appease his pack.

“No, you won’t. You’ll stay as long as it takes for you to heal. I didn’t risk my life to save her, just for you to get her killed because you’re wounded,” Dane snapped. My eyebrows shot up. It felt like I was seeing him for the first time. The antagonistic ass that I had a tenuous friendship with had been replaced by a fierce leader.

I nodded my agreement, mostly because he was right but also because I wanted to know about the vampires. He said there had been two, but all signs showed that only one was stalking Haven. The information could be vital to understanding exactly when was coming after her.

I thanked him as he limped away, his pack following. Angel, the panther he’d commanded to give us a room, shifted and motioned for Haven to join us. She looked at me and I nodded. When she reached my side, I wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her against me.

“Wow, Macias,” she said in a small voice. “I think that was the first time you let me open my own door.”

“Extenuating circumstances. Don’t get used to it,” I quipped back. She wasn’t her usual sassy self, but the fact that she was at least trying to joke made me feel a bit better. Yeah, she was probably not even mildly okay at the moment, but she was strong. She’d survived hell once, and I had faith that she’d be able to handle this new world she was being thrust into. And I’d be there to help her every step of the way.