Summary – Hunter arrives in Widows Vale with his mentor Ciaran MacEwan. There he meets his half brother Cal and his girlfriend Morgan, whom he feels strangely drawn to, and is sucked into a cat and mouse game that has played between Ciaran and Selene Belltower for years and on top of it all he is reunited with his cousin Sky who is a Seeker for the International Council of Witches and has been hunting him down for years.
Disclaimer: These are all Cate Tiernans toys. They're just in my playground.
Something is different about him, changing within him. I can feel it. I know the darkness within him comes from a Taibhs, I've always known. But now I feel he's finally fighting it. He's not the same power hungry Giomanach I once knew. This is not going to do, I need that Taibhs, it brings so much power to our circles why else would I take that annoying child under my wing when I met him all those years ago? I suppose his lineage helped get under Selene's skin.
If he keeps fighting this there will be an all out war between the real Hunter and the Taibhs and I don't think there will be anything left of either when its over, the taibhs will take Hunter down with it if it fails to keep control.
Neimhidh
The electricity crackled between us and I knew we could both feel it. I felt her leaning in towards me and all my nerve endings were alight with desire. I silently urged her forward. This was it. Morgan was going to kiss me!
Suddenly her balance disappeared and she toppled over.
"Morgan!" I cried and helped her to her feet, she begun laughing hysterically and I realized the spell had worn off. She was hammered drunk again.
"Oh Hunter…" she begun saying but then turned quickly around and started throwing up on the ground behind her. Gently I lifted her hair back and rubbed her back softly allowing her to get it all out.
"Morgan!?" Cal stormed out of the bar followed by Killian, he saw me touching her and instantly charged towards me
"What have you done to her, you prick?!" He yelled
"Nothing, Cal, she's just had too much to drink, I brought her outside to get some fresh air and to try and sober her up, that's all," I told him
Morgan had finally stopped being sick and she stood up straighter and wiped her mouth, when she turned back to us she groaned, "Oh God, how embarrassing," she mumbled
I placed my hand on her shoulder to steady her, "Are you alright?" I asked her
Before she had chance to answer, Cal broke my contact from her, which I immediately missed. Cal placed his hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?" he asked, unfortunately he was just as wobbly on his feet as she was and he ended up pulling her over with him as he fell.
"I've had enough!" Morgan cried, this time Killian helped her to her feet, even though I wanted to help her I thought it was a wise move from Killian considering Cal's current mood, "You've been acting a real jerk the last few weeks, Cal, Hunter was trying to help me and you just pulled me over," she jabbed a finger into Cal's chest
"Morgan, I'm sorry – I –"
"No Cal, you've been jealous and possessive and frankly a little crazy lately and I don't like it," she cried, "You've changed and I don't know where I stand with you anymore. I think we need to cool off for a while," she took a step back from him,
"Are you breaking up with me?" Cal growled
"Yes! - No! - I don't know! I just need some space to think about things for a while," she said, this conversation was obviously sobering her up for real.
"No you don't!" Cal stalked towards, "You need me!" he yelled, "You love me, we're Muìrn Beatha Dàns!"
"I'm not so sure anymore," she shot me a quick glance, Cal did not miss it.
"You!" he pointed at me, his face was a mask of pure rage now, "I knew you were trying to steal her away from me, I could sense it you know, I could feel how much you wanted her, but SHE'S MINE!"
"Cal, I never planned anything, I left you both alone. I was just being a friend to Morgan," I told him
"Yeah, right! You've been planning this since the moment you saw her, you always have to steal what's mine, first my father and now my girlfriend,"
"Oh for bloody hell's sake!" I lost it, mentioning my father like that he crossed a line. I was pissed. "You don't even love her!" I yelled "You told me yourself!"
"What?" Morgan gasped, she turned to Cal, "What's he talking about, Cal?"
"Nothing Morgan, he's a fucking liar!"
I turned to Morgan, "I'm sorry it's all come out this way, Morgan, I really am, but he told me himself. I wanted to tell you so many times… but he's my half brother and it's been killing me, watching you with him, knowing what I knew, when all I wanted to do was love you the way you deserve to be loved."
"You bastard!" Cal hit me with a ball of witch fire, I had a feeling it would have been stronger if he weren't so inebriated and if I wasn't so much stronger than he is, "I'll kill you, you bastard!" he pulled his athame out of his boot and lunged for me but Morgan shouted something in Gaelic and he dropped to the ground like a puppet who had his strings cut.
"Enough!" Morgan cried, "Cal you are unbelievable, there was nothing going on between me and Hunter, if this is who you really are, a jealous, angry, liar then I don't want anything to with it." I could see tears streaming down her cheeks as she spoke, "You don't even love me anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter that I'm breaking up with you," she said to him
Morgan had Cal bound tight, he couldn't move or speak, I don't even think he could blink. His eyes were wide open and wild, I could see the burning anger within them.
"Do you want me to take you home?" I asked Morgan, she nodded slowly, I turned to Killian who had been watching the whole exchange with great interest, "Will you let the others know I've taken Morgan home as she's a bit unwell and neither her nor Cal are fit to drive,"
Killian nodded, "Of course, what about him?" he gestured to Cal
"Leave him, when I've got Morgan far enough away she'll release the bind on him, he needs to sleep it off and get it together, he brought this on himself, instead of seeing that, he's blaming everyone else around him. It's pathetic"
"Alright, I'll see you later then," Killian headed back inside and I lead Morgan to my car.
She seemed wooden until the doors were closed and we were on the road, she burst into tears, "Hey, now," I placed a hand on her knee, "none of this is your fault," I told her
"I'm so stupid, of course he didn't love me," she sniffed, "I mean look at me!"
"I do look at you, Morgan, I look at you all the time, every chance I get. You are beautiful, don't ever think any different,"
"I'm sorry I said those things to you tonight, I shouldn't have,"
I knew she was talking about her admitting she liked me, "Please, please don't apologise, those words meant more to me than you know. I've wanted to tell you the same for so long but it was never my place,"
"Hunter, this is awkward, I'm so confused about my feelings right now. I've just broken up with Cal, you're his brother and I like you a lot, I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been thinking about you a lot and don't have any feelings for you but I think it'd be stupid to jump right into something with you before I work out what's going on in my head and get my feelings right," She said
"I understand," I squeezed her knee gently, "And as much as I want to wait for you to be ready so that I could finally show you just how much I love you and want you. I'm not sure if I'm what you deserve either,"
She looked at me expectantly, "I told you already Morgan, I'm not myself, I'm not good either, you deserve someone truly good who'll not taint your beautiful soul" I elaborated for her
She smiled softly and wiped her tears and nose on her sleeve, "Hunter, would someone so evil worry so much about being evil?"
"It's complicated," I sighed, "I wish I could explain it but right now, keeping you safe is my priority, my problems aren't,"
"Oh you evil mastermind," Morgan rolled her eyes
We both chuckled.
"What time is it?" she asked
"Almost midnight," I responded automatically
"Can I ask you a favour?" she asked me,
"Anything,"
"I'm not ready to face my family or go home just yet, God forbid the smell the alcohol on me I'll be grounded until I've graduated, can I stay with you tonight? I'm not suggesting anything more than just a place to crash for the night, I just don't want to go home,"
Having Morgan stay the night would be a dream but there was a problem, I lived with Ciaran, the witch who wanted to drain her powers.