True Nature (23 page)

“Me?”

She darted a look around. “What are you doing out here?”

“Didn’t I just ask you the same question?”

Again, she scanned the area around them, clearly anxious.

“You seem nervous,” Hunter said. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you…” She faltered, then continued. “About your grandfather. I’m sorry.”

“I guess you saw it in the news.”

Once more her gaze skittered away from his. “Yeah, well, I’m kind of well-connected to the news.”

“Because you write for
Out There
?”

“That too,” she replied, confusing Hunter. What was she saying?

“I saw you running,” she said.

“You must live close by.”

“No.”

He frowned, realization dawning. He grinned. “You came looking for me.”

Cyn laughed, regaining some of the cockiness he liked. “Don’t flatter yourself, okay? It’s a nice place to run. I simply saw you take off and came after you.”

Hunter wasn’t sure, but he felt she wasn’t telling him the truth. Before he could say anything, however, his head jerked around, drawn by a sound, a movement, a familiar scent. Yes, he could smell chimera. Just like Evan had said.

The walkway was deserted for the moment. On one side was the swirling Hudson River and on the other side grassy areas off limits to the public. Through the water and high weeds, Hunter thought he saw movement. Two bright eyes glowed in the gathering darkness. A stray dog? Or something more?

He stepped in front of Cyn. She protested, and he snapped, “Be quiet. There’s something here.”

She went still. She was close enough that Hunter could feel her heart beating. Heat came off her body in waves, and her deep, primal fear touched something in his second nature. He had to fight to keep from growling. Peering into the darkness beyond the lighted path, Hunter searched for the eyes again. They were gone. Now he could smell only water, earth, and sky. He stood alert for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

He turned to Cyn. “I guess it was nothing.”

Her gaze was steady on his. “I felt it, too.”

Hunter frowned. What was she saying? What did Cyn know about what he felt?

They stared at each other for a second. Then pounding footsteps came from the direction they had come. Hunter stepped protectively in front of Cyn once again until he saw it was Evan racing down the path.

“What the hell are you doing?” Evan challenged.

Annoyance surged back through Hunter. “I needed to run.”

“You’re supposed to take me everywhere you go.” Evan grasped his shoulder. “You’re not to go out alone.”

Jerking away from Evan’s steel grip, Hunter said, “I’ve never had to live by that rule and I’m guessing that this is going to be problem if you don’t give me some space.”

Ignoring him, Evan turned his laser-focus on Cyn. “Who are you?”

She stood her ground and returned his glare, but said nothing.

Slowly, as he studied her, Evan’s expression changed, calmed. He put himself in between Hunter and Cyn, and asked in a much more deliberate tone, “Who are you?”

“This is Cyn, a friend of mine,” Hunter retorted. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Evan kept his attention locked on Cyn. “Are you really a friend?”

“Definitely. But not everyone is.” She looked toward the tall weeds.

Evan stared toward the weeds and took a deep breath, “He’s been here. Close by.”

Hunter glanced around, relieved to have had his instincts confirmed. “I kept thinking I was seeing something in the shadows. I smelled it too.”

Evan took a deep breath. “Like meat gone a day too long in the fridge.”

“Exactly,” Cyn whispered, stepping closer.

Both men looked at her in surprise. .

“I should go,” she said to Hunter and nodded at Evan. “Nice to meet you.”

“But wait—” Hunter protested.

She took off like a shot back toward the more populated areas of the walkway. Hunter started after her, but Evan caught his arm again.

“Cut that crap out,” Hunter said, shaking himself free.

“Let her go,” Evan ordered.

“But if there’s something out here and she knows what it is, then she could be in danger.”

“She’ll be fine.”

Hunter glared at Evan. “What do you know about her?”

“That she knows what she’s doing. She was smart enough to catch up to you, keep you from going any further along this path.” Hunter stepped away from Evan. “Shouldn’t we look for our stalker?”

“Not tonight,” Evan muttered. “We don’t go looking for trouble. Come on. Let’s get home.”

Reluctantly, Hunter started in the direction Cyn had disappeared. It went against his grain not to challenge the chimera.

Evan picked up his pace. Hunter fell in step beside him, and they were quickly back with the crowd. Cyn was nowhere in sight.

