aHunter4Ever
Authors: Cynthia Clement
aHunter4Ever
By
Cynthia A
Clement
Text copyright © 2015 Cynthia A Clement
Kindle Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9938457-4-1
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form,
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise)
without prior written permission of the copyright owner and publisher. For the
purposes of a reviewer, brief passages may be quoted in a review to be printed
in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters and incidents are from the
author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons, living or
dead, is coincidental and unintentional.
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Dedication
To Susan.
Her course, The Pirate Principles, taught me to value my treasure and silence
my parrot.
1
She lured him like a siren.
Eighteen years a warrior and he was as weak as the first day he had held
a weapon. If he had any defense against her magnetism, he would have turned the
car around and gone back to his unit. It was dangerous. His team was too far
away to come to his rescue if this was a trap. Yet, he continued onward.
He could not deny the attraction.
He was powerless to resist.
He was a Hunter. An elite warrior from another planet who was stranded on
Earth along with the other members of his unit. He was part of a brotherhood of
warriors who had made it their mission to help those who needed justice. They
kept a low profile and avoided law enforcement officers. He was breaking the
first rule of survival by returning alone to a house where so many FBI agents
were gathered.
He needed to finish his mission.
The guard at the entrance to the Beverly Hills mansion waved him up to
the house. A shiver of awareness skittered across the back of Partlan’s neck as
he drove through the ornate metal gates. He was drawn here by a force that was
greater than his training. In the past, implants and chemical modifications had
prevented Hunters from forming a pair bond and mating. All that had changed
since they had crashed on Earth.
He told himself that the child he had helped rescue deserved to be
returned to his parents by him. He had been the leader of the team that had
been hired to find the children. That was not the complete truth. He came back
to this house because he had to see her one more time. He had to be certain
that the connection he felt between them was real.
Beside him, Gates Walters, was fidgeting with his seatbelt. Gates was the
son of Nikki Nevins and Steve Walters, A-list actors and Hollywood royalty.
Gates was of slight build and short for a boy of eight, but given that both his
parents were tall, he would probably grow. The boy had been quiet for most of
the journey from Caliente. That was where they had found Gates and several
other children. They were being held in a building used by a group of child
traffickers. Partlan glanced down at him, noting that the hazel eyes turned up at
him were huge with sadness.
“What will happen to Tarrin?”
Tarrin and Gates had been raised together by Tarrin’s mother Selena. She
was Gates’s nanny, but the busy schedule of actors had meant that Gates spent
most of his time with Selena and Tarrin. The two boys had been kidnapped
together. It had been Tarrin’s mother, Selena, who had contacted them for help.
Selena had since reconciled with her mate Catal, who was also a Hunter and
Tarrin’s father. That made the boy a Hunter. He was the first child ever born
to their breed and needed training in their ways.
“He is with his brothers now.” Partlan slowed the vehicle as he
approached the front door. “Tarrin must learn the ways of a warrior.”
“I wish I could stay with him.”
“Your place is with your parents.”
“They don’t want me.” Gates’s voice was matter of fact. “Tarrin and
Selena were my family.”
“Then, you will see them again.” Partlan shifted the car into park.
“Family can never be parted.”
Gates’s eyes were intense as they surveyed Partlan’s face. “Promise?”
“Those we love are with us, even in death.” Partlan placed a hand over
his heart. “They live with us always.”
“Did your parents love you?”
“I did not have a mother or father.” Partlan noted the FBI agent guarding
the door. “Hunters are bred from machines.”
“If you don’t have a family, then how do you know that they are with
you?”
“All Hunters are brothers. We are family, and when one is killed in
battle, we still feel their presence with us.”
“Tarrin isn’t going to die, is he?”
“He has his father to protect him.”
“I wish my father was like that.” Gates’s voice was low. “He’s too busy
for me.”
Partlan had struggled these past months on Earth to understand humans.
His whole life had been dedicated to righting wrongs so that others could live
without worries. Humans had freedoms that had been denied him, and they threw
them away without thought. There was no reason or logic to their behavior.
He reached into the upper pocket of his combat vest and pulled out a card
and pen. He circled a website and then added a telephone number before handing
it to Gates. “If you ever need to contact Tarrin, or any Hunter, use this.”
