Chapter 99

Chapter 99
Mae PoV

I stop dead in my tracks, my eyes widening at the sight of the man who lied to me my whole life. He never loved me, he’s the reason my mother is dead, he just wanted to use me. He wanted a weapon, not a daughter, and I was the perfect test subject. Until I went rogue.

I suspect he hates me, especially after I killed my brother Sean, his real child. I was someone who was never supposed to be born. My mother fell in love with someone else and betrayed the hunter council, and Nathanial, and he killed her for it. But not before he took me from her.

My real father didn’t know what happened to me until Mihai contacted him, and now suddenly. The council are interested in me again, and not just because they want me dead.

Something is wrong here. Very wrong.

I need to let Mihai know, but how? I’ll give myself away if I tell him to attack and I may not make it out of here alive.

I need to play this safe.

I need to keep them clueless until the last second.

“Nathanial.” I say slowly, ignoring the council members stares. “How nice it is to see the man who sent my brother to kill me.”

“Message understood.” Mihai says through the earpiece, his voice strained. “We are close, ETA ten minutes, keep them talking.”

I keep my face neutral, not letting my enemy know I have back up coming.

Nathanial’s eyes darken. “Mae, that is no way to speak to the man who raised you.” He growls. “I took you in when no one else wanted you.”

I laugh, I laugh so hard I give myself stitch. “No one else wanted me?” I shake my head, “a few months ago I would have believed that. But then I met my REAL father.”

His eyes darken even more, something I never knew possible for a human. But then again, he was never just average. The hunter council probably experimented on him. They do that to their best hunters.

And he’s the best they have now I’ve gone rogue.

But I never needed to be experimented on because I was never human.

“Let’s not start arguing, you are family.” Says the female council member, her pale green eyes almost glowing under the flames. “We came here for a reason Nathanial. You’ll do well to remember that.”

Margret Flood. She’s known for her no-nonsense approach to any and all situations. She has red hair, bright and clearly dyed within an inch of its life. She’s tall, probably six-foot-two. Taller than me. And she’s strong, like hell. I’d struggle beating her.

The two men with her were Darren Flood, her husband, and Thomas Grundem. Both were exceptional and both were opponents I’d have to be careful with. they are quick and they don’t take prisoners; they know nothing about mercy.

All three of them are dressed up in the finest gear, lightweight armour, weapons at their sides. It is clear to me that they didn’t just come here to talk.

“He’s not My family.” I say slowly, keeping my voice void of emotion. “But we are here to talk; so, talk. What do you want?”

Ten minutes seems like an eternity right now.

If they attack, I’m dead meat.

Darren steps forward, his eyes hard. “We came here to tell you that you need to come home.” He says, voice cold. “If you do, all your sins against the council will be forgiven.”

Oh how nice of them, he’s basically saying ‘come and fight for us and we’ll consider not killing you.’ I’d rather not.

“You brought me all the way out here to entice me back?” I ask, looking around.

There are fifteen guards with them. That’s too many to fight at once.

Come on Mihai, you need to hurry the fuck up.

They go silent, watching me.

“Ok.” I say, my voice low. “But if you wanted me back, why try and kill me on several occasions?”

Thomas steps forward this time, his arms crossed. “You forced us to make the hard choices on your behalf, you ran away with the enemy. You slept with him. What did you expect us to do?”

“I expected you to leave me alone to live the life I had chosen for myself.” I lie.

I knew they weren’t going to leave me alone, I knew they’d try to kill me the moment Mihai burned his crest into my skin. But I’m not the sort of person to go down without a fight.

“Think about this clearly for a moment, Mae.” Margret says, her voice softer now. “We are giving you a chance to come home.”

“Yes, you are.” I say. Wishing I had brought a weapon with me. “And I can’t figure out why.”

Mihai was right, coming here was a mistake.

“You are strong Mae.” Nathanial tells me, though it wasn’t like I didn’t already know that. “You belong on the right side of this war. I can forgive you for what you did to Sean. It was self defence.”

“You forgive me?” I ask, slowly losing my cool. “You are the one who sent him to kill me!”

“I did.” He says, showing me no emotion. “But that is because I thought you were the enemy. This is your chance to prove me wrong. Come home.”

I stare at him, wondering where he got the fucking nerve to speak to me like that after all he has done to me.

“Five minutes away.” Mihai’s voice comes from the small speaker in my ear.

Five minutes isn’t soon enough.

“We are only offering this choice here and now.” Thomas says, moving closer to the fire. “It’s time for you to make your choice.”

“You should come home Mae, don’t make us hurt you.” Darren says, his voice like silk. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

“You don’t have to hurt me.” I say, my tone clipped. “You could let me go and leave me and my family alone.”

“You know that we can’t do that, Mae.” Margret frowns. “You either come back with us, or tonight is your last.”

There it is, the threat.

The ‘do what I say or else’ speech.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I say, dropping my stance. “I made my choice a while ago, and nothing you say can change that. I thought this was a meeting about peace, but I see now that you’ll never give me that. You’ll never give any of the Nati that.”

Margret sighs like I’m a spoiled child, “you’ll regret that choice Mae.”

I smile. “I won’t.”

“We’re almost there.” Mihai says, his voice frantic in my ear.

I turn the earpiece off; he doesn’t need to hear what comes next.

“Take her alive.” Thomas orders the men behind him.

They all move at once, and so do i.

The fight has just begun, and o don’t intend to let them take me alive.