There were three of them surrounding her and their fangs glistened as they snarled.
There had previously been seven of them but Hunter had managed to dust four.
Only now that wasn't working in her favour as she was exhausted, her limbs felt heavy and her lungs burnt from the constant exertion.
She was at a distinct disadvantage. They had supernatural abilities and she was only human. Plus the fact she was out of Hypnos.
They must have been old vampires as well because the sun had only just gone down and Hunter could still just see her surroundings by the natural light.
"There's nowhere else to run now little girl." The light haired male on the left grinned menacingly and Hunter felt panic rise up as she realised she was out of stakes.
She hadn't packed for a fight and now she was paying for it. She could hear her grandpa's voice telling her what a careless mistake she'd made.
The other male vampire on the right shifted and Hunter briefly flickered her eyes in his direction.
She should have known better.
The middle vampire drew the sword that Hunter had been keeping an eye on from where it lay at her hip and thrust it towards Hunter.
She saw it coming just in time and pushed her body out of the way. The sword caught her arm though and sliced through her skin, making blood flow freely down her arm in abundance.
Cold, strong arms clamped down on her other arm as Hunter's attention went to her arm that had a long deep slice cutting diagonally across it.
The scent of her blood filled the air and Hunter felt the pounding of her heart resonate with the pounding in her head.
Her arm was filled with pain and Hunter grit her teeth as she tried to ground herself.
"Mm. What a delicious smell." Hunter almost cringed as the vampire who had thrust the sword at her stepped closer.
Hunter tried to step back away from the dangerous feral glint in the other woman's eyes, but the cold hand clamped around her other arm made itself more prominently known and Hunter couldn't contain a wince.
She didn't have any weapons to hand that she could reach and her left arm was out of action currently.
Thinking fast, Hunter slammed her elbow as hard as she could into the chest of the vampire holding her.
He relaxed the grip on her arm in shock, he obviously hadn't expected her to put up a fight when she was so greatly at a disadvantage.
Hunter took the opportunity and ran.
She knew she couldn't outrun the three vampires and she couldn't hide from them either, the smell of blood was too strong and even if she hadn't been bleeding her scent, heart-beat and laboured breaths would have alerted her whereabouts to them.
Hunter was actually surprised she'd managed to go so far with her arm bleeding the way it was without a pair of fangs in her neck.
It seems they wanted to draw this out.
Either way Hunter wasn't too surprised when she was spun around and her back slammed harshly against the trunk of a tree. Her head cracking with the force she hit it with.
Her vision spun as she felt the warm blood leak from the agonising wound in the back of her head and Hunter felt fear choking her before her ability to breathe was cut off completely by a pale, strong hand with a vice-like grip which wrapped itself around her neck.
So much for getting to a safe house.
When death began to feel like a very real outcome Hunter's instincts sharpened and her need to get out of the situation kick-started the adrenaline running through her veins again.
She kicked out at the knee cap of the vampire holding her and was rewarded with a dull cracking sound as the knee fractured under the force of her kick.
Unfortunately, although the hold on her neck loosened enough for her to suck in a much needed breath, it didn't disappear completely and now she had a pissed off vampire who wanted to kill her plus two others.
It was just then that Hunter realised what she was wearing, now she had been pulled down when the vampire opposite her had lost his balance, the pressure on her feet and legs had increased as she tried to manoeuvre herself out of the choke hold.
Enough that as her feet pressed against her boots into the ground she felt the ever so slightly raised lump in between her feet and the ground.
She'd forgotten.
Without wasting anymore time Hunter subtly shifted her feet before she kicked out with her foot again, this time raising her leg (with a little difficulty) at the vampire's chest, the blade hidden in the sole of her shoe was released as the toe of her other shoe activated the subtly hidden lever and Hunter ripped the blade out of her shoe the moment the vampire's hold on her neck loosened and dust floated in front of her.
Surging to her feet Hunter didn't bother to run. She would never get to any one of the Drake safe houses from here.
Instead she focused her slightly blurred vision on the two vampires snarling at her.
Her head still pounded and blood still seeped out of the wound on her head and the wound on her arm.