Beside him, Evan barely panted in exertion. “At least you smelled him. You’re using all of your senses. That will help you survive.”

“I’m not going to walk around sniffing these animals.”

Evan punched Hunter’s shoulder hard enough for Hunter to grab it in pain and come to a halt. “You’ve got to start using your brain,” the guard said fiercely. “This bastard is out to get you. He’s a cool killing machine, and he wants you dead. How long before that sinks in, man? It won’t be an easy death. Did you see all those slashes on your grandfather’s body? They were made one at a time while someone held Mr. MacRae down. Do you know what that means?”

Hunter looked away from Evan unable to think about what his grandfather must have endured. “Why are you doing this?” he asked angrily.

“Because you can’t go off alone like this again.” Evan got in Hunter’s face, practically bumping chests with him. “You know what kind of danger you’re in. You know how a cat plays with a mouse before killing it? That’s what the chimera wants to do with you.”

“You honestly believe he would try to take me here?” Hunter said in disbelief.

“Not here.” Evan gestured to the people around them. “But back there...” He pointed toward the path to the park. “If he had surprised you, he could have dragged you in the weeds before anyone noticed.”

“Then why didn’t he take me and Cyn?”

Evan rubbed at his chin. “Now that I don’t know. I’m not sure what she is.”

“What she is?” Hunter repeated. “You mean she’s not just a hot, sexy redhead who was looking to scratch my itch tonight?”

“Surely the gifts you inherited from your grandfather told you the minute you met her that she was much more than just a hot redhead.”

Hunter sighed, though he stubbornly refused to answer. What he really didn’t like about Evan is that the guy was always right.

Evan put his head down for a moment and when he looked back at Hunter, his eyes were dark and angry. “I’m not sure who or what she is, but you have to take care. You can’t be taking up with new people and going off on your own like a stray cat. You’re not doing that on my watch.”

The raw emotion in Evan’s tone startled Hunter.

“Your grandfather died on Shamus’s watch,” the guard continued. “But there were many, many times when he saved the MacRae. That’s my plan, saving you.”

“I’d like to save myself,” Hunter retorted.

“Since the end result is one and the same, I don’t understand your resistance.”

Hunter stood with his arms helplessly at his sides, feeling like his chest would explode. What he began to realize several days ago was coming into focus. The freedom he had relished for so long was gone.

He looked across the water. Lady Liberty stood with her back to Jersey City. New York spread like a wonderland of lights in front of her. Hunter felt as frozen as she looked. He began walking, forcing himself to cool down. He sensed rather than saw Evan moving behind him, shadowing his every move.

The silence continued on the elevator and up to Hunter’s floor. At the door to his place, however, Hunter stood back, knowing Evan needed to go in first, in case there were any surprises. He might not like this bodyguard business, but he knew when to back down and accept the inevitable.

There was a surprise inside. Zoe was waiting for them. “You bastard,” she yelled at Hunter as she leapt off the couch. “You damned idiot. If I’m going to be saddled with knowing every time you’re in danger, then why can’t you answer your damn phone when I call?”

Hunter was afraid she would punch him. Instead, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

Chapter 18

I didn’t cry. Not ever.

I prided myself on the fact that I kept a tight rein on my emotions. But what had I just done? Had a frigging crying meltdown in front of Evan the Warrior Prince.

I stared at myself in horror in the mirror in Hunter’s bathroom. He knew how much I hated this kind of blubbering, weak female crap. That’s why he had hustled me away from Evan and into the master bedroom suite. He had left me alone in here for twenty minutes or more, no doubt while he tried to convince Evan that I wasn’t a lunatic who should be banished from the kingdom of MacRae.

But was that true? Maybe I wasn’t well. Maybe these visions I was having, these spells, were the result of being knocked in the head the night Kinley was murdered. I certainly couldn’t control them. Even when I could see Hunter being stalked, as I had at my house not an hour ago, I couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe I should exit stage left and leave the protecting of Hunter up to those whose forbearers had been doing it for centuries.

I was beginning to hate Evan Egan.

A knock sounded at the door. “Zoe, you okay?” Hunter said.

I opened the door. “I’m fine. Is Evan still here?”

