Releasing the Hunter. Vivi Anna

backed out of the room and swung the door shut, but it popped open again.

      Ivy ignored it and finished her shower. She twisted the taps closed and grabbed the semi-clean towel hanging on the rack. she sniffed it. It at least smelled like bleach and nothing else offensive.

      Stepping out of the plastic box, she patted herself dry then redressed in her old clothing. She kept the harnesses off for now. At least her skin was fairly clean, though she’d have to live with the funky stench coming from her shirt. Revenant was difficult to get out of cotton.

      Feeling a little bit more human, she came out of the bathroom and went to her bag. She unzipped it and grabbed her cell phone. She had some calls to make to find out what happened. How did Sallos find her house? Or maybe it wasn’t even Sallos, but she didn’t believe in coincidences, so he had to be the demon who had rigged her house to blow with demon fire.

      She punched in the number for an old hunting buddy named Jake. He was usually pretty reliable with information. He had a few scumbag informants that hung around demons and the like. He answered on the third ring.

      “Ivy, baby, what’s shaking?”

      “Your head will be if you call me baby again.” She sat down on the bed, realizing how tired she was.

      He chuckled. “What’s up? You need something?”

      “Has there been any word out there on me? Someone really interested in where I’m at?”

      “Someone’s always interested in where you are at, Ivy.” He paused. “Did something happen?”

      “One of my safe houses was compromised.”

      “Shit.” He drew the word out. “That’s harsh.”

      “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

      “If someone’s been asking questions about you, it hasn’t been to me.”

      She nodded. Jake was a stand-up guy. She knew he wouldn’t blab any info about her to anyone. He’d hunted with her brother and even with her dad before he’d died five years ago. “Okay, thanks, Jake.”

      “Anything else, my one and only love?”

      She laughed. “Yeah, if you get wind about a demon named Sallos, let me know right away.”

      “You got it.” He disconnected.

      Ivy flipped her phone closed then tossed it back into her bag. She had other calls to make but her stomach was grumbling and she was looking forward to Ronan returning with some food.

      She lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her opinion of Ronan was starting to change. But only a little. He’d saved her ass, so she granted him a reprieve from thinking of him as a darkness-sucking demon. And he was getting her some food. That always counted for something.

      As if to punctuate her rumbling belly, the room door opened and Ronan walked in with two bags of food. “I hope you’re hungry. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you pretty much one of everything.” He crossed the room and handed her a white paper bag.

      “Thanks.” She opened the bag and inhaled the delectable smells. “Jesus, that smells amazing.” She reached in and pulled out a double burger, loaded. She unwrapped it and took a healthy bite. The spiced greasy flavor exploded in her mouth and she closed her eyes in delight and sighed. She finished it in another three bites. As she chewed the last of it, she reached into the bag for more. She pulled out a large order of fries.

      “There’s no ketchup.”

      Ronan tossed her a couple of packets. She caught them, ripped them open and squeezed the ketchup all over her fries.

      “I’ve never seen a woman eat like you do.”

      “Yeah, well, I doubt you’ve met any women like me.”

      He smiled around his food. “That’s for sure.”

      “I’m not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.” She shoved three fries into her mouth. She had to admit that she enjoyed their banter. It had been a while since she’d met a man that could dish it out and take it in equal measure.

      “What would make you share those fries?”

      She laughed out loud. A full guffaw. It felt good to let it out, to let go. She offered him the box. “Either remark will get you half the box.”

      “Then it was a compliment.”

      Ronan reached over and grabbed a handful, and set them onto his spread-out burger wrapper on the table. Happily, he dipped them into a torn-open ketchup pack and ate them with gusto.

      She watched for a bit, wondering what his motives really were. Yes, he said he was after the same demon. For the first time, she wanted to know why. And why partner with her? Sure, she was the best, but given her reputation he must’ve known that she was impossible to work with.

      Why would a man subject himself to her belligerent ways if he could’ve gotten information from another source?

      He was obviously a glutton for punishment.

      “So,” he said after chewing, “did you find out anything?”

      “I talked to a source and he hasn’t caught wind of anyone asking around about me. But that doesn’t necessarily mean much. He’s not the only hunter out there. Though he is the only one that I can tolerate.”

      “Anyone else you can contact?”

      “Maybe.” She finished her fries and dumped the box into the white paper bag. “What about you? You must have contacts.”

      He looked at her for a second, then wiped his fingers on the paper napkin. “I do, but you’re not going to like them.”

      Demons. She should’ve known.

      She got up, pitched the bag into the garbage bin, and then stretched out onto the bed. “No, I probably won’t.”

      Ronan checked his watch. “It’s two now. I can’t talk to my contact until three. So catch some sleep while you can.”

      Ivy smooshed up the pillow behind her head and closed her eyes. “I plan to.”

      As she tried to relax her mind, she felt a dip on the mattress next to her. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked to her right. Ronan was fluffing his own pillow behind his head.

      “Excuse me?”

      He snorted at her. “Please. You can relax. You’re definitely not my type.”

      “Oh, you probably like them with black irises and sulfur for blood.”

      “Nah.” He rolled over onto his side, giving her his back. “I like women with souls.”

      She flinched as if struck. The harshness of his statement threw her for a loop. She supposed she’d been treating him badly but she was sure she didn’t deserve such a scathing remark. Did she?

      Ivy didn’t dignify his statement with a response, and she turned onto her side, as well. She punched the pillow under her head and closed her eyes again. She wouldn’t let him get to her. But after ten minutes of lying there listening to his rhythmic breathing, she realized he was already getting to her in more ways than one.

       Chapter 6

      Ronan slept for about forty minutes. He had the ability to nod off quickly, go under for a deep sleep and wake up fresh and alert. He didn’t sleep much as it was. He attributed that to the demon blood running through him. Full-blooded demons never slept. Gave them more time to cause chaos and havoc on the world.

      He moved carefully off the bed so as to not rouse Ivy. When he was up he looked down at her. She slept like she did everything else—with fierce conviction. Her forehead was wrinkled in concentration and it looked like she was grinding her teeth. Both hands were curled into fists. It looked like she’d