A Hunter's Keep - #1 of "The Hunter's Series"

Lizzy's POV

My head bumped against the hard floor, jolting me awake. Confused I looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. Not so far away there were voices: deep and without a doubt men. They talked in a relaxed manner and from time to time they cracked a joke between them. Chuckling and laughing. Though it was hard to hear from under the blanket.

I laid back down, trying to remember what had brought me into this situation.

I’d spotted their car, just as they exited it. With my precious cargo pressed tightly against my chest, I’d jumped at the opportunity. Slipping my hands under the trunk’s sensors, opening it, just before they locked the car.

I sighed in relief when they hadn’t noticed me and snuck in, before my persecutors caught up.

I cowered myself and my package with a thick blanket, lying completely still, for what seemed hours on end. In the end, I lost track of time, and the exhaustion of running finally caught up to me. Sleep took over and now I had no idea what was going on.

Luckily, it didn’t take a genius to figure out, what had happened next. The car was moving and the voices in the front were the owners. I sighed. I’d been accidentally abducted. Great…

“Did you guys hear that?”

Instantly silence fell. Seriously? I’d been that loud? I didn’t…

Well, no time to think about that. I held a hand to my mouth, stopping any other sound from escaping. I wanted to curse and stop even my beating heart. The silence dragged on and I was slowly turning blue. What the fuck was with these people?!

“Stop there,” one of the finally said. “I need to take a leak.”

My heart dropped. Leak my ass, I thought franticly looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon. Luckily, just at my right, there was a crowbar. I grabbed it, clutching it tightly between my fingers.

The trunk opened. I could feel the warm summer air flow into the car. The smell of gasoline and wood filling the car. I swallowed and prepared myself.

The blanket was lifted, and I used that moment of half-sight to my advantage. I took out the closet one and worked my way out from there. I was a good fighter. Wasn’t always, but this last year I’d become one of the best. Even beating my own brother from time to time…

The crowbar really helped. I heard a couple of bones braking. I felt kinda of bad. I was trained to take down werewolves and here I was, beating up a couple of rich kids.

When they all were grunting on the ground, I threw the crowbar on the ground, before grabbing my stuff and bolted out of there. Into the surrounding woods. My precious cargo pressed against my chest.

“GET HER!”

What the actual fuck?! They were up again? Already?

That’s when I realized. Fuck! I’d been hijacking a ride with the enemy! They were---

That’s when I heart the howl. I screamed, feeling the heavy weight on my back. Heaven and earth started spinning. I’d lost my balance.

Shit!

Desperately, I tried to angle my fall, so the package in my arms wasn’t hurt. I hissed. The wet forest ground scraping my arms and legs. The wolf jumped over my head, but turned to me again. He snarled at me, while I was fighting to get up again. Every fiber in my body searching for a way to get away.

Double shit! Why didn’t I keep the crowbar?!

“Stay down, if you knows what’s good for you,” a man suddenly growled at me. I looked up and came face to face with the tallest and most likely the most handsome man I’d ever sat eyes on before. Light blond hair, that was falling into his perfect, fucking photoshopped face from the run. His piercing blue eyes, that looked like the skies just before sunset, were intensely studding me, making me feel an inch tall until the scrutiny.

I gasped forcing my back against a tree. That’s when the look finally softened. When they all suddenly realized that I – in their eyes anyway – was just a child.

Intense silence fell. The men looked confused to each other or me. I fought to catch my breath again. They looked like they were talking without words. And I intended to use this opportunity to weigh up my options. Which weren’t many at the moment. And chances of actually escaping, were slim to none…

That’s when it happened.

A piercing cry filled the air. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks. Even the wolf took a surprise step back. All looking at me, like I’d grown an extra head. I cursed under my breath. After everything and now she makes an appearance!?

“A baby?!”