Gates looked down at the card. “Is this where Tarrin is?”
“An email or phone call will connect you with Tarrin or his father,
Catal.” Partlan watched Gates put the card into his pants pocket. “I will stay
with you until you are safe with your family.”
Gates nodded. “The bad men won’t get me again. I’ll be smarter next
time.”
A child should not have to live in fear, but there was no way for Partlan
to undo what had happened to Gates. He had been kidnapped, held captive, and
sold to a child trafficking group. If his team had not found the boys in time,
they would have been lost forever. The crimes that were done on this planet
were unforgivable.
“You must always be on guard.” Partlan kept his voice calm. “If you fear,
contact us. We will protect you.”
“Can you teach me to be as strong and brave as you?” Gates’s voice held a
note of determination.
“You must let go of your fear or it will imprison you and keep you weak.
As you grow older, this will be easier. Already you are braver than most boys
your age.” Partlan unlatched his seatbelt and opened the car door. The FBI
agent was motioning for them to enter the house. “We must go.”
Gates scooted across the front seat and jumped down beside Partlan. He
took his hand and together they walked to the door. The agent put his hand on
Partlan’s chest to stop him from going inside. Gates gripped him tighter.
“Only the boy.” The agent’s voice was filled with menace. “You’re to come
with me.”
“No.” Gates’s voice was firm. “I need Partlan. He stays with me.”
The agent hesitated a second and then nodded. “No funny stuff.”
They walked into the large dark marble floored foyer. A massive crystal chandelier
hung in the center of the ceiling and the walls were covered in a soft green
silk material. They were led to the room where Partlan had first met Steve
Walters and his wife Nikki Nevins. The door was opened by Agent Bakker who
followed them into the room and stood guard at the door.
When they entered, Gates’s parents were sitting on a dark brown sectional
and Agent Kelly was standing beside them. She looked at him directly and tilted
her head. Partlan’s chest tightened. His heart soared at seeing her.
Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight bun at the back of her head and
her dark blue eyes flashed anger. She was wearing a loose pant suit that hid
her body. Nikki Nevins was also blonde and blue-eyed, with a curvaceous figure
accentuated by a tight fitting top and pants, but she did not affect him. It
was more than a physical attraction that had drawn him back to this place.
Seeing Agent Kelly again only confirmed what he had already suspected.
They were connected.
“Gates!” Nikki was the first to move. She ran to her son, knelt, and
wrapped her arms around him. “You’re safe.”
Nikki picked Gates up and went to Steve. Steve rubbed the boy’s head and
then hugged him. They sat, with Gates between them, on the couch. Nikki looked
up at Partlan and smiled.
“Thank you.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “After what Agent Kelly told us
about the boys being sold, I didn’t think we would ever see our son again.”
“Hunters do not fail.” Partlan spread his legs and crossed his arms over
his chest. “We reached the boys before any harm could be done.”
“How can you say that?” Agent Kelly’s voice was low with reproach. “From
what I understand, you left a number of bodies in your wake. I’m happy the boys
were returned, but did they have to experience so much killing?”
“Would you rather we had left them in the hands of the traffickers?”
Partlan’s tone was dry. “We did what was necessary. The men who held the boys
refused to give them up. They shot first.”
“That does not excuse the mess you left behind.” Agent Kelly’s voice was defensive.
“The law does not tolerate vigilantism.”
“The FBI have a point.” Steve Walter shifted away from Gates on the
couch. “My son shouldn’t have been exposed to violence. Once you knew where the
men were located, you should have contacted the police and let them take care
of the situation.”
“You asked us to return your son. You made it clear you did not care how
that was done, or who was hurt.” Partlan did not hide his contempt for Steve.
The man was a coward who had been negligent and partly to blame for the
children being kidnapped in the first place.
Steve’s eyes narrowed. Before he could speak, his wife, Nikki put a hand
on her husband’s arm. “Partlan’s right. We did give him permission to use any
means to get Gates back home. I don’t care if those men are dead.”
“Gates did not see anything.” Partlan’s voice was firm. “We are not new
at rescue missions. We kept the children protected.”
“I hope so.” Nikki turned to Gates. “Were you hurt?”
Gates shook his head. “Partlan and Tarrin’s father kept us safe.”
