The Hunters Ch. 07

"She's hurt!" exclaimed Aurora. "She'll heal through the wound won't she?"

"Yes she will honey... but she needs to rest now. Aurora, Kyros, can you take her inside the house? Tell Lilith that I sent this woman here. She will understand and she will help you. Go..."

Aurora looked at her father then nodded, helping Kyros lift Hedva. When they closed the door behind them, Richard turned his attention to Anya.

"You know... Come to think of it, I've never seen Aurora change into her wolf form before. I wonder if she has the same shade of fur as you," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Go on, take that robe and get decent."

Richard could hear Anya's laugh in his head. He turned his head for awhile to allow her to slip the robe on.

"What happened?"

"Well... to tell you the truth, Elder Hedva wasn't being a very nice guest... I could tell the moment she entered the compound that she had the Alpha Leon's smell all over her. As expected, Logan asked her where he was but she just stood there laughing."

"Hedva can be a little proud at times."

"He asked again and told her that wherever Leon was, he was going to rescue him back, no matter what it takes and she said that he had no chance against the Hunters; that he didn't even stand a chance against her."

"I suppose that's when he attacked. Well... I'd say she deserve it, but I do not think that it was necessary. Go and calm him down will you? I need to speak to Hedva."

***

"Honey..." called Anya softly as she opened Logan's room door.

"Go away..." he said, throwing a pillow in her direction. Anya simply ignored him and came nearer. She could sense the anger and turmoil inside him. It felt as if he had been keeping them all inside and had unleashed it on Hedva, exploding in bouts of rage.

"I know why you're like this..." she said as she sat beside him on the floor.

"Do you really? Then why'd you stop me? Why? Why didn't you just let me kill her?"

"I know you'd rather kill me..." she replied, in barely a whisper.

Both of them kept silent. Logan looked away, as if hiding a tear fall from Anya.

"It hurt when she died. It did. She was not just a sister. She was my best friend. She was going to college. I was so proud of her. She never hurt a soul, Anya... she didn't deserve to die... not like that. Sometimes at night, I get transported into that dingy washroom and see her head severed without mercy..." he covered his face with his hands, willing himself not to cry.

"I'm sorry Logan... I really am. I wish I could take it back... I really do... I wish I hadn't had to take that order..."

"Then you'll just kill someone else's sister or father or mother won't you? Then it wouldn't end..."

Anya bit back her tongue from saying anything. They sat huddled on the floor quietly for a few minutes. Then she felt his hands move slowly to hold hers but they continued to remain silent.

After a while, he spoke, "Our ancestors always said... that the people you love and who love you are never truly gone. They live inside us... and sometimes they take the form of someone else when you least expect it." His grip on her hand tightened slightly. "But I'm glad you're that someone... and that you have a heart now. Somehow, knowing that you're helping me fight this Order and rescuing my father; helps me find closure. I don't want her to die for nothing."

Anya looked at him with a determined look and came closer to press her lips against his. She could taste the salt from his tears but it didn't deter her. For as long as she could remember, she had never cried for anything. She had never cared for anything except her family... but now she cared for more people than she could imagine.

"I love you Logan..." she whispered as she pulled away to look into his steel grey eyes.

"I love you too..." he whispered back as he turned to kiss her again. This time, his hands fumbled impatiently with t-shirt and bra, attempting to tear them off. When he finally managed to free her from her trappings, he immediately grabbed her breasts and squeezed them hard. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled against her lips. Using his thumb and forefinger, he sought out her nipples and tweaked them between the two fingers, pulling them occasionally to increase her pleasure.

His inner beast was howling and he could feel his cock slowly growing harder with lust. He roughly turned her round such that she was pressed against the footboard of the bed and began to rub his hardness against her butt.

"Playing it rough are we?" purred Anya, fueling his lust. He simply growled at her neck and she heard the sound of his belt unbuckling and his jeans falling on the floor a few feet away from them. Then without warning, he was behind her again, his naked warm body pressing against hers.

Even through her jeans, she could feel his hard cock throbbing. His hands were on her breast still, fondling them roughly, tweaking her nipples now and then, eliciting moans from her.