Hunter tried to dodge when the female vampire with the sword charged her, but her movements were too slow and the vampire was much faster.
As the sword ripped through her chest Hunter had to contain a scream as blood flooded her mouth.
The sword hadn't hit her heart, but it stopped her breathing due to the impact.
Hunter had no choice but to spit the blood out in order to breath, the fact that it sprayed all over the vampire pinning Hunter to a tree with a sword didn't make matters any better.
Especially when the vampire licked her lips where Hunter's blood had landed.
Hunter was trying to ignore the pain but every nerve in her body was screaming at it and Hunter felt the primal urge to scream at the pain, but refused to.
Some twisted sort of pride she had.
Now she had two vampires surrounding her as she was pinned to a tree due to a sword through the chest, with a major gash running the length of her left arm and a heavily bleeding head which was making her vision blur.
She would die of blood loss if nothing else if this carried on.
Unsurprisingly the two vampires opposite her didn't look like they'd let up anytime soon.
Hunter tried to recoil when the male vampire grabbed her wrist where her hand was still clutching the blade she'd taken from her boot and took the blade from her hand, breaking a couple of her fingers in the process, Hunter could guess from the unusual levels of pain added to the already existing torment that made her body tremor, despite her high tolerance for pain.
"Aw, look, she's shaking. Scared little Wild?" The venom that dripped from the lips of the female vampire made it clear to Hunter exactly why the vampires opposite her were doing this.
Some ancestor of hers, perhaps even her parents or grandfather had pissed them off and now that was being taken out on her.
Hunter glared at the vampires.
That seemed to be the wrong thing to do, because then the female grabbed her face tight enough that Hunter felt her jaw bone strain and creak disturbingly.
"I don't really think you're in any position to be making faces like that now." The dark hair of the female vampire brushed Hunter's face as she leaned closer, jostling the sword and making pain shoot through Hunter, who let out a strangled gasp. "It makes that pretty little face of yours contort in such a horrible way."
The grin on both the vampires face told Hunter exactly what was coming next, as if the 'pretty little face' hadn't been a dead giveaway.
God, all vampires were so predictable.
Hunter steeled herself, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the cool blade run gently under her eye. Every muscle in her body was tensed and the vampires had already learned from their friend's mistake and her legs were pressed against the trunk of the tree tightly.
Then the blade dug into her skin and was pulled roughly down, hitting her collarbone and carrying on through her shirt, even all the way to her hip.
Hunter couldn't contain the scream that left her throat.
It tore past her throat and tears bled from her eyes as the pain hit her.
Somehow the pain of being shredded with a blade was worse than the pain of being impaled by a sword.
Hunter kept her eyes closed, desperately trying to think of a way out of the situation, hating the fact that part of her had already resigned herself to the inevitable.
It was only once Hunter felt a warm, wet tongue trailing over her collarbone that her eyes flew open right before fangs sunk into her neck and Hunter struggled before an iron griped hand fisted itself in her hair and her already tender scalp screamed vehemently as another hand pressed against the exposed tissue around the sword still pinning her to the tree.
The sword.
Heaving a breath, her chest feeling raw as it was pressed and constricted, her neck aching as all the blood left in her body was pulled towards it.
Knowing her time was running out, Hunter took advantage of the vampire feeding off of her and his inattention to the rest of her, pulling her knee up sharply with all the force she could muster right into his groin before pushing him towards the other vampire, who had been watching with vindictive mirth and greed dancing across her face.
Hunter didn't give herself time to think about how stupid the idea was before wrapping both quivering hands around the handle of the sword and pushing herself forward, taking the sword with her.
Then, running on desperation alone she pulled the sword out of her chest, feeling the metallic weight run through her once more, feeling the blood gush towards the wound and feeling as though she would drop the sword any moment she lifted the weapon and aimed it right at the vampire who still had her blood on his lips as he threw himself towards her, impaling himself on the sword that went right through his heart.
Hunter used the tree nearest to her from where she had fallen to lift herself up, aiming the sword against as the last vampire hit her, the sword going through the female vampire's chest, although not hitting the heart.
