Hunting the Hunter Ch. 04

"Do you even understand the meaning of the word 'no'?"

He felt her lips brush his ear. "Oh come on, you wouldn't like me as much if I did." Her voice was still raw and breathy. He shivered as she ran her tongue up the side of his neck and her fingers trailed lightly through his hair. He nipped her shoulder in return and pulled away, rolling off of her and onto his back, laying still on the hard packed earth, his vision filled with a clear star filled sky.

"We shouldn't have done that."

He heard an exasperated sigh beside him.

"You can't be serious."

He turned to look at her and she rose up on one arm to glare down at him. His eyes automatically followed the long line of her body over the curve of her waist and hip and along her slender legs. Her skin still shone with sweat and sex. She looked like a nymph carved from the night itself, perfect and surreal. Gods but she was beautiful. He was utterly doomed.

He smiled slightly, but he could feel it was a pained smile. Up was down, right was wrong...he didn't feel like he was living in his own head anymore. His smile vanished and he shook his head to clear it. He looked away.

"I am. I care for you Ina...but we can't do this again. Alright?"

"Why?" he arched a brow and turned to her once more, surprised by the plaintive quality in her voice.

He didn't answer the question.

"I thought you were mad at me." He said after a long moment. She pursed her lips and he tried not to stare at the full red rose of it.

"Was...and am going to be again soon at this rate..." She rolled her eyes and sighed with a frustrated wave of her hand. "Fine...whatever. Thanks for not sending me to bed without my supper this time at least." She groused with a pout and lay back down, turning away from him, muttering something under her breath in a language he didn't recognize. He was pretty sure he didn't want to understand it.

She had been angry with him, and cold...so why would she suddenly want him again? He frowned, the creeping feeling of insecurity he'd had earlier returning as the warm lingering glow of pleasure slowly faded. He didn't like this feeling, this not knowing. He was going to have to fix it.

She squeaked as he rolled her onto her back pinning her arms and legs with his own, using his mass to hold her down. Her momentary surprise was replaced with a soft, lazy smile.

"I thought you said we weren't going to do this again."

"We're not." He looked down at her with a deadly serious expression. Her smile faded and she cocked a brow at him.

"I know you're bigger and stronger than me...but I can still roast you if I wanted to."

"You won't" he answered, his voice still quiet and serious.

"Oh?" Her own expression turned a little harder. A little more like the one she'd given him earlier that evening, the one that had prompted him to do what he was doing now. But a little bitter-sweet smile tugged at the corners of his own mouth.

"You can no more hurt me than I could hurt you."

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?" He returned her cold smirk. "Are you in any physical pain?" She didn't answer, but narrowed her eyes. "I didn't think so."

"What are you doing Feric?"

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer." Her expression shifted again to something he didn't quite recognize.

"Do you now."

He gave her another hard look and tightened his grip on her wrists.

"Yes."

She tilted her head to the side and shifted underneath him, though she retained eye contact. His jaw tightened as he tried to ignore the softness of her body underneath him and the sleek smoothness of her damp skin against his, not to mentioned the lingering cloud of scent, of arousal and sex, still clinging to their bodies. She softened a little and almost smiled, though it looked almost melancholy, disappointed.

"I've never lied to you, Feric."

"But you haven't told me the whole truth either." He challenged, willing himself stick to his goal. The temptation to just release her, trust her, and let her have her way was very real at that moment. Not just because his mating instinct asked it of him, but he really did trust her, right to the core of him he trusted her. Despite what she had said, he knew he could, he was as sure as he was the sun would rise in the morning. But this was something he needed to know, that he needed to hear. He sighed when he saw her face harden again. "Ina..." he paused and took another breathe, "look, I trust you. I don't care what you said earlier. I do, but there's something I need to know, and I need you to tell me."

"Need or want?"

"At this point I'm not making the distinction."

She did smile at that.

"You don't need to hold me down...I promise I won't run away." Her smile widened and her voice took on a low purring quality. "Unless you like having me pinned under you, Serjo." He closed his eyes and turned his head away as she emphasised her point by writhing underneath him again, this time deliberately pressing her body against his. He gave her a warning look and grunted. It was half a sound of admittance, half of annoyance. She sighed when he remained still and tense above her.

