Hunted Novels & Stories

Slowly, dreading what I might see, I turned around. There, between the trees, two burning red eyes stared back at me – the same ones from yesterday. They seemed to burn through me, seeing straight into my soul. I blinked, and they were gone but the message was clear. I was being Hunted.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

How fast could he be going? Through a small window pane, I see dark armed figures outside, noiselessly rounding this part of the building. This is a calculated attack. They are here for someone, or some people—they shot at our table first. Jules now slumps lifeless, it had to be a sniper. Maybe it's Jasper Grant next, or even both of us. I need to find Jasper Grant, he's the key to escaping this. And the windows, I must keep off the windows; the sniper's still out there.

What? Disappeared just like that? "And now he is waiting in the bushes for the right time to attack and take his revenge!" he hissed, running his hand through his dark brown locks. "My men are trying to get him out, but he is too smart for his own good. But don't worry, he won't be roaming free for long." My heart sank in my stomach. He was waiting to attack when we had no idea where he was? That was more dangerous than when we knew his location and movements.

I mutter. The game going on now is the Night Hunt: The Marked Deer. A ceremonial hunt but symbolic. One marked deer usually a volunteer is released into a controlled forest. Hunters compete individually. If the deer survives after three hours without being found by anyone then no one wins. It’ll be a tie. “Oh look there’s Anna, doing everything in her power not to lose.” Sofia says, sarcasm in her voice. I forgot she doesn’t just hate me she hates me and my friends. Especially Anna because Anna was the one who encouraged me the most to cause chaos for Sofia.

Once we were in the right place, Old Tim – and the demon possessing his body – were surprisingly easy to find. It was a relief to fall into the familiar routine of hunting. It gave me a chance to shut out my thoughts regarding Harper and Cyrus, and allowed me to focus fully on the task at hand. I was in my element here, stalking the streets of Beerbridge, my hand gripping the rowan knife in my pocket.

I took a seat next to Joy and listened to their conversation while focusing on my food. “Do hunters live in caves?” she asked. Atalanta shook her head, “no, in houses.” “Do hunters hunt their own food, or just wolves? Do they eat the wolves?” Atalanta almost choked on her food, “we keep animals, like chickens, and we hunt for deer. Hunters see werewolves as abominations, so they will not eat them. I honestly mostly got scrapes to eat and usually there wasn’t much meat left over.” “Abominations?!” Joy had said, clearly feeling insulted.

Mr Alarcon asked, “What are you doing? Did you lose something?” When I saw him sitting comfortably on the sofa, asked, “Come and search with me.” “Brian's searching the first floor, and I'm here. You go look on the second and third floor. I'll come and join you after I'm done with the rooms here.” “What are you looking for?” “The bird. It's missing.” He leaned back as he said, “Finally, the devil is gone.” Brian came down and asked me in years, “Elise, I can't find it on the first floor. Did you find it?”

“It’s best to come with us before the others find you.” Others? “Listen, I think you have the wrong girl. I’m just a bounty hunter.” I pushed Lukas a little, and I took in the men in front of us. They were all wearing the same clothing style as the men who had met us in the bar close to the industrial sector, but what stood out was a small pin they all had on their left breast—an owl in flight. They were Noctua. Another man came forward and flashed me a picture. My picture.

"Keep it steady!" I regained my footing between the bags, aimed, then took another two shots. One hit his upper arm, the other his shoulder, but he kept coming, unfazed by the gushing holes. I shifted my weight onto my other foot and grinned. I might not have stopped him, but the Thornblood dipped bullets had punctured him, binding shade and host to the same satisfying fate. I fired one last time, hitting him strait between his soulless eyes.

Then, the forest came to life. From these trees, the deep shadows emerged. The low rumble of a dozen more engines roared to life as more men emerged from the trees to circle the Crimson Sparrow pack completely. Henrique Crimson Sparrow turned pale. “Are we ready to talk business now?” I said sweetly. Henrique scoffed, trying to cover his fear. He pounded his fist on his helmet. “You think this scares me? Letting them waltz in here?” “Yes, considering you were generous to waltz into my territory,” I blurted.