The Lycan Hunter (The Gardinian World Series) (22 page)

“Today we gather, the faithful and true, to bid farewell to our
kinsmen. Travel safely to the arms of the beloved Goddess Lelah. Tak
e
your place in the arms of our people. May their presence bring you
solace and healing. Farewell, until we see you in the peaceful embrace
of Gardas.”

Kyran blew out his candle after a breath of silence. The pack followed
with a singular exhale that blacked out the mass of candles on one breath
, bathing him in the smoky haze of their pain.

***

In the smog that lingered, Alexis watched a woman appear from thin air onto the stage next to Kyran. If she hadn’t gone to Gardas – a trip that she was still trying to process –, she would have questioned the validity of her sanity.

As she surveyed the room and took in the solemn postures, she wondered why no one noticed her standing in the rear of the room. Not that she was exactly hoping to be discovered.

Something had propelled her to come here after Ronan left her room,
but as she stood here watching the ceremony, something screamed for
her to leave. She should allow Kyran and his pack this moment without
her as a potential distraction, but she couldn’t seem to go.

Everything from the way the crisp whites clashed violently with the various shades of red to the prayer Kyran recited culminated in a
simple, yet beautiful ceremony. Hunter funerals usually entailed piles
of freshly-turned dirt thrown over impersonal wooden coffins.

The woman, the same woman she had seen in Gardas, stepped
forward and placed her hand on the bodies.

“They call to me,” she said, “to bring them home, to give their souls
rest in Gardas. In the pages of the Doctrine of Liflasir, they hope to find
their judgment. From the planks of Gelfar and over the souls of Meihleh
, they will travel to find their final peace, be it in Gronak or Imel.”

The goddess – Lelah if she remembered correctly – pulled her
hands away from the bodies. They crumbled, becoming nothing more
than ashes partially hidden by the white sheets that had been draped over the bodies. Alexis let out a small gasp that she quickly covered to avoid drawing attention to her position.

Two sets of Lycans gathered the sheets that had adorned the bodies
and hung them from hooks lodged in the ceiling. Once hung, the twin
sized sheets waved like banners in a gentle breeze.

The remains were then gathered into a small urn and set in the
middle of their respective platforms. From the side, two males carried
in a small, ornately carved fire pit and set it at the foot of the altar. In mournful silence, the Lycans who had gathered the ashes placed the
urns in the pit. The fire rose, licking at its new additions before settling
to a quiet roar.

Kyran stepped forward, giving a short bow to Lelah before he
knelt again in front of his pack.

“It is by my hand that these males no longer live. I offer them my blessing as their Mikko to find the solace in Gardas that eluded them
here. To Goddess Lelah, we thank you. You are our Guardian into life
and our comforting usher in death. We are humbled by your presence
here today. For your service, we offer our Mourning sashes.”

Kyran rose and pulled the red sash from his pants and placed it in t
he gentle blaze. The fire jumped and roared in acceptance of his offering,
and as each member of the pack placed their sashes in the blaze, the fire
jumped and seemingly voiced its approval by way of its loud crackling.

After the last sash was added, Lelah approached the pit, smiling down at the gathered pack before giving a bow of her own.

“So it is done and you should mourn no more. Those you have
given me are at peace. May you find the same in the days to come.”

With a final bow, she silenced the flames and disappeared.

Alexis shrunk back as the room came alive only to bump into a
tall, rock hard body. She swung around, nearly ripping her IV tube
free of her arm.

“Who are you?”

The man looked like carved ebony with god like features, stared stone-faced down at her. “After all this time, I shouldn’t be surprised
that the Hunters have so easily forsaken their creators. Yet I stand here
in awe at the depth of your ignorance.” He waved a hand in front of
himself. “I am Vili, the God of Wisdom and one of the integral creators
of the Hunters.”

Alexis looked back at the room and noticed a portion of the pack was walking toward the hall that she stood in.

Vili sighed. “They won’t see you, as I have shielded you like the Hermods cloak themselves from view.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, I know. Your ignorance is blinding, but you will have to learn
on your own time. My patience grows thin, and you need to return to
your room before your absence is noticed.”

She followed Vili back toward the infirmary.

“Why did you do it? Why shield me from them?”

He swung around, the drama evident in the billowing of his
unbuttoned white linen shirt and his heated brown gaze.

“They say that knowledge is power. You lack knowledge on so much that it is amazing that Hunters have managed to survive this long. Makes me wonder the logic of the Lycans for fearing you.” He
turned and resumed walking. “You shouldn
’
t kill what you don
’
t
understand, just as you can't truly love what you don
’
t comprehend.
”
He flashed a grimace of a smile. “You are welcome as I have given you
my blessing of knowledge.”

Alexis stopped.
“Thank you, but what does any of that have to do
with me? I
’
m done killing Lycans in the name of the Hunters, and what
does love have to do with anything?”

Vili raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. “On one of those options,
you will not have a choice. Now, come, Hunter; the Lycan will soon
discover that you are missing. Trust me. It
’
s not something that you
want to happen.”

He opened the door and ushered Alexis inside, while her mind
still
swam with what choice she would have to face. Neither was an option to her, the only option moving forward was to sever ties with Kyran and his pack completely. She didn’t want to be the reason that Kyran ever fell to his knees in front of his pack. Watching him doing it once was enough.