"I feel like cumming all over your jeans right now..." he moaned as he began to pull her jeans downwards. "But that would be so inconsiderate of me..." he whispered silkily. He had managed to pull her jeans and satin underwear down to her knees. Anya thought he was going to fuck her but was surprised when she felt his hot tongue jabbing her pussy; lashing it around and sucking out her hot juices.

"Logan!" she gasped as she felt him push his tongue deep into her pussy before circling it lazily inside. Anya's hands were weakly gripping the footboard of the bed as she could feel her orgasm coming.... A bit more...

She felt him pull away. Immediately she turned around, giving him a pleading face but Logan had stood up with his hard cock pointing at her.

"If you want to cum, you got to suck my cock first..." he said with a grin on his face. Anya narrowed her eyes and stood up. Pushing down the remainder of her clothes off her body, she greedily got to her knees again and began working on his cock with her mouth. She took his whole length into her, gagging occasionally, before she began her assault on it. Pursing her lips to make a tight 'O', she began moving her head to and fro as her hand massaged his balls, squeezing them gently. Logan was trying not to cum as he watched her fucking him with her mouth.

"Okay... stop... stop... or I'll cum..." he said, groaning in agony. But Anya did not stop. She simply pulled back and began to lick his cock head in circles; twirling her tongue around and around it. All the while, her hands stroked his cock up and down faster and faster.

Logan could not hold it in anymore and sprayed his cum all over her pretty face. Anya kept her eyes on his as she scooped a little of his cum and licked it off her finger.

"Thick and creamy... just the way I like it..." she purred.

"You... are... a...very... naughty... little minx..." he said in between breaths.

***

"Richard... why did you bring this woman into my house?" asked Lilith, in her usual soft voice but Richard noted the slight hardness in her voice and understood that she was angry.

"She needs to be healed. Then we can save Leon. Isn't that why we're here?"

Lilith didn't answer him but looked at him with a sideway glance to tell him that she wasn't happy but she'd compromise. Richard had been around Werewolves long enough to know that it was best to discern a wolf's feelings from their eyes than to hear them say it out. It was their way of controlling their temper and Lilith had amazing control.

When Logan and Anya finally came down to the kitchen, everyone but Hedva were sitting at the table. They seemed deep in conversation.

"Sit," said Lilith to her son in particular. Richard could tell she would have throttled him in place if she had been on the grounds that evening.

"We were discussing attack formations..." said Kyros cautiously. When Logan smiled, he gave a wide grin and continued talking.

"I was telling them where the laboratories are. They're on the fourth floor and extend upwards till the tenth. I don't fancy going into the labs so I don't know exactly the layout inside them but Hedva does. She is the head scientist."

Murmurs went around the table.

"Richard... I've been thinking... those Hunters are going to be armed with weapons. It is bad enough fighting with them one on one but they're going to have guns won't they?"

Aurora gave Kyros a questioning look. "We could break into the arsenal first if you want."

"But the wolves won't have any use for them. They are stronger in their wolf form and guns won't be of much use. Plus we'd have to train them on how to use them. It's gonna take more time."

They heard shuffling of feet and out of the shadows was Hedva, limping slightly but otherwise recovering. She leaned against the kitchen entrance then smiled.

"You won't need weapons. Just disarm them and you'll be fine," she said.

"Hedva... I don't think you understand the situation here. We are fighting against Hunters here... you don't just disarm them and hope to get away with it."

She gave a laugh.

"Not if you attack the organization on the first of December..."

Murmurs of surprise could be heard.

"What do you mean?" asked Logan.

"It's the day of the black moon..." whispered Richard. "A solar eclipse... it couldn't be..."

"What? I don't understand..." said Kyros.

"You see children... the night of the red moon is a total lunar eclipse. As you know Hunters are an amalgamation of Werewolves and Vampires..."

"I don't..."

"It's their weak point! They are powerless for that few hours," she said in an annoyed voice.

"But why?"

"Well... over the years, Purebloods have evolved to a state where they could be awake in the daytime and be resistant to constant exposure to the sun's rays. On the other hand, Werewolves are noticeably stronger at a full moon than on other nights" Richard tried to explain.