Knowing she had to end this quickly Hunter dropped to the ground and rolled with the vampire before she stabbed the sword into the ground and twisted it to keep the vampire occupied, before reaching backwards and fumbling desperately with her boot, her fingers slipping before finally closing around the stake that was hidden there.
Hunter thrust the stake into the vampire's chest the moment the dark haired female forced herself upwards, her fangs ripping Hunter's shoulder and the hilt of the sword slamming into Hunter's ribs just as the vampire beneath her turned to dust.
Hunter lay there for a moment in the silence that followed, fighting to stay conscious, knowing she had to fight.
Her fingers groped her leg for her phone, which was mercifully still intact.
Shaking violently and focusing on her breathing as she lay on her back Hunter blinked past the black spots dancing across her vision and managed to pick the right number by habit alone.
She felt her eyes closing and fought to keep them open as the phone rang.
Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Five.
"Hey Hunter, what's up? You okay."
Hunter's breaths were shallow and she felt tears flow as she struggled to respond, her breaths were rapid and sobs welled up in her chest.
"Hunter?" The voice was more alarmed now. "Hunter, you there? What's going on? What's wrong?"
Sobs were choking her but she managed to take a shaking, painful breath to calm herself as her body fought against the aftermath of the adrenaline leaving her body.
"Kier… Kieran." Her voice was small and trembled with pain and tears.
"Hunter! What's wrong? Tell me!" Kieran seemed to hear something in her voice because his own voice turned sharp and panicked.
"I…" Hunter breathed in deeply, her body too heavy. "I can't feel, I can't feel my legs Kier."
It was true, Hunter could tell the blood had stopped flowing to her legs in order to keep her heart pumping.
"Hunter, I need you to talk to me okay, tell me where you are, what happened."
Hunter nodded even though Kieran couldn't see.
"I'm in the forest about a mile or two from Quinn's. There were seven of them." She pressed her eyes shut as she tried to keep it together. To keep talking, to keep breathing.
"Seven what? Hel-blar?"
"No." Hunter blinked dazedly. "No, vampires. They, they uh," She swallowed. "They knew my name. One of them called me 'Wild'."
"Okay." She could tell Kieran had gone into professional mode but it didn't stop the panic from edging into his voice. "And where are they now?"
"Dust."
"Good. Hunter, Solange is here and she'd already on the phone to her parents, I need you to stay awake and I'm going to message Hart. Just keep on talking to me okay Hunter?"
"Yeah." Her voice was faint.
"Hunter." Kieran barked.
"Yeah, no, I'm awake, I'm, awake."
"Good. Hunter can you tell me why you were in the forest? Was it a hunt?"
"No. No. It was, I was going to, I didn't have all my gear… it wasn't planned."
"Okay. What were you doing then? Keep talking to me Hunter."
"I had a fight with Quinn."
"You had a fight with Quinn? Today?"
"No, it was, it was about three days ago. It was stupid. I was being stubborn. I was coming to apologise. To talk to him, but they were waiting for me. I…" She trailed off, her chest heaving, her eyes heavy.
"Hunter."
"Yeah?" Her vision was swimming and getting smaller and Kieran's voice was buzzing in her ear, but it was merging together.
She knew what he was saying. Keep talking. Keep your eyes open. Stay awake. But it was so hard.
"Kier, I'm tired." She murmured.
"I know Hunter, but you need to stay awake, help is coming."
When she didn't respond Kieran barked at her.
"Hunter. Snap out of it. Don't you dare fall asleep. Don't you dare."
Hunter snorted ruefully, but it was faint.
"Fall asleep. Okay. Yeah. Kier, I love you, you know that?"
"I know that Hunter, I love you too okay, but," She could hear his voice choking up. "Hunter, you have to stay awake, this isn't goodbye okay, so just keep your eyes open."
"You're family Kier. We're family." Her eyes closed, "I'm sorry." She breathed out.
She breathed in.
And out.
"Hunter!" The voice on the other end of her phone was small as her hand relaxed its grip and the phone fell on the forest ground next to her.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered with the last of her strength before coughs racked through her.
Went the coughs finally subsided Hunter's eyes didn't reopen.
They didn't reopen when Kieran started screaming through the phone for her to wake up and respond.