KYRAN OPENED THE DOOR
to the infirmary to see Alexis sitting on the edge, watching her legs swing back and forth. Her toned legs
–
much like the rest of her – sparked his desire to touch her again. H
is
body longed to know hers again, but as he watched the steady motion
of her legs, he took an equally steady breath. He needed to sever their
ties, because his mind was drifting to what he could do if he just wrapped
her legs around his waist, and those thoughts didn
’
t serve either of them
in the long term.

“You need to lie down,” he said.

She swung her sculpted legs on the bed and let her hair fan around
her as she relaxed against the inclined bed. She avoided focusing on him, concentrating instead on picking at her closely cropped nails.

“How are you feeling?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”

Kyran narrowed his eyes at her and tried to figure out what was
with the shift in her attitude. Outside of her jerky hand movements,
she displayed no emotion. He forced her to meet his gaze by cupping
her chin and stroking his finger along her jaw.

“We need to talk.”

She smiled. “That sounds like the break up speech every girl dreams
of.” She gave him a soft pat on his arm before pulling away. “Lucky for you, we only had sex, so there’s no need for the talk.”

He shook his head. “There’s more to it than that, Alexis.”

“What else is there, Kyran? You can’t keep killing your pack over
me. I get
that
. It’s fine. Better yet, once you give me the all clear, I’m
going to leave. It
’
s not like you need me anymore. You have Nigel, who
still has his credibility with the Hunters.”

Kyran ran his hands through his hair. This conversation shouldn
’
t
be this easy. She acted like she couldn
’
t wait to leave, to get away from
him. “Where will you go?”

“It doesn’t really matter. The Hunters are likely after me now, so I just need to lie low somewhere.”

“Is it really that easy for you to just leave?”

“Would it make it easier for you if I cried or threw a hysterical fit?”
She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not stupid, Kyran. We had one night and that’s all it will ever be. Besides, you were more than likely going to give me the same speech.”

Kyran pushed his chair back and began to pace. He understood
the ramifications of his thoughts. Lycans – Talas especially – mated
for life. Where other Lycan groups could and sometimes would mate
with another, Talas found their one and only in the one whose soul
they Saw. The slight possibility that the bond between their souls was
a mistake propelled him to mentally commit to letting her leave, hoping
all along his decision would backfire.

“True,” he said, “but that isn
’
t the only reason I had to talk to you.”
He stopped at her bedside and regarded her for a minute before he
spoke again. “You need to understand what it means to Soul See, because
Seeing each other
’
s soul, our essences, is a big deal to Lycans. For Talas,
it means a one and only type of mate. I don
’
t understand what is
happening in our situation, but the fact that we can see each other
’
s
is just one reason that we need to stop whatever is going on between
us. I want a family one day, and nothing that happens between us will
give me that.” He turned away and walked to the sink. “Besides, you
don
’
t belong here. You aren
’
t pack, and I would never be able to force
the pack see beyond that.”

Alexis flashed him a slow, sad smile. She kept any other trace of her emotional landscape hidden from him.

“I understand all of that Kyran, and it
’
s fine. I
’
ve never wanted kids.
I
don
’
t think I
’
d be cut out for it. As for the pack, I can’t really blame
them. I’m a Hunter. They’d never feel safe around me, and that’s the least they deserve in their own home.” She pushed up from the bed, swinging her legs back over the side.

“You need to – ”

“No, I don’t need to lie down, Kyran. I’m fine. What I need to do
is get dressed.” She glanced at the clock. “If I leave now, I can get at
least a hundred miles away before dawn.”

Kyran stared at her, trying to comprehend what she way saying. She couldn’t be about leaving right now.

“Alexis, you just had surgery. You aren
’
t fit to leave tonight. Maybe
tomorrow, but I doubt it.”

“The sooner I leave the better.”

“Why are you in such a rush?”

She was silent for a few moments, but when she focused on him, her features gave him nothing.

“I hate sitting still when I could be doing something.”

“The only thing that you should be doing is healing. Rest and
relax, and let your body do what it needs to do.”

He gathered some supplies from the various cabinets and stuffed
them in his jean pockets. “If you want to leave tomorrow, you need a good night’s sleep. You won’t get it in here. Come on. You’ll sleep in my room.”

“That
’
s okay. I
’
ll sleep here. Or maybe that room I was in before?”

The Green Room was a valid option– not that the possessive part of his soul cared to acknowledge. She’d been stolen from him before,
and the last thing he needed was someone to get inspired by stupidity
to take her from him again. It had nothing to do with wanting just one
more night with her close to him.

A dark whisper in the recesses of his mind told him just how screwed
he was, but he ignored it. He had to mute that ominous whisper. The morale of his pack and the life he put on hold demanded it.

“No. You’ll sleep in my room. Don’t worry; nothing will happen. All we’re doing is going to sleep.”

Alexis snorted. “I wasn’t worried about that. It’s just better in the eyes of the pack if I sleep somewhere else.”

“Come on. The pack is something that I will have to deal with regardless.”

Kyran offered to carry Alexis to his room, but she declined before
using the IV pole to stand. The pace at which she followed him said
it was going to be an unnecessarily long walk. He almost reconsidered
carrying her, but her rod straight posture and the determined set of
her delicate jaw screamed
‘I can do it’
despite the pained creases in
the corners of her mouth.