Sitting down, she watched and waited patiently while Malik bathed next and she tilted her head to the side, unable to take her eyes off him.
"Why did you turn him?" Vincent asked.
"I don't know, he kept me alive and safe. I didn't want him to die."
"He's human…" Vincent said in a disgusted tone.
"I know, but I couldn't let him die, not this time."
"You desire each other."
"Does it matter?"
"You can't have sex with him. You know that would end badly for you both," he said gently.
She looked at him finally, frowning. "We cannot share blood, that is all," she snapped.
"It's not only the blood, Etani. This is one rule you actually need to listen to. Don't go down that path. If you really love him, you wouldn't do that to him."
She resented it, didn't want to listen to him, and when their eyes met, she turned away and her eyes fell back on Malik. He could feel her changing mood and looked around, frowning at the two of them.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, love," she sighed, standing as he stepped out of the water and accepted a new piece of fabric and robes.
"What did you say?" Malik demanded of Vincent.
"Don't worry, little vampire, it's not important."
Malik took her hand and pulled her to his side, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that was only slightly possessive, and her lips meeting his eagerly.
When her eyes opened, she found his already open and glaring at Vincent with a definite challenge in it.
Vincent glared right back at him and she looked between the two of them, a sudden anxious dread filling her. The men in her life were not going to like Malik at all.
***
Days slipped into weeks of peaceful quiet in the cave, neither of the Hunters willing to give her a moment if it meant she would be alone with Malik, and it was getting irritating. Their constant watching and their clever little ploys that ensured either she or Malik would be eager to go with whomever was the last man standing. Vincent spent a lot of his time either studying or out on runs to report back to Daemon of their failure to find her, and she found herself revelling in the peace it afforded her.
There was no stress, no need to feel threatened or worry about what they thought of her. Hunter and Vincent didn't feel any hostility or fear for her, and Malik was crazy about her. It made her feel good, almost normal, to be around them and that was something she didn't get to feel very often since coming to Ayathian.
Vincent's work was a slow process, and she was quick to catch up on what he had learnt. He was always leaving information for her to study that he believed was relevant without her having to wade through the fabrications and stories as he had done.
It was fascinating to learn about, and being underground made it impossible for her to track time, leaving her with no idea of how long she had been there. Vincent kept them all supplied, her and Malik sharing a human while Hunter got rabbits and deer when it was available and the three would slump down in a pile, full, and sleepy.
It was usually that point when Vincent would head out to report to Daemon, knowing they would be asleep for hours.
"He's getting suspicious," Vincent said after he had returned one night to find them all in his quarters. She was skimming through one of the books, Hunter trying to teach Malik how to play checkers with the vampire watching intently.
So far, they had not had any luck on removing her bindings, and she was too fascinated by learning about the Creators to worry about it while they were safe.
"We've had this long, I'm surprised we've had as much time as we have," Hunter said, frowning as he studied the board.
"How long has it been?" she asked, flipping the book sideways to study a diagram that was a dissection of a brain that pointed out a small lump.
She frowned, unsure of the context. Looking at the other page, she realised a page was missing and she would likely never know the story behind the brain.
"About four months, according to Daemon," Vincent sighed, crossing the room to peek over her shoulder at the book.
"It doesn't feel like that much," Malik said, scowling as Hunter tapped his piece all over the board and growled a happy.
"King."
"Being underground does that," she sighed, closing the book, and setting it aside. "What do we do?"
"I think we need to do the run," he said, and she scowled.
The suggestion had been made the first time Daemon had complained about the timeframe, that they do a run that would allow her to be spotted in a way that would allow easy escape. No one liked the idea, but so far, it was the best idea.
Resting her elbows on the desk, she turned to look at the three of them.
"Alright, if it buys us a few more months then it'll be worth it, right?" she asked.
Vincent nodded, leaning down to kiss the top of her head with a gentle squeeze of her shoulders that made Malik glare.
"What do we have in mind?" Hunter asked, setting aside the board.
"A forest is the best bet, close to a mountain or the ocean. Do they know I was in Istralis?" Vincent nodded. "Then it will need to be within three months walk of Istralis, for someone who was injured. What are our options?" she asked Malik.
Sitting up, he looked at her with a slight frown of thought. "There are a handful, it might be wise if take the evening and go explore."
"Good idea," Vincent said.
An odd surge of pride swelled up inside her for him that had him looking at her with a faint smile. "Etani can stay here with Hunter."
Both of their smiles faded, and they looked up at Vincent.
"Why?" she demanded, irritated by the suggestion.
"Because everyone knows your scent. It will need to be fresh, not old."
"Why a forest?" Hunter asked.
"In case they bring Kai," she said, her breath hitching as his name rolled off her tongue. It burned her to think about the vampire, and how very much she missed him.
"Why does it matter if he is there?" Malik said, her reaction making him moody.