They didn't open when Helena and Liam arrived in the clearing where she lay.
They didn't open when Hart and a few fellow Helios Ra agents arrived in the same clearing.
They didn't open when Sebastian ran into the clearing to warn his parents that Quinn was right behind him.
They didn't open when Quinn stopped dead at the sight of her, they didn't open when he knelt beside her and whispered in her ear.
"Hunter?"
Nor when his hands brushed gently over her skin, ignoring the blood that covered it.
"Hunter? I need you to wake up for me. Hunter?"
They didn't even open at the desperate, pleading sound of Quinn's voice breaking as he begged her to wake up.
She lay still and immobile as fangs sunk into her neck, pushing venom into her and as Liam tore his hand open again and again in the vain hope that it wasn't too late, and that Hunter wasn't dead and that his blood would turn her and that Quinn wouldn't have to feel heart break at such a young age.
Quinn knelt next Hunter, his palms pressed into the damp earth next to her body, the scent of her blood thick in the air.
But all he could focus on was Hunter, how deathly still she was.
Her heart wasn't beating.
Even as his father tried again and again to turn Hunter, she didn't respond.
It was his fault. If he had just followed his instincts then Hunter wouldn't have been here, she would have been safe.
He could feel his mother's hands on his shoulders, trying to comfort him, but he didn't want her comfort.
But he didn't push her away, because he knew if he did his mother would blame herself.
They'd been negotiating with the Nukfal clan for a few weeks and it had been tedious but they'd been so close to getting there.
That's when it had happened.
The Head's daughter had taken a particular interest in Quinn. At first it had been fine, something he could brush off or ignore.
Then it became a lot more forward and Quinn had been going to tell her to stop but his parents had asked him not to, because that would create friction and tension between the two families and that wasn't what they'd needed.
Quinn hadn't been happy about it and every time he was around her he felt the need to recoil, but he wouldn't put his family in danger, they needed allies, not enemies, especially after everything that had already happened.
It had been just about tolerable until Hunter had arrived with Hart to negotiate about relations between the Helios Ra and the clans as well as not harming the residents of Violet Hill.
That's when it had all started falling apart.
Hunter had left as soon as the negotiations had finished, not even waiting for him to explain.
He'd expected yelling and screaming, but he should have known better. This was Hunter after all.
She'd just stared at him with those too cold eyes and he'd felt every explanation stick in his throat.
He just wished he'd said no to his parents, because even if the alliance with the Nukfal clan did go through, it would never be worth it.
Never be worth this.
Not now Hunter was lying dead and cold with her own dark red blood staining her too pale skin.
"Quinn." His father gently pulled Quinn's face upwards, restraining a flinch at the cold look he saw there.
"No."
It wasn't loud, it wasn't angry or abrasive. It was worse.
Quinn had always been the loud one, the passionate one.
Now his tone, his whole manner was deathly still, just as much as Hunter.
"What about Aunt Hyacinth?" Everyone turned to Sebastian, who looked disturbed. Disturbed at seeing Hunter's dead body and the way his brother hadn't blinked once, hadn't dared to look away from her.
"Might she still have the power of Veronique's blood?"
Quinn stared at his brother.
Then he moved. Hunter was in his arms in a second, and he didn't care what anybody else was saying, if there was even the slightest chance, he was taking it.
He moved as fast as he could through the forest without harming Hunter anymore. Because he refused to think of her as just a body, it was Hunter, and he would save her.
As soon as he cleared the trees Quinn ran faster than he'd ever run before, kicking open the door to house, ripping it off its hinges as he manoeuvred Hunter through, before he was racing up the stairs, ignoring Logan and Isabeau's shocked stares, ignoring Duncan and Marcus completely, side-stepping Lucy and meeting Nicholas's eyes for a split second, before he was gone and about to barge into Aunt Hyacinth's quarter's, only to find the door was open and Hunter was being taken from his arms.
He wanted to resist, but Connor was at his arm and whispering in his ear.
"Quinn, she's going to save her. It's okay."
His arms fell limp as Hyacinth disappeared from view before reappearing and nudging him gently before closing the door in his face.
Connor's arm was the only thing stopping him from barging straight in after her.
