aHunter4Ever (16 page)

Four more men were dead.

Grace screamed beside him. He turned as one of the soldiers from the
hangar grabbed her from behind. A knife was at her neck and a second man stood
beside her with a gun pointed at her temple. Partlan’s eyes narrowed.

These monsters dared to threaten his mate again.

The man holding the pistol against Grace’s temple pushed the weapon closer
to her head. “Drop your weapon.”

The pounding of Grace’s heart echoed in her ears.

The cold metal of the pistol against her head sent a shiver of reality
through her. She stared at Partlan and silently begged him not to listen to
their threats. He had a chance to survive. All she had done was hold him up. If
he hadn’t rescued her, he would have been free.

“
There is no freedom without you.
” Partlan’s words were clear in
her head. “
We will survive this.
”

Grace’s bottom lip trembled and she bit down on it to prevent her captors
from seeing. Partlan had been right. As their connection strengthened, they
were able to communicate. She gazed at him and let all the love she felt, show
in her eyes. It didn’t matter if they survived. She had finally found the
forever love that she’d searched for, her whole life.

“Let her go.” Partlan held his gun up in the air. “It is me you want.”

“We need her for leverage.”

“It is a mistake to harm a woman.” Partlan’s voice took on a note of
steel.

“Look who thinks they control this situation.” The man holding the pistol
to her head chuckled. “You’re pretty courageous for a man who’s about to die.”

“There is nothing brave about death.” Partlan sounded bored. “It is
inevitable.”

Grace sensed the finality of Partlan’s words. She couldn’t let him risk
his life for hers. She wasn’t a weak woman. She’d been trained to fight in
situations like this and she refused to go quietly. The man holding the knife
to her throat had loosened his grip. The one with the gun was more focused on
Partlan than her.

A couple of armed men in black suits jumped out of the helicopter onto
the tarmac. They were holding weapons and advancing toward them. She needed to
make her move now, before they reached Partlan, or all would be lost.

“
I can throw the one behind me over my shoulder if you take out the
second one.
”

Partlan didn’t blink, not even by a flicker in his eye did she know if
he’d heard her. He continued to gaze at her with calm resignation. He’d made a
decision; she just didn’t know what it was. She took a deep breath and braced
her legs. She wasn’t going back to that place. They’d have to kill her first.

Her right arm went up to deflect the gun from her forehead at the same
time she swung her left elbow up and into the rib cage of the man holding the
knife. His arm loosened his hold as he jerked in reaction to the blow. There
was a stinging sensation at her throat. She didn’t have time to worry about it.
She was focused on swinging her body to the side and yanking the arm that held
the knife into the air.

She didn’t care about the man holding the gun.

Partlan would kill him.

She sidestepped her captor and swung his arm back and then threw him over
her shoulder. He went flying down onto the pavement. She stomped her foot onto
the hand holding the knife and ground it into the ground. Before he could
react, two gunshots rang out. Partlan had hit both men between the eyes.

He grabbed her and pushed her behind him as he took aim at the men near
the helicopter.

Shots rang out and the men fell to the ground.

Footsteps, from the side, announced the arrival of fresh troops. They
were all carrying guns that were aimed at them. The chance of her and Partlan
getting out of this alive were slim, but Grace didn’t care. She was with the man
she loved. That was all that mattered.

They would go down fighting.

“Retreat to the tool shed.” Partlan picked up one of the discarded
assault rifles from her now dead captors.

Grace edged back and grabbed a pistol from the ground.

A bullet whizzed past her cheek.

The return gunfire from Partlan was deafening. He was shooting as fast as
the men appeared, but it didn’t seem to be doing anything. As one man fell,
another would appear. She gripped Partlan’s arm and urged him back into the
building. He stood firm.

“Go.” His tone was a deadly calm.

There was no way they would be able to survive this onslaught for much
longer. The men from the base wanted them dead or alive. All that mattered was
that she and Partlan didn’t escape.

A gust of wind blew dirt and stones up into the air. Partlan stopped and
pushed Grace behind him. There was no sound, but it was not a regular wind
storm. Partlan looked up just as a black stealth helicopter landed in front of
them.

“What now?” Grace wanted to cry. The odds continued to be stacked against
them.

“Ardal and the other Hunters are here.” Partlan pushed Grace against the
wall of the building and then aimed at the nearest man coming toward them. “We
will be done with these men soon.”

Partlan shot the man dead.

The next one was aiming at them, when a bullet hit him from behind. He
fell forward and Grace almost gasped at the size of the man coming toward them.
He was as big as Eogan, with the same dark hair and eyes. He nodded at Partlan
and then turned back to the battle.

Several minutes later, there was silence.

Grace released the breath she’d been holding.

