Novel & Cerita Fantasy Bounty Hunter

I felt for the blade strapped on my waist and grabbed it by the hilt. The door of my office-slash-house remained closed. The darkness inside of it was visible through the frosted square glass with the sticker “SCARLETMARK,” and underneath it, my name: Ruby Carnelian. Working as a bounty hunter, I could never be sure what was waiting for me whenever I got home from a job. If that was the case, this would not be the first time. I mean, if you’re out most days chasing supernatural creatures and devious humans, one of them—or someone who knows them—was bound to get some revenge on me of some sort. My fingers tightened on the hilt. It never hurt to be sure.

He opened it and drunk from it directly, ignoring the angry man on his front. "Huh! You are bounty hunters, right? Young bounty hunters who want to play around the globe. Doing fancy magic shows? Running out wild to earn what? Money? Fame? Build a name? Hah! You don't know me kiddos. I know you're just little cutie novices who will run away from me with your tails on your asses. I am a big name y'know that? My Master will never forgive you if you lay a hand on me. Wait, you already hurt me. Okay, just pay me and I'll think that nothing from this moment happe--"

I was expecting him to object and refuse on my behalf, but for some reason, he seems like he wants me to decide for myself. "What kind... of uhh... Bounty are we looking for?" "Let's just say a very naughty bounty has escaped my hands, and I would like to offer you twenty-four bars of silver and six of gold to complete the task." My eyes dilated in shock. TWENTY-FOUR BARS OF SILVER?! SIX BARS OF GOLD?! BARS?! "So what are we looking for? A were? A thief? A monster of some other race? A temple raid?"

"A billionaire in D.C. is looking for his missing granddaughter. Word is the trail leads straight to Los Angeles. Payout is enough to buy three mansions in Beverly Hills." "Not interested," I said. "I don't do 'missing persons' cases. Don't bore me." "Wait! Don't hang up!" his voice dropped. "There's another one—a national bounty posted by the Darkstar pack." I stopped tapping the side of the bottle. "Go on." "The Darkstars is going ballistic looking for someone. They've put up a ten-million-dollar bounty just to get the 'Hidden Healer' to show their face. Even the person who gives the tip gets a massive cut."

I said, glaring at the wolf, itching to stab that waggling tongue of his. Was there a way I could kill him without making Lucia even more suspicious? “Ryan, do you know these people?” she asked bluntly. Might as well give her enough to let me off the hook. “Bounty hunters. They are a small pack further East and they work for whoever pays them.” She pressed further stubbornly. “And do you know who that is? Who were they sent to kill?” “No,” I admitted truthfully. “They are often hired to capture deserters alive. There might be a runaway from Northern Fang on the loose.”

“What do you mean? A… bounty?” “Yes.” Hazel’s voice shook. “Declared an hour ago. Dead or alive.” My stomach twisted. Cold sweat slid down my spine. Dead or alive. A bounty meant hunters. A bounty meant wolves. A bounty meant strangers with greedy eyes and no hesitation to drag me back, or worse…. “Who?” The word tore from my throat, jagged and raw. “Who would do that?” Hazel hesitated, and that silence was louder than any answer. “No.” My chest heaved. “No, no…don’t tell me… Cardan. Did he—?”

I made him think I believe every word he says and he bought it. I was supposed to be hunting for this man who they call “the white dragon” that led the nightcrawlers. Shrugging it off, I accepted the job in exchange for triple the amount for our monthly allowance. Food is hard enough to get by in these times. I have to admit if it wasn’t for Hunter who took us into his pack we would have starved so I needed to do something about it. It has been weeks but nothing. It’s like they’ve all disappeared or shit like that. And when I heard my daughter ran away because of this pretty boy Hunter I wasted no time and left my post.

Incensed, my mind finally awakened, and I shot forward across the bed, only to be dragged backward, forced to look into his eyes. He wagged his finger several times, giving me a stern look. "I'm very disappointed in you, Serena. I thought we were getting along so well." "Did your boss tell you to fuck me?" He chuckled, caressing my face before loosening his hold. "I have no boss, Serena. I'm a bounty hunter and you are one hot catch." A bounty hunter? Why would a man like Santana Dioletti use a bounty hunter? "I don't believe you."

​The "Great Hunt" had turned the surface of Neo-Tokyo into a neon-lit slaughterhouse. Above ground, the "Bounty-App" was chirping in the pockets of millions, a digital siren song of greed. But three hundred feet below the Ginza district, Leo Vane was leading a ragged procession of two hundred "Marked" shifters through a space that shouldn't have existed.

My stomach dropped. "What?" He nodded. "I hired investigators to find you after you dared to run from me that morning. It took them a week to find you." Something was slamming hard against my rib cage in a really violent way. I knew what it was. My heart. "I found out who you were—Matteo Leone, a twenty three year old bisexual man, living in your father's house like a prisoner." He leaned forward slightly. "I learned everything about you—your urm... useless family, and your situation within hours of funding you."