Hunter sighed. “He’s never not going to be here.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Shit.”

I sank down on the edge of Hunter’s bed. “What are we going to do?”

“I have no idea.” Hunter put his hands in the air in surrender.

“I didn’t think they’d come after you here.”

“According to Evan, there’s nowhere I can hide. Michael Killin is a clever enemy. He is surrounded by a huge clan that is fierce in its loyalty and its desire to do whatever he wants.”

“And you’ve just got me,” I said sadly.

“Along with Evan and others who are prepared to die for me.” Hunter looked as if the weight of that responsibility was shackling him to the ground as he sat down beside me.

“What’s going on? You don’t sound like yourself.”

“Let’s just say I’m having trouble adjusting to my new life.” He filled me in on his attempt to escape from his watchful guard.

“I saw you running,” I said. I had been at home when I had the vision that had sent me in a frantic rush to his condo. “Something was watching you.”

“A woman?”

I frowned and shook my head, trying to see it as it had played out in my mind. “I assumed it was Chymera.”

He told her about Cyn and how the reporter said she had sensed the monster’s presence as well. “Evan hinted that she…may not be quite human.”

“Oh that’s just great. All I need is for you to get mixed up with some alley cat that will secretly sell you out to the enemy. Did she lure you down that path tonight?”

“She’s not like that.” Hunter looked thoughtful. “I think she kept Chymera away.”

“Then let’s get some of her mojo.”

“Let’s go talk to Evan about it some more,” Hunter said as he stood.

I groaned and scrubbed hands through my short, tangled hair. “I wish I didn’t have to see him.”

“He’s not judging you.”

“Really? Because I am judging myself. I suck at this psychic guide stuff.”

Hunter put out a hand and hauled me to my feet. “Neither of us knows what we’re doing. Evidently, Evan’s been training for his role since he was a baby. Let’s go pick his brain.”

We went into the living room. Evan was calm, almost Zen-like, waiting in one of the deep chairs Hunter’s decorator had arranged in front of the gas fireplace. The fire was on, warming the room. Evan pointed to a wine bottle and some glasses on the coffee table. “I thought you might want some wine,” he said to me.

Yes, I definitely hated this man, I thought as I picked up a goblet of red wine and took a grateful sip. I reflected on my hatred and Evan’s incredibly sculpted features as I curled on the corner of the sofa closest to the fire. I chugged down some more wine.

“I ordered pizza,” Evan said. “One of our men will pick it up and bring it here.”

“Our men?” I couldn’t keep from laughing. I visualized a force of Evan clones, all in steel-plated armor.

“There are women here in the city, as well,” Evan told her, not cracking a smile. “They’re dedicated to the MacRae’s safety.”

“Do you communicate with them by phone or through a Vulcan mind meld?”

Hunter shook his head as he picked up his wine and sat down. “Zoe, ease up. We’re in new territory here.”

“You don’t have to tell me about new territory,” I said angrily. “I’m supposed to have this gift and yet I can’t even use it correctly.”

Evan offered reassurances that made me want to slap him. “You have to give it time. You have to cultivate your gift and refine it.”

“How do you know that?” I demanded.

“Because all this has been a part of my family for generations.”

“How special for you, but it hasn’t been that way for me, and I’m scared. What the hell are we going to do if th-that…animal decides he wants to come up here and rip us all apart. If I can’t warn—”

“Let it go, Zoe,” Hunter said quietly.

“We’re well protected,” Evan added.

“Then how did tabby here get out tonight?” I pointed at Hunter. Evan’s face darkened, but I spoke over him when he tried to protest. “I have a right to be upset. Hunter could have been killed again tonight.”

“This is why he isn’t taking chances like that again.” Evan darted a fierce look at Hunter. “Are you?”

Hunter nodded and took sip of wine.

I groaned and laid my head against the sofa’s soft, upholstered cushion. “God, Hunter, as much as I hate agreeing with Evan, you have to—”

“I’ve had enough of this crap from him. I’m not listening to it from you too,” Hunter said.

I was relieved that the doorman buzzed from downstairs. The pizza was here. Rather than stay and witness one of Evan’s soldier buddies making the hand-off, I escaped to the kitchen to get plates and napkins.