"It means that Hunters rely on their Were abilities to survive during the day while their Vampiric senses are stronger at night. So when the moon and sun aligns, the body becomes confused as to which half it should align more to so it breaks down for a few hours."

"This is true for all eclipses?" asked Anya.

"Unfortunately yes... it was a mechanism that I had installed inside their genome in case there was a problem. It was also payback, somewhat to our most senior Elder... it's a secret I've kept from him for years!" she said with a maniacal laughter.

Kyros and Logan launched into discussion immediately on possible modes of attacks but Richard saw that his girls were quiet and looked rather forlorn.

"Don't worry too much darling..."

"We would be just normal humans daddy... and we'd be helpless. We could even die!" exclaimed Aurora.

Hedva moved closer towards the table and took a seat. Richard could see that her bruises were healing. She looked at Richard and the girls and a few seconds later, they heard her voice in their heads.

"Have you ever noticed how you were more prone to using one type of power over the other?" she asked the girls quietly. She was closing her eyes while she said it. When neither answered her, she continued. "Anya the more domineering, hot headed one... who harnesses her sense of smell and sight more often; choosing to shift into her wolf form and... from the looks of it mate with a werewolf?" As she smiled, she opened her eyes to look at Anya who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Hedva! Are you telling me that Connor knows all this?"demanded Richard.

"Of course not!"

"How'd you keep it out of your head then? He would surely have pored into your mind each time!"

"Oh please... once you get over an emotional turmoil as big as mine and forced to live with it; you can hide any emotion or thought from anyone after that."

"So... are you saying that we won't be affected by the eclipse?" asked Aurora, still unsure.

"Perhaps..." she said silkily then she shook her head. "But perhaps not. I am not sure. Your case was most extraordinary indeed... an egg that split into two; each imbibing similar but opposite qualities. Very extraordinary."

Before Aurora could ask anymore, Kyros interrupted them.

"The eclipse is in another few days. We need to be prepared by then. Hunters would be combing this area soon to search for me. We need to evacuate everyone somewhere else as soon as possible."

"Yes. Then we need to decide on a rendezvous point for all those involved in the mission, while keeping the young and elderly safe," said Logan.

"Very well... take them to somewhere with high altitude. The cold will keep the scent out longer," said Richard.

"We'll break the fighters into five groups- one vampire to every eight Werewolves. I'll have them stay at separate locations but all within the state. Annabelle's good at these things. She'll make the arrangements. How about you then?" asked Kyros.

"The girls and I need to go back home."

At the concerned and confused looks on everyone's faces, he merely smiled.

***

Hedva had healed nicely by the next morning. She had insisted on going home even though Richard had warned her that Connor might have sent Hunters out to hunt her down.

When they finally reached home, Richard was not surprised to see that the place had already been searched but it was otherwise empty.

"They won't be back... they've done their searching. One of them might still be lurking around in case we are back. So keep your eyes open."

After checking the parameters, they didn't find anything suspicious so they went indoors. The house had been turned upside-down; clothes, papers and furniture all in a mess.

"Sigh... this will take a lot of cleaning up. But never mind. I want you two to pack. Then meet me in my office."

The girls knew that by pack he meant clothes and weapons. They went to their rooms quietly. So much had happened in a span of a few weeks that it felt surreal.

Anya entered her room and found that it was as messy as downstairs. She managed to locate a haversack and stored all her basic needs. Stripping off her sodden clothes, she pulled on fresh pairs of undergarments and started searching for her weapon harness and holsters. She slipped two long daggers at her calf holsters before sliding into a pair of loose jeans and a long sleeved tunic. Then she went out without looking back.

Aurora had already been in the weapons room; a concealed area behind their fridge in the kitchen. No one ever suspects that there was a secret room behind the fridge and thus it was still well stocked.

Anya noticed that her sister chose to carry more firepower. She had already strapped on two guns to her thigh holster and had at least three magazines strapped to her carrier. Her bag had more weapons than clothes.

"I'm not lending you my clothes..."

