aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) (27 page)

They
shuddered with the aftermath of their lovemaking.

Catal
gathered Selena close.

She
cuddled into
Catal’s
chest. “I missed you.”

“Every
day you were in my thoughts.” Catal pulled the sheets over them. “A Hunter only
bonds once. Our myths told of the despair he would feel if he was parted from
his mate. The truth is worse than the legends.”

Selena
kissed his chest. “Never again. We must promise each other to always discuss
our concerns.”

“No
matter what we have to talk about, or however painful it might seem, nothing
could be as bad as these years apart.”

She
looked up at him and marvelled that he was here with her. It was as if a light
had been switched on. She basked in the brilliance of its glow now. With Catal
by her side, she could face anything. She reached up and touched his stubble
roughened jaw. He hadn’t thought about anything but saving
Tarrin
and Gates these past few days.

“I
love you.” She blinked back the tears in her eyes. “I don’t ever want to be
parted from you again.”

He
bent and brushed his lips across hers. “I will want only you for the rest of my
life. You and
Tarrin
are the only things that matter
to me.”

“You
can’t forget you’re a Hunter.”

“No.”
He gazed at her with unblinking eyes. “But I will give it up for you.”

“You’ll
walk away?”

“If
that’s what you need.” Catal kissed her forehead. “I am bonded to you. You are
the only thing that matters. These past years have been hell. I can’t go
through that again.”

“You
won’t have to.”

Selena
put her hand on his chest. His heart beat at a frantic pace. It beat only for
her. For the first time, she really understood what that meant. He would walk
away from his brothers if that was what she needed. At one time she had
abhorred everything he stood for. Now she knew better.

Catal
stood for honor and justice.

“I
could never ask you to turn your back on who you are.” Selena inhaled and
looked up at him. “Loving someone means accepting everything about them.”

Catal
frowned. “You hate violence.”

“I
love you.” Selena’s voice’s was a low whisper. “You help others. I see that
now.”

“I
haven’t always been on the right side of the law. That won’t change in the
future.”

“You
were always a Hunter.” Selena kissed his chest. “Even when you worked for my
brother, your unit didn’t do everything he ordered.”

“It
was against the Sacred Code.”
Catal’s
tone was
puzzled.

“That’s
what I mean.” Selena smiled up at him. “Despite all of the horrors humans put
you through, you still respected your code. You didn’t harm women or children.
You still had honor.”

Catal
swallowed. “You don’t hate me for hiring out as a mercenary?”

Selena
shook her head. “You had few choices.”

“What
does this mean for us?”

“You
are a Hunter.” Selena kissed his chin. “You fight for righteousness and that is
a noble cause. I am proud of you.”

Catal
exhaled. “So you don’t want me to leave the others?”

“No.
I love the man you are today.” Selena stroked up his chest. “I loved the man
you were before, but I was too young to understand what that meant.”

“I
didn’t believe that I was bonded either.” Catal shuddered. “By Cygnus and
Warrior, I cannot lose you again.”

“So
many wasted years.” Selena felt tears prick her eyes.

“Nothing
was wasted. We learned how precious the gift of our bonding is.”

Catal
pulled her close and captured her lips. A fiery heat pulsed through her. His
fingers framed her face and chin sending delicious jolts of sensation racing
across her skin. He increased the pressure of his lips and she opened for him.
The feel and smell of him was intoxicating. He had always been ready to make
love. She reached out and stroked his hardened manhood.

A
shiver of delight pulsed through her.

Catal
never disappointed.

She’d
been too innocent to realize how rare that was, but now she knew better. In the
past, they had made love all night long. Molten heat settled in her womb at the
thought of his stamina. She ached to feel him deep within her again.

“Love
me.” Her voice was husky with desire.

“Always.”

Catal
held her hands above her head and then brushed his lips over hers. She arched
her body toward him, but he moved to the side. His free hand stroked and
fondled her breasts. She trembled as exquisite bliss flooded her senses.
Anticipation and yearning throbbed within her.

“I
intend to pleasure you all night long.” His voice was low and seductive.

His
tongue darted between her lips and slid over hers. She moaned and curled her
tongue around his, savoring each delightful stroke. By the time his lips moved
away, a restless heat suffused her body. His mouth roamed lower, nipping and
soothing along her neck until he reached her breasts.

His
tongue flicked across a nipple, tasting and licking before taking it into his
mouth and sucking. A jolt of intense rapture vibrated every nerve in her body.
Tension coiled and tightened within her.

She
was on the edge of climax.

She
arched her hips, begging Catal for the release she craved. Instead, he moved to
her other breast and repeated his ministrations. Her head thrashed from side to
side as the taunt spiral of pleasure became almost unbearable. Only then did
Catal enter her.

His
penetration triggered a shudder of ecstasy that exploded into bliss.

He
continued to move within her as she reached fulfillment time and again. Only
when she was completely satiated did she feel Catal shake with his own release.

She
must have slept.

She
surfaced from what felt like a fog, to feel
Catal’s
fingers stroking the sensitive skin on her inner thigh. His lips were a light
caress against her neck. She shivered as a spark of excitement came to life
again. She felt boneless with satisfaction, but she couldn’t deny the hunger
Catal’s
touch caused.

“You’re
insatiable.”

“I
have eight years of loving to make up for.”