"Alright Serjo, what is it you want to know?" He turned his gaze back to meet hers. "What do you want Inanna? Why are you helping us?" She cocked her head at him and gave him an appraising look.

"I told you...I like you." He sighed.

"That's not the answer I'm looking for."

"It's true."

"But what is in it for you? What are you hoping to get out of this?"

"Someone's been spending too much time with Lucas."

He let out a dry laugh. "Tell me."

"No." He blinked. He had expected a run around, hints and intimations, half truths and equivocation. He had not expected an outright denial.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?" he asked in disbelief, his shock and dismay ringing clearly in his ears. She laughed, obviously hearing it to.

"You want honesty? Here's honesty-- I won't tell you what I want because admitting it will give me a strategic disadvantage, and frankly I already have enough of those with you already."

"With me?"

"Yes with you."

"Are we in competition?"

She smirked. He released her hands and raised himself so that he was kneeling over her, still looking down at her face, though this time in confusion.

"Well that's a pretty picture." she murmured, her eyes tracing the length of his body appreciatively.

He sighed and got off of her, picking up his discarded robe and wrapping it around himself. She watched him.

"You said I couldn't hurt you...you said you trusted me...so what's the problem Feric?"

"What is it you want from me Ina?"

She sat up, pulling up her knees and wrapping her arms around them.

"Haven't I made myself explicit?"

"If you're so explicit, then why won't you say it...another game?"

"Oh Serjo, everything is a game...but unlike most people, I take my games very seriously." Her smile left her face. "You know what I want." She paused to watch him watch her right back. "I think you want it to." She laughed lowly and sighed. She gave him a genuine smile, though as sad as the one before. "More often than not it's the prey that leads the chase."

Ah. Was that really it? Just the call of mating? He supposed it made sense. He turned away and sat heavily on a nearby log. He'd half hoped it was something else, this only confirmed his fears and deepened his guilt. As if reading his mind she continued on.

"Are you disappointed, Muthsera? Were you hoping for a more exciting answer?"

He leaned forward and rested he elbows on his knees, looking over at her.

"Different perhaps. I...I can't Inanna. If I could tell you why..." he trailed off, uncertain of where he was going to go with that. He could tell her, there was nothing stopping him but his own fear.

"Why can't you?"

"I'm a coward."

She laughed. "At least you're honest." He smiled wryly down at his hands. "Tell me, since we're being so earnest right now...do you want me Feric?"

"I think that's pretty apparent."

They looked at each other a long moment, the air between them heavy with their silence. Her voice was soft. "Where I come from, when we want something, we take it. No hesitation, winner takes all...that sort of thing."

"I noticed." he muttered. She chuckled a little only to sigh and shake her head once more.

"I really don't understand Feric. Are you planning to explain it to me eventually?" He nodded, still looking at her.

"I will."

"It's really bothering you isn't it? Whatever it is you can't tell me."

"You have no idea."

"Well...I guess I'll have to trust you on that as well. But," she raised a finger and gave him a warning look, "I'm NOT going to like it, and you better bloody well tell me Everything when all this hunter crap is dealt with....understood? And it had better be Real good." He gave her a half-smile and nodded again.

"Yes 'mam." She huffed out a breath and looked very put out, giving him a peevish look.

"I am not happy." She leaned over and grabbed her discarded silk shirt, pulling it over her head, and laying back down on the roll. She turned away and he couldn't help but notice the way the material clung to her hips and backside, accentuating her long bare legs by just barely covering what lay beyond. He wasn't too happy either.

"Wake me up when the Masser is done." She muttered into her arm. He glanced up to the night sky. The great red body loomed high overhead, the smaller, paler one tucked timidly behind it.

"Yes 'mam." He murmured softly.

**

Inanna lay belly down on a low hillock watching the fort with narrowed eyes. Nothing. No one in or out all morning. Maybe they travelled at night. Geez...not more vampires...Yeah that fetcher probably set her up. No honour among thieves anymore. What was the empire coming to? She glanced to another of the rolling hills which surrounded the fort and tipped her bow up slightly. The long yellow grass waved back. She nodded to herself. Alright then, here goes nothing.

