aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire)
Read aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire) Online
Authors: Cynthia Clement
aHunter4Saken
By
Cynthia
A Clement
Text
copyright © 2014 Cynthia A Clement
eBook
Kindle Edition
ISBN:
978-0-9920189-8-6
All
Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or
introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior
written permission of the copyright owner and publisher. For the purposes of a
reviewer, brief passages may be quoted in a review to be printed in a
newspaper, magazine, or journal.
This
book is a work of fiction. The characters and incidents are from the author’s
imagination. Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons, living or dead, is
coincidental and unintentional.
Cover
Design: RomCon-
www.romcon.com
Cover
Image: Jenn LeBlanc- Illustrated Romance
To Linda
You loved the
Hunters from the beginning.
Thank you for
all of your help and support over the years
.
Niail
awoke unsure of his mission or where he was. A shooting pain pierced his skull.
If the loud hammering did not cease soon, he would go crazy. His stomach rolled
and he tried to move. Something blocked him and refused to budge. He only knew
one thing for certain; he was a Hunter, an elite warrior always in control and
ready to protect.
“Easy.”
The voice was soft and female. “You took quite a hit on the head. Stay put.”
“I
need to use a basin.” His words were barely audible, but within seconds a pail
was handed to him.
“Here.”
When
he had emptied the contents of his stomach, he leaned back and groaned. He was
in a bed and it had been sheets that had kept him from escaping. He tried to
focus his eyes, but everything was blurred. It was easier to keep them shut.
“Where
am I?”
“Blackfeet
Reservation.” A damp cloth wiped his face. “Bobby found you at the side of the
road. It looks like you took quite a beating before someone threw you there.”
“I
do not remember.”
“That’s
not surprising.” There was a soft sigh. “You’ve got a concussion, a huge gash
on your head, and so many cuts and bruises, it’s a wonder you’re alive.”
“I’ve
had worse.” He rubbed the side of his head and frowned. At least he thought he
had. If only the noise would stop.
“Take
these.”
Niail’s
head was lifted up and two tablets were put in his mouth. A glass was pressed
to his lips. “Swallow. They’ll help your headache.”
Niail
did as he was told and then his head was lowered to the pillow. “Thank you.”
“Get
some rest. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”
He
didn’t have the energy to argue. He let the world fade away, as the oblivion of
sleep claimed him.
The
next thing he knew, his head was being shaken back and forth. He grimaced as
pain shot through his skull. Why couldn’t they leave him in peace? He tried to
ignore the shaking, but they were insistent.
“Wake
up.”
He
opened his lids.
The
most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes he had ever seen stared down at him.
There was concern in their depths. Something must be wrong. He struggled to get
up, but his body refused to move.
“I’ve
been trying to wake you for the last fifteen minutes.” The eyes belonged to the
voice from earlier. “I don’t want you dying on me.”
“Hunters
are hard to kill.” The words seemed to stick to his tongue.
“What
were you hunting?” There was amusement in her tone. “Most things are out of
season this time of year.”
“I
wasn’t hunting.”
“If
you say so.” A cool cloth wiped at his forehead. “It wouldn’t do for you to be
caught, though. It’s illegal, unless you belong to the tribe.”
Niail
frowned. He still didn’t understand the double meaning of words in the English
language. At least on Cygnus, there was only one meaning for each word. It made
life simpler. He shifted, and pain shot up the back of his head. He bit back a
groan. A Hunter handled pain. He did not let it control him.
“I
can’t give you anything else.” There was regret in her voice. “Try and sleep.”
Niail
didn’t argue. Darkness dropped over his brain, quietening the throbbing ache
behind his eyes.
The
gentle voice continued to wake him at regular intervals. A couple of times she
offered him medicine. He took it, but it did not relieve the hammering, or the
static in his head. Everything was clouded and only sleep lessened his agony.
There
was loud shouting when he opened his eyes for the first time on his own. The
noise was enough to wake the dead. He groaned and pushed up onto his elbows.
Sunlight streamed through the windows. It was time for him to leave.
The
sheet fell away from his bare chest and a shiver of cold skittered across his
body. A wave of weakness threatened to drop him back onto the pillow, but he
fought it. He needed to find his unit.
“Wow.
How did you get all those muscles?”
Niail’s
eyes narrowed. He turned toward the voice. A small boy of about five years old
was leaning against the bed. He had a mop of short dark hair, and wide innocent
eyes. He looked carefree and curious. Niail had always imagined a boy should
look like that. It was the opposite of what he had been as a child.
“Mom
said you were hurt. I don’t see any bullet holes.” The boy’s voice held awe.
“You look like a superhero and nothing can hurt them.”
“What
is a superhero?”
“Leave
the man alone,” a soft voice scolded. Niail turned his head to look at a young
girl who stood near the door. She was about a year older than the boy. “Mom
also said he needs for us to be quiet.”
