Hunter Maximus

Isobel’s POV

I won’t lie, the walk through the forest at night with Luke and Maximus – is starting to become one of the most tense things I have ever experienced. The dangerous vibes emitting off both of them were almost unbearable. I had to break the silence somehow.

“Thanks for saving us, Luke,” I say quietly as we walk, Maximus just trailing behind me and Luke as I walk beside my former trainer.

“You can always count on me, Izzy,” he replies, using the opportunity of walking beside me to reach out and put a hand on the small of my back, helping to guide me over a fallen log.

When I turn around I see Maximus is clearly going to have a harder time jumping over with his hands tied behind his back.

“Come on, I’ll help you,” I say, reaching out a hand towards Maximus who is eyeing me with a neutral expression. Luke almost instantly snaps out a hand and stops me from grabbing Maximus’ arm.

“Don’t,” Luke snaps, “You’re not his slave anymore, you don’t have to help him even if you are still in the habit of doing so.”

“Umm, how else will he get over the log, Luke?” I ask, his tone towards me grating on my nerves.

“It’s okay, darling,” Maximus says, giving me a gorgeous smile, “I’ve got this log sorted,” he walks to a place he can step up and jump over, which he manages to do as gracefully as he would have done when he had been a Hunter.

“See?” Luke says, reaching out a hand to guide me into a walk again, “You aren’t his pet anymore – hey!” Luke abruptly jerks away from me as a broken branch Maximus lands on, is flicked up into the air and heads straight for Luke’s face.

I look with wide eyes as I see that Luke manages to have fast enough reflexes to catch the bent stick mid-air before it collides with him. He glares at Maximus, who simply does his best innocent pout.

“Let’s go,” I interrupt, before one of them says a smart ass remark to the other, “Come on, guys, we need to get out of this territory before the werewolves get angry that we’re sticking around playing pranks on each other.”

“That’s exactly right,” Luke agrees with me but then adds to Maximus, “Don’t you have any ability to respect the fact that I saved both of you?” Luke puts as much venom as he can into the statement as he looks Maximus up and down.

“Don’t you have any respect for Isobel and her reactions to every time you touch her?” Maximus asks back quietly, “She shies away from your touch every time you lay a hand on her – or she looks incredibly uncomfortable, yet you continue to touch her.”

“Stop speaking rubbish,” Luke hisses, “She doesn’t shy away from my touch!”

“Isobel?” Maximus asks calmly, with a raised eyebrow in my direction.

I was not going to fall for that trap.

"Let’s go,” I snap at both of them, taking a step back and trying to make them follow, except they turn to just glare at each other once more.

“She didn’t deny it,” Maximus says with a smirk.

“You still think you own her, don’t you? You make me sick,” Luke snarls the question and I know he is close to breaking point with his temper. He was usually one to keep his cool, so this wasn’t good that he was clearly losing it so quickly now.

“Actually I do think she is still mine,” Maximus continues to bait Luke, and it’s clearly working.

“Izzy,” Luke snaps suddenly, turning to glare at me, “Tell me you want this guy dead and staked right through the heart, tell me you are glad you can finally be free from his possession. Surely you are happy now that you can get away from this bastard.”

Unfortunately the more Luke speaks, the less I like him. But I didn’t want to side with Maximus either. They were both being emotional idiots right now. I was still secretly fond of Maximus, but I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to answer Luke so I just stay silent as I look from him to Maximus.

“I’m glad now you’re finally starting to be obedient,” Maximus directs my way, as a joke... or maybe not but he does say it with humour at least. I just roll my eyes at him.

“It’s a love-hate situation, buddy,” I eventually respond, “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.”

“Actually I would like to claim to Luke that you are my girlfriend,” Maximus blurts out, clearly all to just spur on Luke into losing the plot, “But I don’t claim girls as girlfriends until I’ve fucked them senseless.”

“You’re just asking for it, aren’t you?” Luke snaps right before he dramatically charges Maximus. I’m frozen to the spot as I see him swivel around Maximus instead of punching him like I thought he would... instead he cuts the rope holding Maximus’ wrists tied together. Then he shoves him forward, “I don’t fight defenceless assholes, I stick to my code of honour,” Luke hisses.

Maximus just gives me a gorgeous smile when he is suddenly free, while I just stand their gaping at Luke’s stupidity.

“You didn’t just untie him,” I say in a mono-tone, stating the obvious because I still couldn’t believe he would do something so reckless – it wasn’t like him.