She was on her feet and moving in, keeping low, dodging from bush to bush and finding cover where she could. The fort was naturally well placed, sitting on an especially high rise in the landscape to afford better lookout views and minimize an enemy's ability to catch the forts residences unawares. Luckily the landscaping had gone to the birds over the last few centuries, so there was plenty of long grass and low scrub to hide the lone enterprising sneak. She hoped Feric was keeping up because she could catch no sign of movement on his part. He could be anywhere as far as she was concerned...but then it was as far as the enemy was concerned as well...so bonus. Soon enough the high broken tower was looming over her, its crumbling walls providing tantalizing and convenient views of the court yard. From her position she was able to count three, one up and two down, making rounds within the walls. It was more than she expected to be outside on guard, and that fact made her a little nervous. Then again these weren't your normal brain dead bandits, so she should have expected a little more organization and care.

She squinted up at the top guy. It looked like a human of some kind, bowman, fair skinned, but that was all she could catch. The two inside were wearing helms, one of fur, which was good as it made him easier to pick off, and the other looked like it might have been chain...but her glimpse had been brief, so it was hard to tell. She decided the bowman needed to come down first. They were circling the walls and the only way she could see them was when they were on the far side of the yard from her, and even then it was through a crumbling break in the wall, and not a hugely wide one at that, so she'd have to time it carefully.

She readied herself when he came around, lining up the shot with one of the distant bricks to keep her arms steady while she waited for him to circle around again, counting out the seconds it took to make the round. It was a long shot, so she tensed back the bow as tight as it would go. Finally the glinting tip of a carried bow came into view, she breathed in, let out a little air, and fired while the iron was hot.

She half expected it to miss, or hit a shoulder and do just enough damage to cause an alarm to go up to spur the others into action. But it didn't. It nailed the guy and she watched with baited breath as the arrow caught him in what looked like the throat and even lifted him backwards into the wall from the force of the blow. She released her breath and watched him go down, waiting uneasily for an outcry. She would have given him the extra arrow treatment, just in case, but the walls obscured her view, and randomly shooting arrows through cracks in the walls might catch a little more unwanted attention than she needed.

Thanks be to enchanted weaponry. One more thing never to leave home without. There was no sound so she slipped up to the base of the wall, creeping her way around the back end of the fort where the grass was longer and a few bristly pines provided some small amount of cover. She paused at a ragged V shaped gap where the wall had crumbled. Some of the well aged stones still bore faint traces of some massive blast which had tore the fort a new one back in the day. She ran a hand over the scarred stone and wondered how many spell swords and battle-mages had teamed up to make such a mess. She paused and listened when two voices drifted towards her from the other side of the gap. Male and female. She had thought the two downstairs were both men. Either she was mistaken, or there were more than two. She glanced into the courtyard. It was a mess. Most of the second tier was in pieces, and there was nothing at all left of the higher levels. She spotted someone moving into her field of vision and set another arrow in her bow. She couldn't see where the other two were...but what the hell, she'd shoot and run...they'd be easier to pick off once she'd lured them out. Where was Feric anyway?

She took the shot. The hunter stumbled, but didn't quite go down...letting out a shout of alarm and pain which set off the others, one of whom suddenly appear directly in front of her. She jumped back and released the arrow she was readying in her bow. It barely pierced the leather armour. The woman stumbled back, yarding the arrow out of her armour and pulling a sword at the same time.

Ina suddenly wished, and not for the first time in her life, that she was better at distance magic. She could see the one she already shot pulling himself together and moving towards them, and knew the other one was there somewhere as well. She could turn and run...but she had the sudden notion that doing the opposite of what was expected was what this situation called for. She swallowed her nerves and lunged at the woman just as the sword was fully freed from its sheath. They went down like a ton of bricks. Ina rolled off her and sprung towards the broken stairs on the other side of the courtyard. She pulled up a ball of fire in her hand and leapt up onto the center of the staircase whirling with her bow in one hand and a growing ball of flame in the other. She made it as big and flashy as she could...they didn't know she couldn't get much distance on it, and she wasn't about to tell them.

