Free Darkest Hour (New Adult Paranormal Romance) by Catherine Bullard Page B

he
either rises from the grave tomorrow, cursed to drink human blood and never see
his family again, or all traces of his body are erased from the Earth so that
his family has nothing to bury. His choices are no better than mine.” He closed
his eyes a moment and said a prayer for the dead hunter. “I suppose I will just
have to leave him here. At least this way he will be able to go to the afterlife,
instead of being forced to live a life forced on him by monsters.”
    He stood and turned to face
Elsbeth, then felt his heart twist with guilt at the stricken expression on her
face. “I’m not blaming you,” he said gently, cupping her cheek in his hand. “It
wasn’t your fault. But until the day comes when you and I will be able to live
in peace together, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let go of the bitterness.”
    She nodded, and turned her face
into his palm so she could press a kiss against his skin. “I know.”
    They stood there for a long
while, the moment oddly tender despite the dead body lying mere inches from
them, and then moved on.
    As they ate up the miles, the
terrain changed, so that they were running over flat lands, skirting open
villages, the mountains looming directly ahead. Soon they were at the base of
the foothills, dashing over rocky terrain, and the air became thinner and
colder as they trekked up the mountainside, which was lushly covered in its own
woods. Thomas wanted to slow, the combination of the long journey and the
thinning air sapping his stamina, but he knew from the tingling in his bones
that they had less than an hour until first light, and that for Elsbeth’s sake
they couldn’t afford to dawdle.
    Just as Thomas was beginning to worry,
the forest suddenly parted, revealing a wooden cabin perched on a rocky
outcropping near a waterfall. It resembled nothing less than an oasis to the
sore-footed Thomas, who dashed straight for the front door.
    Elsbeth managed to put herself
between Thomas and the house and shot him a warning glance. “Xander doesn’t
always take kindly to strangers knocking, especially not so close to dawn,” she
explained to him before turning and lifting her fist to knock.
    The door swung open to reveal a
tall, powerfully built man wearing vermillion robes. His dark hair was slicked
back from his face, his mustache and long, thin beard perfectly trimmed, and
his eyes were a piercing blue as they locked on Thomas briefly, then Elsbeth.
“Xander also doesn’t appreciate people talking about him as though he couldn’t
hear every word.”
    “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!”
Elsbeth cried, throwing her arms around him. She then jumped back hastily,
realizing that she might be acting a touch too exuberant since she hadn’t seen
Xander in such a long time. “This is Thomas, my… friend. We are in grave danger
and are in need of assistance.”
    Xander arched a black brow, his
laser eyes wandering over to Thomas, who resisted the urge to shift
uncomfortably. “He doesn’t look like much,” he remarked gruffly, “but my life
has been boring of late and I can always use a good tale, at the very least.”
    He stepped back and waved one of
his arms, the wide sleeves swinging. “Come on in, quickly now, before the sun
gets up and we are all roasted to death.”

CHAPTER 8
     
    Amelia rose from her chair as
Khan was admitted to the room with his entourage, not necessarily as a show of
deference but because sitting when a potential threat entered the room put one
at a physical disadvantage. When one was dealing with werewolves, it was not a
wise decision to make yourself smaller than they if you were trying to
establish yourself as an equal, if not a superior.
    Amelia wasn’t certain if the
latter was a wise option, but she did not intend to be less than the former.
    “Good evening.” She crossed the
room and met Khan halfway, holding out her hand for him to kiss. He took it and
pressed his lips against the backs of her knuckles, and a shiver of