She’d not seen a team of Hunters in action before and it was awe
inspiring. The precision and the cold determination of the warriors would have
been a terrifying sight to the child traffickers in Caliente. Grace was amazed
that any of the criminals had been left alive.

The large Hunter, who had nodded at Partlan, walked toward them. His step
was sure. The other men scattered to the outlying buildings. Grace assumed they
were checking for more soldiers. The dimly lit tarmac was littered with bodies.
The headlights from the empty vehicles added an eerie element to the macabre
scene.

Partlan braced his weapon across his chest and walked to meet the
newcomer. A silent conversation passed between the two men before Partlan
returned to her. He led her by the arm to the helicopter and lifted her in. By
the time she was strapped in, the others had returned, and the aircraft took
off in a smooth arc away from the airport.

The darkness below was interrupted by the beam of runway lights.

She leaned her head back against her seat and sighed. Her hands were
trembling and there was an ache around her neck. Other than that, she was happy
to be alive and sitting beside Partlan. They had survived. She reached over and
clasped his hand.

“That was a close call.”

The large Hunter frowned. “We did not call you.”

Grace grinned. “I forgot, you don’t do idioms.”

Partlan leaned forward. “This is Ardal, our leader. Ardal, this is Grace
Kelly, my mate.”

Another man shook his head. “Your parents really named you that? I would
have been hopping mad at them.”

“My father thought it was cute.” Grace frowned. “You don’t speak like
Partlan.”

The man held out his hand. “I’m Lorcan. I’ve been stranded here on Earth,
since I was ten, so I’m used to the language.”

Ardal sat back with his arms crossed. “We came as soon as we knew where
Partlan was located.”

“Thank you for saving me too.” Grace fell a bit light headed. “For a few seconds
there, I did wonder if we might die.”

“Partlan is one of my best warriors. He would have protected you.”

“It feels good to be alive.” Grace sighed. “Where are we going?”

“There is an airport north of here.

Once the helicopter was away from the airport, the interior lighting
flickered to life. It was still very dark, but a glow of blue suffused the
interior. Grace brushed at the stinging on her neck and winced. Her hands
touched a sticky substance. She rubbed it between her fingers and frowned.

“What?” Partlan’s voice held concern.

“There’s something on my neck.” Grace looked up at Partlan. “Does anyone
have a flashlight?”

“Here.” Lorcan pushed Partlan back and aimed the light at Grace’s neck.
There was a moment of silence before he spoke. “She’s been cut.”

Lorcan glanced over his shoulder. “Ranon, get your medical kit.”

Partlan grabbed the flashlight and reached for her chin.

Before he could tilt her head up, Lorcan pushed his hand away. “Don’t
move her. Ranon will know if she needs stitches.”

“How did this happen?” Ardal’s voice was a command.

“It must have been the guy I threw over my shoulder.” Grace winced as
Ranon probed her neck. “He had a knife to my throat.”

“It is my fault.” Partlan straightened his shoulders. “If I had guarded
Grace better, she would not have been taken hostage.”

Grace snorted. “It’s no one’s fault. They took me by surprise. You can’t
tell me that hasn’t happened to you before?”

“Never.” Ardal’s voice was calm. “We are always in control of a
situation. This was different though. Partlan was on his own and protecting a
woman in his escape. We should have been there for him.”

“Nonsense.” Grace inhaled a sharp breath as a cool liquid was applied to
her throat. “That stings.”

“It is necessary to be certain there is no contamination.” Ranon’s voice
was low. “The cut is deep, but you do not require stitches. I will put some
strips on it to keep the incision together.”

“Great, all I need is a giant scar across my neck.”

“My apologies.” Ranon’s tone was serious.

“I’m joking.” Grace tried to smile, but it turned into a wince as the
first piece of tape was put in place. “I’ve had worse injuries. This is
nothing.”

“Who has hurt you?” Ardal leaned toward her. “We cannot allow a woman to
be harmed.”

“It was way before I met Partlan.” She had six pairs of eyes staring at
her with an intensity that was frightening. They looked as if they were
prepared to kill. She edged farther back into her seat.

“I will protect Grace.” Partlan spoke in a voice that carried to the
front of the helicopter. “She is my mate.”

Ardal nodded. “All Hunters have sworn to protect the pair bonds and mates
of each other. We were too late this time, but the offender is dead. It will
not happen again.”

“I’m alright guys.” Grace tried to keep the concern from her voice. She
didn’t know what she’d walked into the middle of, but feuding men wasn’t her
idea of fun.

“They would never hurt you.” Partlan leaned close and whispered in her
ear. “There is no need for you to be afraid.”