"Quinn."
He turned to his twin, and Connor sighed before pulling him into an embrace.
"You'd only get in the way Quinn, I know it's not what you want to hear, but I'm being honest with you."
Quinn swallowed. Every muscle in his body was tense and he wanted more than anything to be there next to Hunter but he knew it wouldn't be appreciated.
He didn't say anything but he knew Connor knew he wouldn't try to get in before Hyacinth said he could.
"You're covered in blood Quinn." Conner dragged him to the bathroom, despite Quinn having absolutely no desire to do anything but stand there and wait.
Connor made him shower and gave him a fresh pair of clothes when it became obvious Quinn was in too much shock to do much at all.
He didn't succeed in getting him to move from the floor Hunter was on, but Connor sat next to him until Hyacinth came out again.
Quinn tensed as his many-times-great aunt emerged.
She looked at the two boys through her veil before speaking.
"Now we can only wait."
Quinn grit his teeth and hung his head. He still didn't know.
He was surprised when Aunt Hyacinth lay her hand on his shoulder.
"She's strong Quinn, stronger than most, I firmly believe she'll fight for this. Don't give up yet."
He nodded.
The hand on his shoulder slipped off.
"I'm going to go and talk to your parents now. You can sit by her if you wish."
A hand smoothed over his hair and then Hyacinth was gone.
Connor waited until Quinn looked at him before squeezing his twin's arm and going off to find Christabel.
Quinn walked through the door to his Aunt's chambers, following the scent of Hunter's blood that was still strong.
Hyacinth had lain Hunter on her own bed, and Hunter's boots were at the foot of it, the blankets and sheets tucked around her body up to her torso.
Quinn sat beside her, holding her hand, he'd never felt her grip so loose. It felt wrong.
He didn't move from his position the whole night, even refusing blood until Connor gently told him he could endanger Hunter that way.
Connor was perhaps the only person that could get through to him. If the others tried it, despite their good intentions it would only come across as them knowing better than him and was tense enough at the moment without being given another reason to snap.
That's how the following week passed, with Connor gently reminding Quinn to drink and persuading him to return to his own room come sunrise.
Everyone else left him alone for the most part. With Hyacinth and Lucy being the only regular visitors besides his twin.
Hyacinth as she was the one who had turned Hunter, and it was her rooms, and Lucy being close enough to Hunter that she kept vigil by her side when Quinn had to sleep.
Nicholas was often there to look over Lucy who was visibly worried about Hunter. Everyone had seen the state she'd been in when Quinn had brought her in. But he didn't say much. Quinn knew he was wondering what he would do if their positions were reversed and it had been Lucy who'd been lying there.
Quinn didn't comment because he knew despite her bravado and her ability to look after herself, Lucy wasn't like Hunter, and she wouldn't have been able to take out seven vampires the way Hunter had. That would have torn Nicholas to pieces and Quinn was only stopping himself from doing exactly that because there was still the chance Hunter could pull through.
She had to.
Quinn didn't quite realise what had changed when he woke up exactly a week after Hunter had fallen unconscious until he reached for a bottle of blood to sate the initial thirst he still felt upon waking up.
Until he opened the bottle and the smell of blood came wafting out towards him.
That's when it hit him.
The house had smelt of blood from the moment Hunter had been brought in, no-one daring to move her, her blood still clinging – now dried – to her skin, clothes and the sheets around her.
But now, now the scent of Hunter's blood was gone.
Quinn downed the bottle in a second and threw it into his bin without checking to see if it landed there.
Then he was out the door and racing down the stairs to Hyacinth's floor, opening her door and rushing towards the bedroom where Hunter had lain for seven days.
Hyacinth stepped out of the bedroom and braced Quinn.
"Just a moment young man."
Quinn stared at her with incredulity, impatience and not a small amount of indignant anger welling up.
"Don't you act like that. One minute is all I ask." Hyacinth guided him toward one of her long, elegant settees and he sat down begrudgingly.
"She's still in shock and I don't want you barging in there. I'm asking you to calm down." Hyacinth lowered her voice until Quinn could just hear her with his vampire senses, and his shoulders sagged at her words.
He nodded to her and all the impatience left his eyes.