“Tarrin’s father?” Agent Kelly’s eyes widened. “I thought no one knew who
he was? Was he involved in the kidnapping?”
“Catal is Tarrin’s father.”
“So Selena lied to us.” Agent Kelly’s lips thinned. “Where are they now?”
“They are safe.”
“They need to answer questions. It’s suspicious that Catal should
suddenly admit to being the boy’s father.”
“He did not know.” Partlan’s voice was matter of fact.
He was not going to elaborate further. Selena had not realized she was
pregnant when she had ran away from Catal. She had remained in hiding for eight
years and it was only the kidnapping of Tarrin that had forced her to contact
Catal for help. That was when Selena had learned that Catal had never betrayed her.
It was a matter between Catal and his mate Selena, to explain the situation if
they wished it known.
“That’s pretty convenient.” Agent Kelly’s gaze never left Partlan.
“Unfortunately, that won’t hold up in a court of law. I need to be certain he
wasn’t in on the kidnapping with Selena.”
“Catal saved us.” Gates’s voice rose. “Leave him alone.”
“It’s understandable that you’re thankful to your rescuers.” Agent
Kelly’s voice was sympathetic. “The law sees things differently.”
“I know Catal wasn’t the man who kidnapped us.” Gates crossed his arms.
“Why don’t you find those men and yell at them.”
Partlan caught Gate’s eye and nodded his approval. The boy was getting
stronger. The kidnapping might have been traumatic, but Gates was learning to
let go of fear.
“We have the Gordon brothers in custody.” Agent Kelly turned away from
Gates. “We need to speak with your men.”
Partlan shook his head. “They have returned to our unit.”
“Tell me where they are.” Agent Kelly pulled a pad from her pocket. “We
need to question them.”
“I cannot do that.” Partlan clenched his jaw. “No Hunter would betray his
brothers.”
“This is serious.” Agent Kelly took a step toward him. “You could be
facing jail time for the killings. If you refuse to help us, we could arrest
you and put you in prison for obstruction of justice.”
“A Hunter is never free.” Partlan’s voice was devoid of emotion. “I have
survived torture, pain, injury, and loss, but never have I broken my vow. There
is nothing you can do to me that will change that.”
Surprise and disbelief raced across Agent Kelly’s face, but Partlan
remained firm in his resolve. No matter what the attraction between them, he
would not betray his brothers. They depended on him to keep them safe. If he
were in danger, they would do the same thing.
“You leave me no choice but to arrest you.”
“You can try.”
The tension in the room was a living, breathing entity.
Nikki Nevins cleared her throat. “There must be another way to deal with
this. These men were hired by us to find Gates. They weren’t involved in the
kidnapping.”
“We don’t know that.” Agent Kelly turned to Nikki. “The reports I have
from the Caliente police are describing a massacre. We can’t have vigilantes
running around handing out their own brand of justice.”
“Those men took us and were mean.” Gates jutted his chin out.
“My hands are tied.” Agent Kelly sighed. “My job is to make sure that the
law is obeyed.”
“It’s stupid.” Gates threw himself back on the couch. “Partlan is a hero.”
“Anyone can take a gun and kill people. That doesn’t make them a hero.”
Agent Kelly’s voice was reasonable.
“I think you might make an exception here. It sounds as if they had to
kill those men in self defense.” Nikki’s tone was conciliatory. “I asked them
to help and they only stepped in once your ransom drop failed.”
Agent Kelly lifted her chin. “We didn’t fail. We did everything by the
book.”
“It did not work.” Partlan spoke without emotion.
Agent Kelly was not going to let him go without a fight. Part of him
wanted to stay with her and answer her questions, but it would be useless.
There was a connection between them, but she was not ready. She had a wall
built around her that would not come down easily. He sensed that she did not
want him or any person in her life.
“That’s because you interfered.” Agent Kelly crossed her arms over her
chest. “You could have come to us with your suspicions. Instead, you took the
law into your own hands.”
“We did what you could not.”
“You broke the law.” A muscle in Agent Kelly’s jaw tightened. “You leave
me no choice. I need to take you in for questioning.”
“The law of this world does not hold us. We are Hunters and live by the
Sacred Code of our forefathers.”