"Don't worry... I'll buy some as we go along. I like to travel light."

"You call this light? We don't need so many weapons!"

"Yes we do. I feel naked without my guns." Anya simply rolled her eyes. Aurora was a skilled markswoman; the best in fact. She liked to watch her targets before she attacks.

Ignoring her sister, Anya settled for a slim pistol and added a few ninja throwing stars into her arsenal. Last of all, she opened a case and passed her sister one of a pair of tessens; an iron bladed offense-type fan.

Finally when they headed to their father's study, they saw that he too had packed. He stood in the middle of the room with his kind face on display as usual.

"I'm going to teach you two a few more techniques that I think might come in useful for you." He circled the two of them and motioned them into their fighting stance.

"The first is a technique of blocking your opponent's senses. This technique blocks their senses in sensing you. Yes Anya, I know you have no scent... but your senses do not only pick up smells! You can feel, you can hear and you can see can't you?" he said sternly at her grimace.

"To block someone's senses, you need to effectively hit specific pressure points on their bodies. I recommend these points," he said, showing them specific points on his own body. "This will temporarily make your opponent deaf. That deafness will cause partial blindness as well because your ears help give you balance and your opponent will be disorientated. Ok, now face each other. Anya, you go first."

"But daddy! Will I return to normal?" shrieked Aurora as she attempted to hide behind a desk.

"Yes you will..." he said. The moment he said 'yes', Anya had pounced on her sister. Aurora was trying her best to block all her sister's attempts but Anya managed to hit Aurora's pressure points.

They took turns trying on each other and Richard taught them how to undo the blocks and restore the body's original conditions as well.

"Daddy... do you think we can win this? I mean saving Leon is one thing... and I suppose we should release all the others imprisoned in the lab too. But to take down the Order... that'd mean taking down Elder Connor and the others. They are too strong for us, Daddy..."said Aurora awhile later as they sat down to rest.

"I know... But we have to try."

"You can take him down..." whispered Anya slowly. "He has wrecked so many families... and almost broke apart ours..."

"We shall see when that day comes... But the three of us have to be the ones in that top floor office. Alright now... let's resume training. There's another technique I want to teach you. This is an ancient Vampiric skill. Somehow over the years, Purebloods have chosen not to use it, but I was fortunate enough to have learnt how."

"What is it Daddy?"

"I do not want you to practice on each other because it is a lethal weapon. I will teach you the theory and you will use it only when in dire straits. Is that clear?"

The girls nodded.

***

Hedva sat quietly at her sofa, watching the front door. Any minute now...

"Hedva..." a low guttural sound greeted her as Connor slowly materialized before her. "I'm sorry I did not knock. I don't see the need for courtesy when I have come with such bad news."

"Please sit, Connor. I'm afraid your tea is already cold. I've been waiting for awhile now," she said calmly, not moving from her position. She didn't expect him to oblige her, but he did and he sat down.

"You know Hedva... the only reason why your head's not already on the floor is because I owe you too much for my success to let you deserve my deathblow. I still need to know if the recent prototype is ready and I need you to care for the embryos. I know you've been hiding with Richard. But not to worry; I'll spare your life... and his... but just for a few more days. I know those embryos will mature in a few days time right?"

"A month actually..."

"Then make sure its less than a month!" he bellowed at her but Hedva remained passive, not showing any emotions.

"It will be unstable and we have not even taught it how to walk."

"I want it fully grown by the end of the month Hedva or I will not be so gracious to let you live," he said. With that, he got up and vanished into the air.

Finally, she slumped her back and covered her face with her hands and cried. When she looked up, she hardened her face once again and got up. She had to return to the lab. There's work to be done.

***

Kyros and Logan were staying in the same room. Lilith had refused to leave the compound and told the rest to leave without her.

Kyros watched Logan with vague interest. The man was an exercise junkie! In the past hour, he had done at least five hundred of each type of abdominal exercise possible and was currently doing some pretty amazing push ups.

"Quit looking at me like that," he said in between breaths. "I know you Vampires have it easy. You hardly need to do anything to look like a god."

Kyros simply laughed and then looked out the window.