Releasing the Hunter

Chapter 17

Ivy jolted awake. Rubbing at her eyes, she slowly sat up. Did something wake her? Had she heard a strange noise? She glanced up and saw a fat brown squirrel at the window. Its thick bushy tail thwacked against the glass as it busily collected food.

A bit confused about where she was, she looked around the small room. Her gaze landed on Ronan sleeping next to her on the bed. He was naked, a sheet lightly drawn over his hip. She drank in his naked form. He was definitely a looker. No doubt about it.

She shook her head. But what the hell was she doing having sex with him again? Hadn’t she learned the first time? No good could come of their...

Whatever it was. It would only get in the way. And once they found Quinn and Ronan took the key, or tried to, what would they have in common anymore?

She rubbed at her face again, then swung her legs off the bed. She set her feet down on the floor and tested her left ankle. It was sore, but looking down at it, no one would ever be able to tell that the bone had snapped and ruptured her skin. The flesh around her ankle was bruised dark purple, but there were no lacerations. No puncture wound. She glanced over her shoulder at Ronan. He was truly gifted with the power to heal within his demon blood. Go figure.

A cool breeze blew over her skin, bringing attention to the fact that she was naked. Everything had ended up coming off during their hot sex session. She stood, wobbled a bit then went to search for her bag for a pair of pants.

Once she was dressed in khakis and a T-shirt, she went to see about finding them some food. They both needed the energy. Especially after the sexual bout they’d had. It had been intense and her thighs and belly still clenched in remembrance. Her orgasm had been fierce and not something she could easily erase from her mind.

With one last glance at Ronan’s sleeping form, she silently exited the room. She stole across the hall and into the kitchen, careful not to make any noise in case someone had come home without their knowledge. Once in the kitchen, Ivy glanced out the window to the drive. There were no vehicles parked on the dirt path. She breathed a sigh of relief and began searching the cupboards and pantry for something edible.

After a thorough search, she dumped a can of mushroom soup into a saucepan and brought it to a boil on the stove. She also found some crackers to go with it. As she stirred the soup, she thought about their next step. The first thing was to find a vehicle and get back on the road. Getting to Quinn was even more important than before. Because someone obviously didn’t want that to happen. This was the second attempt on her life. Well, both their lives.

She’d thought the first attempt, at her house, had been the demon Sallos’s doing, but now she wasn’t so sure. What if someone else wanted to stop her from finding Quinn? It obviously wasn’t the Crimson Hall Cabal. No, they wanted her to get to Quinn so Ronan could take the key for them. So, if not them, then who?

“Smells good.”

Ivy swung around to see Ronan leaning casually in the kitchen doorway. He’d slipped on a pair of pants, but forwent a shirt. And she couldn’t stop herself from gobbling up his hard pecs, flat stomach and the dark line of hair that arrowed down to the waistband of his pants. Her fingers itched as she remembered tracing a seductive trail down that path.

“It’s mushroom. All I could find. There was tomato but I hate tomato.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He came all the way into the kitchen and sat at the little two-seater table.

Ivy turned off the stove, and then poured the soup into two big bowls. She set the bowls down on the table along with spoons and the box of crackers.

She expected him to pick up his spoon and start eating, but instead he stared at her expectantly. She stared back, not sure what he wanted her to say. It wasn’t like she’d had a lot of experience in morning afters. She usually didn’t sleep with men. She’d had sex, but she’d usually kick them out afterward. It was interesting that sleeping beside Ronan had been more intimate than any of her prior sexual escapades.

After another minute, Ronan sighed, then picked up the spoon and began to ladle the soup into his mouth. He grabbed a couple of crackers, crushed them into the soup and continued to eat. She followed suit, until a few minutes later they both had empty bowls.

He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “So I figure we need a vehicle.”

“I was just thinking that.”

“There’s a small barn in the back. I’ll check it to see if there’s anything that’s useful.”

She nodded. “We need to get back on the road as soon as possible. That second attack tells me that we are on the right track to Quinn.”

“I know.” He pushed back his chair and stood. He left the kitchen and returned to the den, she assumed to put on a shirt and his boots. After another minute, she heard the back door open and close.

This gave her time to go back into the den, get her boots and gear—and her mind—back together. Nothing was going to get accomplished with her fantasizing about Ronan’s body and remembering how it felt as he filled her tight. She had to put her mind where it needed to be: on finding Quinn. Nothing else was important. No matter how much her body told her otherwise.

Ronan marched across the back lawn to the barnlike building. Anger made the muscles along his jawline jump. He supposed he shouldn’t have expected anything other than the cool reception she’d given him. It wasn’t like she was going to prance across the kitchen floor and fling her arms around him to kiss him. It was just that he thought maybe something had changed last night, was hoping that something had shifted between them.

He didn’t want it to be just sex between them. He wanted more from her.

But wanting more from the ice-queen demon hunter was a lesson in futility. It wasn’t going to happen. And he had to get that through his head. He was a means to an end for Ivy. And that was all he was ever going to be.

The door to the barn opened easily and he stepped in. It smelled of mildew and old hay but also had the unmistakable odor of motor oil. He smiled when he saw the vehicle barely visible in the shadows. He hoped it would run.

He approached the car, a two-door Ford T-Bird, running his hand along the old hood. The windows were cranked open and he peered inside at the dark leather interior. He smiled again. He really liked old cars. This one was a classic and it looked like the owner took real good care of it.

“Is it drivable?”

Ronan swung around to see Ivy standing in the open doorway. “Looks to be in good condition.”

“Can you hot-wire this thing?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah, no problem. It’s a lot easier to hot-wire old cars compared to new ones. All I need is a screwdriver.”

She moved along one of the workbenches, searching the surface for tools. She found what he needed, picked it up and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed as he took it. There was an electric jolt between them.

Ronan’s eyes came up and locked on hers. “Ivy, maybe we should—”

“No need to talk about it.” She went to leave, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Last night was more than just sex.”

She didn’t deny it, just stared into his eyes.

“I think we should talk about it.”

She shrugged. “Why? What does it matter? Does it change our plans?”

“No.”

“Then why can’t we just leave it be?”

“Because it matters.” He tugged her closer to him. “You matter. I want you to know that in case, you know, anything happens.”

“Fine. I know it. Thank you.”

He wanted to shake her. She was so exasperating. He leaned down and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her hard, snaking his tongue between her lips, tasting her, possessing her.

She moaned into him, fisting her hands into his shirt. She gave just as good as he did. Trading stroke for stroke, nibble for nibble. They kissed until they were both breathless.

Ronan pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

She was silent for a moment, but he could tell she was thinking, considering her next words. She sighed, and then said, “Fine. You matter to me, too. There, are you happy now?”

He pulled back and smiled, then chucked her chin. “Yup.”

She shook her head at him. “Great. Now get this car running and I’ll go get our gear. I want to be out of here in the next ten minutes.”

He saluted her. “Yes, sir.”

She turned on her heel to leave, but he saw her grin before she exited the barn.