Heart of Ice

Chapter Eleven

Song: tolerate it- Taylor Swift

The day I started hating Hunter was the day I lost the one real constant I had ever known-- the one person in the world besides my parents that I knew would keep me safe. As long as Hunter was there, I didn't have to fight the monsters alone. I knew he would be with me every step of the way, as my best friend and my protector.

A week had gone by since my first kiss with him, and although it always brought a smile to my face, it also left my heart heavy. If I had known that kissing him would lead to him avoiding me like the black plague, I would've never attempted it.

But then again, he kissed back.

No matter how hard I tried to talk to him or to get his attention long enough to address what happened, he always found a way to ignore me. Sometimes he would pretend to hear someone calling for him, other times he would make an excuse up about something he had to do, saying that he didn't have time and to try again later. Even at night when he would lay with me, he would stay near the edge of the bed with his back faced to me, and I knew better than to attempt to talk to him then-- especially considering he seemed to be the only thing that could keep the nightmares at bay or, at the very least, lessen their affect. I hardly slept without him comforting me through the night. Safety was in his arms and having to hold my blanket just wasn't sufficing for the warmth he gave me. So, after I knew for certain he was asleep, I would wrap my arms around his waist and bury my head in his back. Eventually, he would turn and hold me, and I would fall asleep. When morning came, I made sure to wake up before him so he wouldn't think he had held me during the night.

That is, until I had one of the worst nightmares I had ever experienced.

When I went to bed the night before, my mom told me that Hunter wouldn't be coming in because he was going out with some friends. She laid with me for a while until I fell asleep, but then, those neon green eyes had appeared before me again, and before I could run, he had me chained to a chair. He stood in front of me, a dagger in his hand, and I screamed as loud as I could, but all he did was laugh. What scared me the most was when he decided it was time to use the dagger-- mostly because he hadn't been the one to use it.

Hunter walked up beside him, his eyes void of emotion as he smirked at me. He grabbed the dagger out of the man's hand and walked toward me, and the coldness that radiated off him sent chills down my spine. I begged him not to, but all he did was laugh as he plunged the dagger into my heart.

When I woke, I clutched at my chest, physically able to feel the pain from the nightmare, and when I frantically grasped for Hunter, I remembered that he wasn't there. I tumbled out of bed and ran down the hall toward Hunter's room, but just as I was about to open the door, I heard him and his friend laughing.

"Not sleeping with your girl tonight, huh?" His friend had said, and Hunter groaned as his feet shuffled around his room. My hand dropped from the knob as I leaned closer to the door.

"She's not my girl."

"Then why do you lay with her every night?"

"You know how it is, man. Pack responsibilities. Ever since she started having those nightmares, my brother forced me to take care of her because she clung to me when she was younger," Hunter paused. "I suggested the idea to her dad, and he thought it was great. At first I was okay with it too. I was doing something good for the pack, and she never deserved the nightmares she had. As she grew up, though, it almost seemed like she was obsessed with me. I couldn't go anywhere without her."

His friend snickered. "So, what, she has a crush on you?"

"I wouldn't doubt it. She even kissed me in training the other morning and I had to push her off me," Hunter chuckled, and I wanted so badly to walk away, but I couldn't. My feet were glued to the ground, and tears were starting to blur my vision. "Nobody else really wants to be around her, and now I'm stuck with that responsibility. It's to the point where I can't stand being around her. I guess I'm just sick of babysitting duty."