"Is she alright?"
Hyacinth sighed gently through her veil.
"She has scars Quinn. I had thought the change would erase them, but perhaps because her heart had already stopped beating by the time my blood coursed through her veins, and I had to keep it beating myself. Perhaps because of that my blood wasn't enough to heal her completely. I'm not sure, but apart from the scars she's fine. Geoffrey has already been to see her. So you have his seal of approval. She'd been up for an hour, she's just in the shower now."
When it was pointed out, Quinn could hear the shower just a room away. He hadn't been paying much attention to the sources of all the sounds in the house. Just the thought that Hunter was awake. That she wasn't dead.
He heard as the shower shut off and waited a few agonising minutes before he heard the opening and closing of a door.
He was on his feet in less than a second and faintly registered Hyacinth's amused sigh before she subtly slipped out of the room, taking the oddly quiet Mrs Brown with her.
Unsure whether or not to knock Quinn wavered at the door before knocking.
A beat.
Then the door was open and Hunter stood on the other side.
"Quinn." Her voice wavered and Quinn pulled her into his arms, fighting the overwhelming urge to sob in relief at her voice and the sight of her eyes open and looking at him with such uncertainty.
"Hunter." His voice was thick and gravely and he clung tighter to her as her arms tightened around him and she buried her face in his shoulder.
They stayed there for a few moments with Quinn inhaling her scent, the same (raspberries and lime), but more powerful than it had been before.
"I'm sorry." The whisper registered in his ears and Quinn didn't quite take in the words until her stepped slightly back from Hunter and made her meet his eyes.
"Don't you dare apologise Hunter. If anything, I'm the one that should be apologising, I'm so sor-"
Hunter cut him off with a finger pressed against his lips.
"It's not your fault Quinn. I promise you. It is not your fault." Her bright light blue eyes implored at him, and Quinn couldn't break her gaze.
His eyes trailed over her as his hands registered the scar on her face, the bite marks on her neck, and the silk robe she was wearing that didn't quite conceal the scar on her shoulder or the one on her chest.
Gently lacing his hand through hers, moving her finger that still rested on his lips and wrapping her hand with his, he spoke.
"Hunter, I thought," He swallowed painfully. "I thought you were dead. For good."
His forehead rested on hers as he squeezed his eyes shut at the memory.
"It was my fault. It was. Don't. Just listen. I'm sorry, I was only with that girl at the negotiations because we were trying to make an alliance between our families and I'd been asked to just go along with it. I should have been more stubborn. I should have held my ground. That was the reason this whole thing happened and I hate myself for it because you are the only." He opened his eyes, meeting Hunter's own burning ice-blue eyes. "The only person I love. That I have ever loved, the way that I love you. You have to know that Hunter, because this past week has been hell, and the thought of you never waking up, the thought of me losing you, I can't comprehend it. It would destroy me. I love you."
His voice cracked and he gladly buried his face in Hunter neck when her arms came up to hug him fiercely.
"Quinn." Her voice was soft and warm and sounded like home, he wanted to wrap himself in her arms and listen to her voice all day. "I love you. I love you and I don't want you to blame yourself because in my eyes you did nothing wrong. I was the one who didn't give you the chance to explain. So if you're going to blame yourself for what happened then blame me too, because it is just as much my fault as yours – more even. Those vampires were after me. Because of who I am. Not you. That wouldn't have changed no matter what. Okay?"
He lifted his head, his dark, deep blue eyes meeting hers. He shook his head gently, pulling himself to his full height, and wrapping his arms around her lower back and waist.
"You mean the world to me Hunter. You completely changed me from the guy I was two years ago. You showed me what it's like to love someone. Not like family, but a burning love that makes my heart soar every time I see you, makes me live for your smiles and think about you almost constantly when you're not there and makes me want to hold you as close as I can when you are. Because you are so important to me."
"The fact that I couldn't protect you, that I couldn't save you from what you went through, I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself for a very long time."
Hunter's gaze was fierce and firm but gentle as she communicated with him through her eyes. Thoughts and feelings that she couldn't put into words.