“He wants a fight, Isobel,” Maximus says calmly, and a little too joyfully, “And I’m going to give him one –”

“Luke! Is that you?” we all pause when we hear the distant female voice calling from somewhere in the trees.

“Charlotte,” Luke mutters, before yelling out, “What the hell are you doing here?” he calls out.

Maximus and I give each other odd looks before we hear rustling and twigs snapping, getting closer and closer... until a fake dark-red headed beautiful girl comes stumbling out into the small opening, looking flustered.

“Actually, I was wondering the same about you!” She says, turning to take in me and Maximus.

She gasps when she spots Maximus.

“Charlotte, you shouldn’t have come out here,” Luke snaps, “Did you follow me in your car?”

“Yes, but I... I... what the hell is he doing here and why aren’t we dead yet?” she asks, looking extremely worried about the famous Hunter’s presence.

“Two cars, darling?” Maximus directs to the new girl, whoever the hell she was, I had no idea, “Thanks for bringing two rides out here, Isobel and I will be borrowing one of your cars.”

“Isobel?” Charlotte seems to instantly go from scared and shocked to instantly furious, “Isobel as in the new Hunter, Isobel? As in the girl –”

“Yes, the girl I trained and told you about,” Luke explains, looking a little guilty.

I think I was starting to put the whole puzzle together now. Charlotte must be some girl Luke was dating. And he lied to her about coming out here to save me... because he was hiding me from her. No... he was hiding his feelings for me, from her.

Now it all made sense.

I back away instinctually towards Maximus, looking at Luke in disbelief. Maybe he thought I looked shocked because I figured he had a girlfriend... but it was actually shock at finding out he actually did have feelings for me and I was blind to it this whole time.

“Give me your car keys,” Maximus puts on his best intimidating tone as he directs this order towards Charlotte, “And I’ll spare your life.”

He was obviously playing on the fact that she thought he was a Hunter.

I wasn’t sure I liked this turn of events.

Maximus was trying to make an escape attempt with me... but if I went with him I would be forever severing the connection I had with Luke and the vampire hunters that could help me go through the ritual to become a fully-fledged vampire hunter.

If I went with Maximus he would just turn me again into a vampire... and I would be back to being his slave.

“Oh, o-okay,” Charlotte gives up almost instantly, chucking her keys at Maximus, too scared to hand them to him directly. Luke looks at her in disbelief at how quickly she handed over the keys.

“What the hell are you doing? He’s human, he doesn’t have his famous strength anymore, god damn it – Isobel, you’re not going with him, are you?” Luke asks me, looking frightened that I would choose to go with Maximus.

“Isobel can go with you if she likes,” Maximus nods towards Luke and Charlotte, “I’m leaving however...”

“You don’t want me to go with you?” I ask, confused why he sounds so casual.

“Hah! You are too funny, really, darling,” Maximus reaches out to grab my chin to make me look at him directly in the eye, “What I mean is you can come with me now, or I will leave, get Darrius to turn me back into a Hunter like him... and I’ll hunt your pretty ass down and drag you back with me, regardless of what you choose now, I’m not allowing you to escape me permanently.”

“Oh,” I say, a little overwhelmed by everything, by Luke staring on in disbelief, Charlotte’s mysterious entrance and Maximus’ threatening speech about his plans. As I decide on what to do, Maximus takes a step back and lets my chin go.

“Make your decision wisely, darling,” he says slowly, dramatically turning around and starting to walk away.

I look in a bit of a panic towards Luke and... Charlotte. Who is glaring at me like she wants me to leave.

“Luke cares for you, you know,” she says suddenly, “You’re a vampire hunter like us. Surely you’re not going to run off wanting to be that killer’s willing slave?”

“You’re not a slave if you’re willing,” I blurt out before I can take it back.

“Isobel, what...?” Luke begins as I take a step backwards, towards Maximus.

“Thank you for saving me again, Luke, I have to go,” I turn and start to run after Maximus to catch up, my heart beating a million miles a minute. I couldn’t believe I just figured out that Luke had feelings for me... for some reason my mind was blown.

I had to go with Maximus because I quite frankly didn’t want him hunting me down again. And if I was perfectly honest... I think I was addicted to his presence and personality and his control.

I wouldn’t admit it to him but it was also bigger than that.

The vampire palace... was starting to feel like home.