Who
was she to argue with a man on a mission?

She
surrender to his expert touch, letting herself get lost once again in his
lovemaking.

They
reached the reservation late in the afternoon of the next day. Catal had driven
non-stop from the hotel. When they arrived at the house,
Niail’s
mate,
Kimi
, had shown Selena the room that they would
be staying in. Selena was exhausted and was now sleeping. Catal felt a twinge
of guilt because he’d been the reason she hadn’t slept the night before.

Ardal
,
and his mate Fiona, hadn’t arrived yet.

He’d
already heard from the other Hunters that all the children had been delivered
safely to their homes. The last child was Gates, and Partlan was taking the boy
home personally. The others were on their way to the reservation to meet up
with
Ardal
. They’d arrive sometime tomorrow.

Catal
surveyed the landscape of the reservation and relaxed. The air was clean and
there was open space as far as you could see.
Niail
had assured him they would be safe, and Catal had to agree. No electricity or
communication with the rest of the world offered an invisibility that was hard
to find on this planet.

He
felt right in his soul for the first time.

Selena
was in his life, and her love made all of the anger he’d felt toward humans,
dissipate. He’d been lucky to be able to witness
Ardal
and Fiona together.
Ardal
was the first Hunter to
find his mate, and that’s when Catal had learned that some humans were good.
Selena’s love had also taught him that anything was possible. There was one
thing he had left to do.

He
had to be honest with his son.

He
had to tell
Tarrin
about his heritage.

“Are
you and Mom going to stay together?”

Catal
looked down at
Tarrin
and nodded. They were on the
hill that was behind
Kimi’s
house. They had a view of
the road and driveway, but the pines hid them from sight.
Tarrin
had stayed close to him since they’d arrived in Montana. His voice held concern
and Catal couldn’t blame him. A lot had happened to him in the past week. He’d
been kidnapped, sold, shot at, and learned he had a father. Now Catal had to
tell him the rest of the story.

“Your
mother knows I didn’t betray her.” Catal sat on a fallen log and motioned for
Tarrin
to sit beside him. “She feared I had lied to her and
left me. I have spent several years trying to find her.”

“Couldn’t
you talk to her with your mind?”

“One
day I will be able to, but the bond between us hadn’t grown that strong when
she left me.” Catal cleared his throat. “A Hunter can only mind connect with a
human if they are pair bonded.”

Tarrin
frowned. “Mom never told me anything about you.”

“Your
mother wanted to forget me.” Catal looked up at the blue sky and sighed. “She
was afraid to trust me because I am a Hunter.”

“You
said I was one too.”
Tarrin
picked at the bark on the
log. “Will that mean people will be afraid of me?”

“Your
mother was frightened because I didn’t tell her about myself.”

“She
asked you for help to find me, though.”
Tarrin
grinned up at him. “I’m glad she did.”

“So
am I. You will find that others will come to you for aid.” Catal eased his
breathing. “It is wonderful to make things right for them, but there is danger,
also.”

“Like
fighting bad people?”

Catal
nodded. “There are others on this planet that will chase you because you are
different.”

Tarrin’s
eyes pulled together and his mouth pursed. “You mean because I can hear you in
my head?”

“That
is a secret among Hunters.” Catal forced his voice to remain calm. “You may
only speak of it among us. If others knew about it, they would hunt us down
even more than they do now.”

“I
will keep it a secret.”
Tarrin’s
voice was serious.
“Who are these people?”

“They
work for government agencies on Earth.” Catal pushed back his memories of the
underground facilities where he had been imprisoned. “They do not want us
here.”

“Where
should we be?”

“This
is where you were born, but I was born on another planet.”

There
was a moment of silence before
Tarrin
spoke. “Are you
from outer space?”

“I
crash landed on this planet when I was ten years old.” Catal looked down at his
son. “I was hunted down and imprisoned. I was lucky to escape with my life.”

“Why
did they want you?”

“We
weren’t from Earth.” Catal grimaced. “They were afraid we would hurt them, but
we were only children and what they did to us was unspeakable. That is why I
was afraid to trust humans. I never associated with them until I met your
mother.”

“Where
are you from?”
Tarrin’s
voice was hesitant.

“Since
time began there have been Hunters.” Catal began the history that was so
familiar to him. “We were taken by the ancients to their planet Cygnus, to be
their elite fighters. Genetic modification and training have made us the best
warriors possible.”

“So
I am one too?”

“Yes,
but you are unique.” Catal touched his son’s head. “In the past, we have been
created in labs and birthing chambers. Never before has a Hunter been born of a
woman. You are the first.”

“Didn’t
you want mothers?”
Tarrin’s
voice was puzzled.

“On
Cygnus, no one has a mother. All children are brought into the world by
birthing chambers.” Catal lifted the sleeve of his left arm to show the two
symbols marked there. He pointed to the first. “This signifies the day I was
created and this is my clan. I am clan
Saidir
as are
you.”

“What
does
Saidir
mean?”

“We
are the soldiers.”

For
the first time, he realized how much he had to teach
Tarrin
.
He’d been three when he’d learned the differences between the clans. He was
proud to be clan
Saidir
. They were always at the
beginning of a battle and their skills allowed them quick reaction times and
dexterity to manoeuver their weapons and bodies.