Grace forced the tension in her muscles to ease. She trusted Partlan. He
had already proved that he would protect her. If he vouched for these guys,
then she believed him. She shut her eyes and relaxed as Ranon continued to work
on her wound. The knife had only scraped across her throat. She was lucky it
hadn’t been deep enough to hit her arteries.

When Ranon was finished, Partlan gathered her into his arms. “Sleep. I
will wake you once we are at the airport.”

Grace yawned. “If you insist.”

When she woke, the helicopter was on the ground. The others had jumped
out, which left just her and Partlan aboard the aircraft. She unbuckled herself
and waited for Partlan to get out first. He held his arms up for her to hold
onto and she descended with ease.

The blade of the helicopter was slowing in rotation and the engine had
been shut down. “What’s going to happen to this?”

Partlan shrugged. “It is not our concern. It was borrowed.”

Grace stopped. “They stole it.”

“It was necessary.” Partlan coaxed her to the small jet that was waiting
in the center of a small airstrip.

“Is the plane stolen?”

Grace had to run to keep pace with Partlan. She had never committed a
crime before she met Partlan. In the space of a week, she had broken the law so
many times that she was beyond redemption. It didn’t matter that none of this
had been of her choosing. Everything they had done had been necessary to stay
alive.

“The plane is ours.”

“How can you guys afford it?” Grace let Partlan lead her up the stairs to
the interior of the jet.

“It belonged to Lorcan’s unit.” Partlan led her to a seat beside one of
the windows. “They were mercenaries before joining Ardal.”

“And you aren’t?”

“No.” Ardal interrupted their conversation. He sat down in a seat across
from them. “We are Hunters, even on this planet. We right the wrongs we are
asked to.”

“But you do it for money.”

“Not always.” Ardal clasped his hands and leaned forward. “People contact
us to help them, and we do. They know that we are not limited by the laws of
this planet. Only the laws of the Sacred Code bind us.”

“And those laws include not hurting woman or children.” Grace shook her
head. “That’s almost impossible to enforce.”

“Once we look into an injustice, it will not happen again.” Ardal looked
over at Partlan. “Men who kidnap children should not be left alive. If a woman
had not asked for their lives to be spared, they would be dead.”

“I understand, but that is why we have laws.”

“Was not one of those men a judge? If the people who enforce your laws
are corrupt, then people have no choice but to ask us to get justice for them.”

Grace rubbed her forehead. As much as she agreed with what Ardal was
saying, she had sworn to protect the law. She didn’t know if she could give
that up just because she had found love. It was a difficult decision, but one
that she would have to make. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Are we still in danger because of those agents at the facility?”

Partlan looked over at Ardal, before he spoke. “They will hunt us down
until we have been killed.” He was matter of fact. “We cannot let them find
us.”

Grace’s stomach dropped. “That includes me.”

“What happened at the facility?” Another man sat beside Ardal. His voice
was a growl. “How did they find you, Partlan?”

“This is Darrogh.” Ardal pointed to the newcomer. “He is the second in
command of the unit.”

“Why were you taken captive? Did the woman cause it?” Darrogh fired his
questions like bullets.

“You will have to forgive Darrogh.” Ardal cleared his throat. “He has not
found his pair bond and has no understanding of the depth of the bond between
mates.”

“A warrior has no use for a mate.” Darrogh crossed his arms over his
chest.

“No one can fully appreciate it until they have a mate.” Partlan’s voice
was low. “I was not blind to the connection between mates. Darrogh refuses to
understand.”

“To answer your question Darrogh, I was not the reason that Partlan was
taken to Australia.” Grace used her most official FBI voice. “Partlan was
visited by two strange men in the hospital and I happened to be there with him
at the time.”

“Albireons.” When Partlan said the word there was silence from the other
men.

“Are you certain?” Ardal frowned. “We eliminated them in the Cygnus
system. The Kaladin would not do business with them because of their
deceitfulness.”

“There is no doubt.” Partlan gathered her hand in his and a wave of calm
ebbed through her. “Grace was taken away to one of their labs.”

“They injected a chip into me.” Grace held out her right forearm. The
bandage had long since disappeared, but the small incision where Eogan had
removed the chip was still there. “It’s been removed. That is the only way we
were able to escape. Otherwise, they would have tracked us.”

“How did they gain such power on Earth?” Ardal’s voice held disbelief.

“They had full rein at the facility. Eogan was very clear about that.”
Partlan moved closer to Grace.

“Who is Eogan?” Darrogh’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“He helped us.” Grace spoke before Partlan could explain. She didn’t want
anyone to be angry with the Hunter who had risked his life so that they could
be free. He deserved all of their gratitude.

“Eogan is a fellow warrior who arranged our escape.” Silence followed
Partlan’s words. “He is clan Rioge and has been stranded on Earth as long as
Lorcan and the others.”