Slightly calloused, cool hands thread through his hair and tangled in his shirt. He leant down to meet her as their lips met and Quinn pulled her closer to deepen the kiss, lifting her off the ground as her arms moved to loop around his neck.
Hunter made a gravelly sound oddly similar to a growl which was what finally broke them apart.
Hunter looked shocked and slightly embarrassed, Quinn just chuckled and squeezed her gently.
"It's normal Hunter, your vocal cords changed slightly. You can hiss too."
Hunter blinked before looking sheepish.
"I should have known that."
Quinn pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and shook his head adoringly.
"It's different knowing something to experiencing it. I found it odd when I first changed too, but it will quickly become normal, I promise."
Hunter smiled at him and it made Quinn smile too.
He huffed faintly into her hair as he pulled her to him again, Hunter only too happy to melt into him as he played with her hair.
"Are you thirsty?" He murmured into her hair.
At Hunter's cheeky grin he rolled his eyes but smirked. He was glad she was able to joke. It meant she was copying with it much better than he had been worried she might.
"You know what I mean Hunter." He poked her lightly. "You've just turned."
She smirked at him but looked as though she were thinking about something.
"I had some about an hour ago." She looked at him expectantly.
He rolled his eyes again. Obviously he was going to have to pull it out of her.
"My-my, someone's being difficult today. Hunter, you're a new-born, new-borns often require a lot of blood after they wake up. And you know that."
"Yes, I do. But it's different knowing something to experiencing it. How am I supposed to know if I have a thirst for blood?"
Quinn just stared at her.
"You're ridiculous Hunter."
He lifted her up and Hunter made a small surprised sound before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and tilting her body slightly so he could see.
He carried her out of Hyacinth's room's bridal style, before racing up the stairs to his own room where he placed her on the bed and handed her a bottle of blood from his mini fridge.
Hunter surprised him by downing it easily. He thought back to how Christabel had been unable to stomach blood when she'd just turned and how even Solange had been squeamish of the idea despite growing up knowing people who drank blood every day.
He smiled at her softly when she looked at him and she tilted her head at him, her gaze warm.
"You're room's different to last time I was here." She moved to curl her legs underneath her, her knees pointed toward him and touching his leg as he sat down next to her.
He placed his arms around her and rested his chin on her head when she leant against his chest.
He hummed in agreement and rubbed her arm.
Her skin was smooth through the thin silk fabric but Quinn knew underneath the robe was a long, pale scar.
Honestly, Quinn had been surprised to realise the scars just seemed to melt into her skin. From what Hyacinth had said he had thought they would be pretty stark but if he didn't focus on them completely they didn't stand out much at all.
"I changed it up a bit."
"It's nice." Hunter shifted and Quinn caught sight of the scar on her chest, but frowned slightly.
He reached out and tenderly moved the robe, brushing her skin. Hunter tensed slightly, but relaxed just as quickly, shifting her head against Quinn's chest.
Slowly, Quinn traced the scar, from her collarbone down.
Hunter shivered and Quinn met her eyes.
Her gaze was so open and in that moment so vulnerable that he just pulled her closer, brushing his lips over her cheek.
"Never again, I swear."
Hunter closed her eyes and let herself be held.
She would still wince at the memory of the confrontation, and the sight of her scars, but Quinn would be there to help her through it, to hold her and remind her it was over and those vampires were little more than dust.
A/N: So just some brief explanations, I don't have a copy of all the the books with me but for 'Out for Blood' so I wasn't sure on how exactly a human is turned so if it seems shaky or inaccurate or deviates from canon slightly, just allow me that slight. Same with any other deviations from canon.
Also this is set roughly a year after the books end and Kieran and Solange are presumably up in Scotland.
Also, I couldn't find a description of Hunter's eyes so I went with my idea of her eyes, although I did deviate been icy-blue or a warm brown tone but thought the blue suited her better. As she's often described as appearing very steely-eyed (in a way, don't quote me directly on that) and very warrior like (similar to Helena) so I thought it fit the part.
I couldn't find many Drake Chronicles fanfics around this idea so I decided to create one, so this is my first fic outside of the major fandoms (e.g. HP, PJO) and I hope you enjoyed it, if so, don't be shy to leave a review.