She gave them her craziest grin. "If you want me...you're gonna have to come get me N'wah." They hesitated, and for a moment she thought she had a good plan formulating, involving a lot of jumping around maybe, but good...but a shadow came at her from an angle she had thought clear a moment ago. The Bosmer must have just come out when he heard the shouting. She was about to whirl on him and unload the mass of flame she'd worked up but something else came out of the air from behind them all.

A massive, silent body slammed into the wood elf who let out a brief scream before falling silent. They all whirled to look down at the mangled body, two of the hunters stumbling back and away, gazing in horror at the mangled corpse and looking around for whatever did the damage. She could take a guess, but he was already gone. She took the lull to dock her bow and leapt at the third hunter, giving him a chest full of fire ball. He stumbled away screaming, falling to the ground desperately trying to claw away the unnatural heat which she knew was eating him up, inside and out. She rolled away and to the side, pulling her knife and waiting for the next comer. There wasn't any. She heard a scream beside her, and turned just fast enough to see the blur take out the last hunter before coming to a skidding halt, clods of earth and grass flying out from under long gouging claws. She'd barely registered the sight when the door next to her swung open and the dagger in her hand was flying toward an angry face. She was a little slow and the spell that hit her got her square in the chest, knocking her onto her back, her body jerking violently as the electric pain coursed through her body and a scream ripped through her insides, tearing her apart, but dying on her tongue as she gaped open mouthed at the blue sky.

It felt like her lungs had been wrung empty like a damp rag. There was a snarl behind her, and another scream. A golden head appeared over hers and she grinned up at it with a wince.

"Hey don't give me that look...I'm invincible don't you know?" She ruined her bit of swagger by immediately coughing up what felt like half her lung.

"Ow." She rolled up onto her knees, her limbs shaking and skin still buzzing with the lightening currents that had just made a respectable attempt at cooking her alive.

Something felt wrong...something inside...that couldn't be good. She coughed and grabbed a large vial from her belt, choking the bitter liquid down with another wet cough. It was a shame she needed this so soon. This was why she worked alone...it got too damn confusing when other people were involved. He was pretty scary though, which made her feel a bit better about the whole mess...she wouldn't have to watch his back quite as hard as the thought she might.

She got to her feet and checked her equipment, looking around at the same time. Six...no seven bodies already, he must have got a new one when she keeled over. Well whether he liked it or not, they were definitely making a point. The place looked like a war zone.

Luckily there wasn't much to the rest of the fort. It was smaller and half collapsed making it easy to navigate as there were only so many viable paths. They only encountered two people on their way through the winding corridors, both of which she nailed before they could send up an alarm. It made her wonder why they'd all been at the entrance. Preparing to leave?

They finally came to a heavy set of doors which in her experience indicated that they were nearing the heart of the place. If there was anything here to help them out it would be in here. Feric was prowling around behind her and she heard him huff. She looked back over her shoulder, her hand on the door ring. He lifted his head and jerked it toward the door. She released it and threw out a life detect spell. She smiled as Feric lit up before her like a night-market light show, shimmering with the reddish glow of the living, the brilliant light marking the impressive strength of his life force. Through the door a number of small shimmering lights appeared as well. Maybe another three, and relatively close. She held up a hand to indicate the number and nodded at the door. She cracked it, just the tiniest bit and saw a large well lit space with a figure moving about. He was in mixed armour...freelance rogue type no doubt. The still shimmering spell told her the other two were just around the corner. She closed the door and backed away.

"What do you think...should we wait until they leave and ambush, or go in spells blazing?" His eyes darted to a side corridor and she was about to nod agreement when he whirled again and the hair on his neck stood on end. The spell was just starting to fade, but not before she caught several glowing lights hovering through the walls around them. Crap. Someone came home, and they were being quite about it. She motioned to the corridor and then took up a position against the wall next to the second passage. She renewed her spell and watched as the place lit up again. They were everywhere. Damn damn damn.