“Impossible.” Lorcan shook his head. “He’s dead.”

“The humans kept him captive and altered his implants.” A hush fell over
the plane at Partlan’s words.

“Why didn’t he contact us?” Lorcan’s eyes widened.

“That is not possible in the facility. Eogan thinks there is something
that blocks frequencies and is interfering with our mind connection.”

“What about when he was away from the base?” Lorcan frowned. “We would
have come for him.”

“He was not allowed to leave for many years, and by then, he had been
informed that all Hunters had been killed.”

“So, he made no effort to escape.” Ardal nodded. “I am amazed that there
is another of my clan still alive.”

Lorcan sank into a seat across the aisle. “He was captured with Catal,
but we thought he was dead.”

“Horrible things were done to Catal.” Partlan’s voice was solemn. “They
were done to Eogan also.”

“Isolation from his brothers would have been bad enough.” Ardal’s jaw
tightened. “What else have they done to him?”

“He is used as a killing machine for them.” Partlan’s gaze held Ardal’s
“I believe he was sent in to kill the people at Selena’s compound in Colombia.”

“Why has he not escaped?”

“He has implants that are active.” Partlan rubbed his forearm. “The
humans have figured out a way to control him.”

“The Albireons have probably helped.” Ardal’s tone was scornful. “We must
rescue him.”

“He says not to try.” Grace’s voice was soft. “He will come out when it
is time, and then he will contact you. He fears that all of the Hunters would be
killed trying to rescue him.”

Ardal nodded. “He is clan Rioge, so he must have considered all options.
We will wait for him to contact us.”

“That is what he wants.” Partlan brushed a finger over Grace’s hand. “He
doesn’t want an immediate attack on the facility either. He thinks they will
suspect him of helping with our escape.”

“That makes no sense.” Darrogh’s tone was derogatory. “The Albireons know
that Hunters never rest until they have accomplished their mission. Kidnapping
one of our own, is enough reason for us to retaliate.”

“Think about Eogan.” Ardal was the voice of reason. “He has been a
captive since he was a child. They probably have no reason to suspect that he
would turn on them.”

“Eogan had never considered disobeying until he sensed that I was near.”
Partlan pursed his lips. “He felt that he was the only Hunter on this planet
and with no hope of returning to Cygnus, why would he escape?”

“True.” Ardal nodded. “Also, from what Catal told us, he and Eogan were
ordered to be captured. They were used as bait so the others could go free.”

“Eogan had been told that all the others who had landed on the planet had
been killed. The humans might not know about the mind connection, but they
certain did not want Eogan looking for survivors.”

Grace sighed. “It is a horrible thing to think that humans would do such
a thing.”

“We are human too.” Silence followed Ardal’s words.

“That will take some time to digest.” Partlan was solemn. “This world has
felt so strange, but now I know the truth. This is where we belong.”

“Especially since you have found your mate.” Ardal spoke with approval.
“There is no way to describe how wonderful that is.”

“I have seen how it changed you and the others.” Partlan’s voice was
respectful. “It made me yearn for something I did not understand, until I found
Grace. Now everything makes sense, including why we were transported to Earth
for execution.”

“And why we were sent to train here as children,” Lorcan added. “For
years, I despised the humans for what they did to my fellow Hunters.”

“The humans had help.” Grace’s voice faltered as she remembered the
horrors that she had seen in the facility.

“The Albireons.” Lorcan nodded. “Now that we know they are behind this,
we will be better prepared.”

“They hold a lot of power on this planet.” Partlan’s tone was cautious.
“Eogan says that the group that works with them in secrecy, controls most of
the world’s assets. They have more power than individual nations.”

“We must proceed with care. There will be no movement against this group
until we have all the information on them.”

“Or until they attack us.” Darrogh’s voice was harsh. “I do not think we
should wait for them to come to us. The sooner we plan what to do, the better.”

“Perhaps.” Ardal’s voice was calm. “I will take your advice into
consideration. Right now, we need to give Partlan and his mate some rest. They
have been through a harrowing experience, and I suspect Partlan has not slept.”

“You’re right.” Grace smiled up at Partlan. “He refused to sleep and kept
watch the whole time.”

“We have several hours before out next stop.” Ardal stood. “We will leave
you alone.”

“Where are we landing?” Grace reached for a blanket that Darrogh held out
to her.

“It is a secret location that we have used in the past.” Lorcan crossed
his arms.

“Will I be able to contact my colleagues in the FBI and let them know I
am safe?” She opened the blanket.

“I will permit only one call from the airport where we refuel.” Ardal’s
voice was firm. “After that, if you chose to come with us, then contact with
the outside world is forbidden.”