“Tell
that to Uncle Jake.” The boy jerked his head to the closed door. “He’s been
yelling for at least ten minutes now. I’m surprised you weren’t awake earlier.”
“Sleep
makes my head feel better.”
The
boy pursed his lips. Niail did not think his answer had pleased him. Maybe the
boy was having second thoughts about him being a superhero. Niail was at a
loss. He had never been around children before.
“Were
you near bad spirits?”
“I
do not see spirits, good or bad.” Niail pushed against the headboard and leaned
his head back. The pain behind his eyes eased a fraction. “Are they supposed to
help?”
“No.”
The little girl spoke now. “Bad spirits would weaken you. At least that’s what
Grandfather believes.”
“Then
I suppose I must have seen a whole lot of bad spirits last night.”
Niail
winced as the noise from the other room increased. Whatever they were fighting
about it must be serious. Hunters didn’t argue, but over the last several
months on earth, he had learned humans seemed to enjoy it.
“Can’t
you remember?” The boy leaned closer.
Niail
shook his head. “It is a complete blank.”
“That’s
why Mom had to keep waking you up last night.” The girl ventured a few feet closer
to the bed. “She said that you might have died.”
“Then
I owe her my life.” Niail tried to remember what their mother looked like, but
all he could recall was a gentle voice, and a beautiful pair of brown eyes. The
same eyes stared back at him from the young boy beside him. “You have your
mother’s eyes.”
“I
have my Daddy’s” The girl’s voice held regret. “He left us.”
Niail’s
gut tightened. He didn’t understand human men. They had no honor, or sense of
duty. To abandon your woman and children was unforgivable. Niail turned his
gaze to the little girl.
She
was pretty, with the same dark hair as her brother. Her eyes were black. The
same color as Hunter eyes and deep within them was the belief that she did not measure
up. She was not much older than her brother, but life had taught her some cruel
lessons. She was already halfway to becoming an adult.
“My
eyes are the same color.” Niail softened his gruff voice. “All Hunters have
black eyes.”
“What’s
a Hunter?” The girl took a step closer.
“We
are an elite warrior race sworn to protect.”
The
girl’s eyebrows rose. “You do
good
?”
“Yes.”
“So
you are a superhero.” The boy jumped up and down. “I knew it. All superheroes
have muscles.”
“You
also wear some of the sacred symbols.” The girl pointed to his left arm.
“That’s why you were brought to Mommy. She knows about those things.”
Niail
looked at his arm. “You mean my campaigns?”
The
girl nodded. “I’m going to learn about the Star People when I’m older.”
Niail’s
head whirled for a second. They couldn’t possibly know that he wasn’t from
Earth. He shut his eyes for a second and tried to concentrate on what he might
have said while he was unconscious.
Darkness
was all he remembered.
He
tried to focus harder, but pain shot through his skull. Nausea rolled over him
and still no memory of last night. His brain refused to function. He sighed.
There was no point on dwelling on it now. He would deal with whatever he had
said later.
“Are
you okay?” The girl’s voice was full of concern. “I can get my Mom.”
“Best
leave her.” Niail opened his eyes. “What is your name?”
“Peta.”
She lifted her chin. “My grandmother has the same name.”
“It
is a beautiful name.” Niail tried to smile. Humans liked smiling, but he had
never understood why.
“My
name is Wil. It’s short for Eluwilussit.”
“I
am Niail.”
“It
sounds funny. Where are you from?” Wil leaned his arms on the bed.
“Far
away.” He hoped this would satisfy them.
They
nodded. Just then the noise in the other room was punctuated by the slamming of
a door. It echoed through to them and then silence. Niail heard the distinct
sounds of crying. He struggled to fling his sheets back until he realized he
only had briefs on. A quick search of the room did not turn up any of his
clothes.
“What
do you need?” Peta was now leaning against the bed like her brother.
“My
clothes.
“My
Mom had to wash them. They were very dirty and wet.”
Wil
bobbed his head up and down. “They stunk too.”
Niail
frowned. What had happened to him last night? He must have been on a mission.
To have been ambushed and left at the side of the road was unheard of for a
Hunter. To be alone on a dangerous mission was not logical. Nothing about his
current predicament made sense.
The
crying in the other room was replaced with the sound and smell of cooking. His
stomach shifted uneasily. Food was the last thing he wanted. He needed to get
his clothes and leave. Before he could move, the door opened.
“What
are you two doing here?”
“Niail
is awake.” Peta ran to her mother. “He needs his clothes.”
Niail’s
gaze lifted from Peta, and he focused on her mother. A sharp jolt of awareness
shot through him and he gasped. The static in his head exploded, but when he
inhaled, everything settled back in place. His brain might still be foggy, but
he recognized immediately that there was something unique about the woman who
had just walked into the room, and into his life.