"He's the fastest out of all of us," Vincent explained.
"He is the fastest and he can catch me on the ground, but I'm fastest in the trees so a forest means I can outrun him."
"Would Daemon do that? Bring him in, I mean," Malik asked.
She smiled grimly. "Everyone will be there. Perhaps even some of the Gods," she said, and Malik's eyes went huge.
"They want you back, and they will do whatever it takes to get you. You need to be prepared," Hunter said gently.
***
There was no way for her to prepare for what was to come. Vincent and Malik left, and she was alone with Hunter, pacing and chewing on her nail while her mind worked on what she would need to do in order to prepare for the plan.
"He will have to stay here," Hunter said quietly.
She didn't like it, but she nodded, knowing Malik would only raise more questions and the idea of Daemon getting his claws into her Malik wasn't appealing.
"I won't risk him," she said immediately.
Hunter nodded his agreement, standing and moving in front of her. "How are you going to handle this?" he asked.
"I don't know, Hunter. I'm scared, and the idea of seeing them all again…" she shook her head, her hand sliding into his and gripping it firmly as though he could make everything better for her. She didn't know if he could, but she needed the pretence.
"You have to be strong. You can break down after, when you're safe. But until then, you need to keep your chin up." He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted it to make her smile.
"We'll get this done and then we can all come back here where we're safe," she murmured.
He nodded, leaning forward to press his lips against her forehead.
Pulling her to the bed, she settled in at his side and rested her head against his shoulder as the hours ticked by, and she had dozed off when they returned, a gentle touch on her cheek dragging her eyes open and she looked up.
Malik was smiling gently, looking from her to the sleeping Hunter and back again before he motioned her to follow him.
Curious, she followed after him and glanced around, but Vincent wasn't there. Glancing back at Malik, she took his proffered hand as they headed out into the hall.
"Vincent said to let you sleep and remain silent, but I couldn't," he said gently and he stopped midway down the hall, turning and thrusting her up against the wall, his mouth hard on hers.
The shock only lasted a second before she was clutching him to her and kissing him back furiously, his hands finding her backside and lifting her up. Wrapping her legs tight around his middle, her arms went around his neck and she groaned softly against his lips, hunger flooding her body at his touch.
His sigh of her name against her lips had her shuddering, and she bit down hard on his lower lip. The taste of his blood hit her like a slap while the pain of her bite did the same to him and he growled, jerking her dress out from between them while keeping one hand solidly on her rump.
Curling her fingers in his hair, she clutched him to her and sucked hard on his lip while he struggled with his pants, frustrated and impatient.
Reaching down between them, she found the knot and tugged at it, wanting it gone when a gentle cough made them both freeze.
Turning their heads slowly, they found a stranger leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his mask bearing a giant grin that his eyes agreed with.
"Having a bit of fun, are we?" he asked, clearly amused.
"We were until you came along," Malik growled, furious at the interruption.
The man was skinny to the point of being gaunt, dressed in black with the grinning mouth mask that covered the lower half of his face, black hair a wild mess that looked almost intentional.
"Yeah, sorry about that. But Vincent was clear you two weren't to be having any fun."
"Ignore him?" Malik asked.
She sighed at the laugh the man made. It wasn't a good idea to antagonise the Hunters.
"It's not a good idea to get on their bad side," she said as she placed her feet back on the ground, Malik growling in frustration as she drew away from him.
"Clever girl," the man said.
"Why do they wear masks?" Malik asked as he adjusted himself, still hungry for her.
"Physical differences," she said softly, but Malik only looked confused.
The man lifted the mask out of the way and Malik jerked back at the too-wide grin with a mouthful of pointed teeth and a tongue that was a deep red.
"Wasn't expecting that," Malik said, but she only shrugged, studying the man without his mask. It was oddly appealing to her, all those sharp teeth and that wicked glint in his crimson eyes. His eyes were on hers and she flushed when she guessed he could likely sense the interest in her, turning away and tugging Malik along back in the direction of Vincent's rooms.
"If you ever want a real man, you know where I live," the man called out.
Ignoring him, she lifted her hand, her middle finger extended. She didn't know when she had stopped using two fingers in a means to tell people to fuck off, but there it was, and the man burst out laughing, the sound both amused and slightly suggestive.
Slipping back into the room, Hunter was still asleep. They glanced at him before turning back, and their lips met once more, passionate and burning need. She knew perfectly well what was at risk if they were to become intimate, but still the desire for him set her blood to boiling.
Reluctantly moving back from him, she sighed and shook her head, her eyes lingering on his swollen lower lip where she had bitten him and drank even a small amount of his blood. She hadn't even thought about it, she had simply acted, and she closed her eyes, realising too late that Vincent was right. She couldn't be with Malik even if she wanted it. It was dangerous and she couldn't risk her precious Malik.