HUNTED

That evening Finn waited patiently, sitting on a haystack, staring out at the darkening sky. Sariah brought him food earlier, but she had not been back since. It was making him nervous, and the more he waited and stared at the open doors before him, the more he just wanted to jump up and escape. It would be easy enough; his strength had returned along with his wolf.

Finn felt much better now, though Logan wanted to shift, his wolf felt cooped up, and he was increasingly frustrated as he had yet to see Sariah. He could see her, but he was blocked from connecting to her. Logan was also 100% that she was their mate, and so he was agitated by not seeing her since returning.

However, their wait was not long. The doors behind Finn slid open, and he whipped his head to the side to see Sariah return and actually looking like a ninja. She wore all black, her hair up, and her face half-hidden by a mask. Finn locked eyes with her, and his body moved before his mind caught up with him. He rushed to her and grabbed her by the face; the pair stared at each other. There was no fear behind her eyes as his chest heaved up and down.

"Mate," Finn said quietly; his wolf was pacing at the edges of his mind, losing himself to the scent of their mate and wanting to breakthrough. But Finn held him back. Sariah was not a werewolf, and she might become fearful of him if they shifted or acted too emotional in front of her. Everything seemed to click into place by merely staring at her, and he knew he could not deal with it if she rejected him. Sariah was now his everything.

Finn was surprised that she stood there so calmly, holding his hands that held her face so gently. Her eyes had widened a fraction, but she did not dismiss the idea.

"Finn.." She said breathlessly, tapping his hands before pulling them away gently from her face. "I.. don't think now is the best time for this." He could hear her heart beating wildly and see the longing behind her eyes. Sariah wanted him, he could tell, but unlike him, she was not losing control.

Finn released his breath and took a step back, looking away. "Sorry, my wolf's returned.." He murmured apologetically.

Sariah tilted her head to the side, "Your wolf has returned.." She looked at him questionably but shook her head and began walking away from him, "Come on. I have moved the car into a concealed position. We just need to get Aila and go.."

Finn followed behind her, stepping out of the barn doors and scanning the area as he stuck to the barn's wall. The cabin wasn't that far away, and it didn't seem like the other hunters were on this side. Where were they even staying? If not the barn or cabin..

"Sariah," He whispered, and she turned around to face him. He couldn't help but stare at her, losing focus for a moment. She looked mysterious with half her face showing and her blue eyes being the only thing he could see. Anyone could tell just by staring at her eyes that she was beautiful. Her attire also made her look like a badass.

Sariah stared back at him, raising an eyebrow at his silence. "Where have you been staying? And the others?" He asked what was on his mind. It seemed like she was the only girl in the group. He felt a little overprotective at the idea of her sharing a place with the other guys. They also seemed like dicks.

Sariah smirked, "The others have been camping out the back. They can't wait to leave. I've been guarding the barn nonstop, so I suppose outside?"

Finn frowned and stepped closer to her, "You should have slept inside the barn. I would not hurt you.." He said through clenched teeth. He couldn't believe she was sleeping outside the barn. Was she not cold? How was she not ill?

"I know you would not hurt me.. But if I did not stay there, then the others would return and torture you," She replied, turning her head back to look at the space between the cabin and the barn.

"I can take care of them.." He murmured.

"I don't doubt that you could. But for you to escape, they also needed to stay away from you. Otherwise, a missing or beaten up hunter would cause a stir, don't you think?" She replied over her shoulder.

Sariah did not wait for his response and jogged the small distance to the log cabin. Finn shook his head, even with his heightened senses. It took him a moment until he could see her again. She was well hidden, crouched behind the bushes by the side of the cabin. Finn glanced to the side before jogging to Sariah's spot; she reached up and pulled him down into the bush.

"You're too big for this," She shook her head, "And you make too much noise.. I think maybe you should wait-" Finn clamped his hand over her mouth and covered his own with a finger, silencing her further. She stared at him while he tilted his head slightly and focused on the sounds coming from inside the cabin. His jaw began to tick after hearing Clint speak to someone. He presumed it was Aila, but she did not reply, and he heard a smack.

"You're so stubborn, Aila. Must I do something worse for you to beg for mercy? That's all I want.. Beg me.. And I will simply stop.."

Finn could hear everything that man said. He removed his now trembling hand and fisted both of them, closing his eyes to calm down from wanting to shift and ripping that bastard into two. His eyes snapped open in shock. Sariah placed her hands over his and gently rubbed them with her thumbs. "She will be out of there soon.." Her voice soothed him, and he found himself leaning closer to her, getting lost in those beautiful eyes that reflected a navy glow like the night sky.

Her touch, smell and presence calmed his rising anger. Sariah was right; they were rescuing Aila and getting the hell out of there. Please, hold on, Aila.

"Thank you," He stared intently at her, "Without you, this wouldn't be possible."

Sariah looked down briefly before he could see her eyes crinkling. Was she smiling underneath that mask? "I am sure you would have made it this far without me.. You've already broken out of a compound.. I'm sure a barn in the middle of nowhere is a piece of cake to you," She winked before releasing her hands from his.

"Pfft, actually Aila was the one with the grand escape plan.. It seems I always need a pretty woman to rescue," He winked back and chuckled when her eyes widened, and she abruptly turned with a stiff back.

"Ahem, anyway.. It's pretty late now," She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a sports watch, "Is Clint still…"

Finn listened again; this time, he heard Aila. "Please.. Clint.." Aila breathed heavily, "Please.. Stop.." She sounded so weak. He inhaled deeply, calming his wolf that kept wanting to break through and kill Clint. But now he heard footsteps and the closing of a door and a lock clicking.

Finn and Sariah stood there for another five minutes in complete silence while Finn listened to the activities inside the log cabin. "He is taking a shower now. It sounded like the basement is locked, and Aila is still in there," Finn murmured; his voice was a little gruff as he pushed down his emotions once more. He needed to get a grip; he was useless if he couldn't help Aila escape. 

Sariah nodded her head, and they waited in silence until Finn signalled to her that Clint was in his bedroom and sounded to be asleep.

"Stay outside until I tell you to come.. I want to be in and out of there quickly. And.." Sariah looked him up and down, "I will only need you to carry Aila out.."

Finn nodded in understanding and followed Sariah, who crept around the lodge. Her footsteps were silent, her movements nimble. She opened the front door and made a hand signal, gesturing him to stop and wait. Finn stayed crouched in front of the door. The lights were off, but he could see clearly.

Sariah had gone deep into the cabin, sticking close to the shadows. Finn held his breath as she opened a door down the corridor past the kitchen and living room. Was she going to a bedroom? He frowned and scanned the cabin from his spot, searching for the basement.

His eyes landed on some stairs behind the fireplace; though he couldn't see everything from his position, he knew there was a door. Was she getting a key?