Hunter Maximus

Isobel’s POV

I have to run out into the road to get Luke and Charlotte to stop for me – because they were coming so fast. I run to the middle of the road, waving until they slam on the breaks to stop for me. Luke is driving and I run up to the driver’s side, where he winds down the window.

“What the hell happened?” he asks.

“Can I get in the car before I explain? It’s freezing out here,” I say, and Luke instantly nods in agreement.

“Charlotte, can you drive? I’ll sit in the back with Izzy and get a blanket for her from out of the boot.”

Before she can even open her mouth to reply, he puts the car in park and lifts up the hand break before jumping out of the car to open the back door for me. I hop in as he goes to get a blanket from the boot and Charlotte climbs into the driver’s seat. Let’s just say her look wasn’t one of great sympathy as she stared at me through the rear view mirror.

“Are you okay?” she asks in a monotone.

“Couldn’t be better,” I reply sarcastically, still a little emotional that Maximus had kicked me out of the car.

Luke opens the door and gets in next to me, throwing a blanket over me as he settles into the seat next to mine as I sit in the middle... my eyes were tearing up already.

Right now, a friend was what I needed and Luke was that friend. He grabs me in a hug that I gratefully accept, burrowing my head in his shoulder closest to me. Charlotte starts to drive.

“It’s okay, Izzy, tell us what happened,” he says gently.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mutter, sitting back in my seat and watching Charlotte glancing at us every second or so as she drives us to the city.

“You chose to leave with the leech,” Charlotte adds in, “Why did we find you on the side of the road?”

“He is human, so he isn’t a leech,” I explain, not really understanding why I was still sticking up for that asshole, “But he soon will be one again...”

“He is rushing back to his friends to get turned into a Hunter again, isn’t he?” Luke asks, trying not to sound like he cares that much.

“Mmhmm,” I mumble, “I want to make sure he can never find me again.”

“Did you decide to get away from him at the last minute and jumped out of the car, or...?” Luke asks.

“He kicked me out,” I say quietly, instantly regretting the words coming out of my mouth. Now they would both want to hear the rest of the story.

“Oh?” Charlotte asks, a bit too excitedly.

“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Luke snarls, grabbing me close to him, his arm around my shoulders holding me tightly, “How could he do that to you?”

“It’s his idea of fun. Look, I don’t want to talk about it anymore –”

“Clearly he is messed up,” Luke interrupts, “Don’t worry, you’re my apprentice hunter, and there is no way I’m ever letting you out of my sight again. Do you hear me? I’ll protect you.”

“Thank you,” I smile at him warmly, but I can’t talk so openly because I didn’t feel comfortable or know Charlotte that well, “So you two...?”

“Luke and I have been together for a week,” Charlotte gushes out as soon as she has the chance, “It’s pretty recent, it’s not really official yet...” she starts giggling and I give Luke wide eyes.

“How did you guys meet?” How did you meet and decide to date this annoying, stupid, envious chick?

“Oh ah...” Luke blushes a bit and then quickly says, while looking at Charlotte through the rear view mirror, “Charlotte’s actually been a vampire hunter for a year or so, but she lived in a different state until she moved down here a month ago. We met in a bar, we were both quite drunk and well... you know –”

“Okay, I get it, I think I understand,” I say, laughing a little too abruptly. Now I was sounding jealous and I wasn’t even! Was I? I never had feelings for Luke in that way, but I was still incredibly annoyed he was actually dating such an irritating human being!

“That was one hell of a fun night, wasn’t it, babe?” she asks, giving him a wink and another giggle.

Without even thinking too much about it, I pull away from Luke and try not to give him a disturbed look. Like, how?

“Yes, it was,” Luke goes a little quiet as he notices my discomfort. Argh, no, that wasn’t a good thing either! “Isobel, do you think you are ready to become a vampire hunter? Any particular vampires you would like to kill?”

Thank god he changed the subject.

“Oh lord, I know what you are thinking but I am staying as far away as possible from Maximus. I’ll kill someone else, anyone but him,” not that I was going to mention that there was no way I could ever win against him in a fight, let alone a fight to the death, “I’ll hunt down a vampire I have no emotional connection too, preferably one with a bad reputation that no one likes!”

“Like Maximus?” Charlotte asks, laughing the same time Luke does.

I just smile faintly, not really in the mood to laugh along with them.

I felt so out of place. Luke wasn’t helping, being suddenly close to this new girl. If I wanted to settle into a life as a vampire hunter, I had to make my own path.

The sooner I became a fully-fledged vampire hunter, the better.

I would be stronger – and I would have a better chance against Maximus.

I just wish my insides didn’t twist with pain every time I thought of him leaving me on the side of the road like that – to be picked up by these two.

I didn’t feel so close to Luke anymore, I had never been with him as a girlfriend but now that he actually had one, I felt like it jeopardised our friendship. She obviously disliked me, he potentially still liked me more than her... well I assumed so because of how he came to save me; lying to Charlotte.

But that was the least of my worries.

Maximus was the only person I couldn’t stop thinking about.

That would have to change – especially if I wanted to win this game. Even if I had to bluff my way to victory!

Maximus’ POV

When I get back to the palace I head straight for Darrius’ bedroom, feeling a little numb at my own actions. The moment I drove away from Isobel, I felt like I had made one hell of a risky decision.

I liked to teach her lessons the hard way.

But this was tough. I had left her with Luke and in a way this whole game was backfiring. Now all I could imagine was her falling in love with him.

I couldn’t wait any longer, I needed Darrius to turn me back into who I really was, who I was known to be. Being a human sucked, I missed my strength, my power, my speed – my ability to read her thoughts when she was my turned slave.

Gosh, I loved reading her thoughts and finding out just how much she was attracted to me despite her wishing she wasn’t. It also made me realise just how much she still had thoughts to provoke me, rebel against me and all the ways she wanted to challenge me.

I loved that about her and I loved challenging her as well with her own limits.

I couldn’t wait to hunt her down and finally fuck her brains out. I had been holding back, frustrating myself to tease her, to see how much I could get out of her.

But I was done waiting and I was more than ready to show her exactly what I could do to her.

And how much I could make her squirm. Oh yes, I couldn’t wait.

It was time I finally brought her to heel.