HUNTED

Chase\' footsteps echoed on the marble floor in the small, silent room as he approached Aila. He kneeled in front of her with his head bowed and grasped her hand in both of his large ones. Aila flinched but did not pull away. Instead, she sighed and stared back at him. 

She could see the guilt eating him up inside, but before he could say anything to her, she spoke first.

"Did you know she is dead?" She whispered, her voice almost breaking. She searched his eyes and saw them widen before he frowned.

"Aila.. I.." He gripped her hand more, "I didn\'t know. Fuck.. I didn\'t.." He let out a breath, leaned back and looked to the side. "Aila, I\'m sorry. I know my apology doesn\'t change anything.. I just.. Dad.. he was catching on, I had to keep him off my back.. I thought I could escape with Hollie, but then realised she would be on the run with me.. I tried to be careful. I thought as soon as she was back with you guys if I just let you know.." 

He rambled, and Aila let him. Listening to everything he was saying. Chase clenched his eyes shut, "She was a nice girl-"

"I know my best friend was nice and innocent, Chase. Just like how I was," She snapped, glaring at him. Her words made him flinch and look down away from her steely gaze. Aila let out a ragged breath after a while, and she instantly felt terrible. He was in a shitty situation, and she knew Hollie\'s death was not his fault. He tried to help from inside the organisation, which was enough for her to push past her anger towards him. "Chase.." 

He peeled his eyes away from where he held her hand and looked up into her sparkling, crystal blue eyes.

"You need to get away from them.." He nodded along slowly. "After you help us."

"Anything you need, Aila.." His voice was deep and full of guilt. Aila stood up and clasped him by the shoulders, urging him up.

When he stood tall, she tilted her chin back so she could gaze intently into his hazel eyes, "No more guilt, Chase. I don\'t want you helping me because you think you owe me.. You\'re with us now until you need to leave," She said sternly, then dropped her arms away from his shoulders and turned to leave the room. As she clasped the doorknob, she turned to look at him. "You\'re going to give us the locations of the hunters\' compounds."

Chase quickly caught up to her side in the hallway and stopped her with a gentle squeeze on her arm, "If they know you have me, then they would be clearing out and changing their locations by now."

Aila\'s lips thinned. "Then I suppose we have a lot more planning to do."

"Not tonight, though! Aila, doll.. You really need to rest." Ajax suddenly jumped in between them and placed his arms over their shoulders with a broad smile on his face.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Aila looked at him, startled. "Were you listening to us?"

Ajax rolled his eyes. "Not everything is about you, YOUR MAJESTY.." He chuckled at his own words, "My guest bedroom is down here and came out just in time to hear the end of your little conversation."

Aila slipped out of Ajax\' reach when she saw Gabriel walking towards the glass staircase. Her thoughts about the hunter\'s compounds, Hollie\'s death and Ajax\' ways, vanished from her mind as she quickened her steps to reach the vampire.

"Gabriel.."

"Man, I thought my company was better than a damn vampire.." Aila heard Ajax joke to Chase as he pulled him away towards the semi-circle sofa in front of the flatscreen where Finn was currently chilling. 

Gabriel glanced at her and raised his brow. "You said I could use your phone.." Aila said almost shyly, recalling their little heated discussion before.

Gabriel stared for a moment before turning back and continuing up the stairs to his room.

"Gabriel-"

"Come. I have a burner phone," Gabriel spoke over his shoulder, only glancing at Aila briefly before leading the way back to the master bedroom.

Aila\'s brows drew together as she stepped into the room. "Why am I using a burner phone? What\'s wrong with your phone?"

Gabriel smirked with his back turned to her as he opened one of the drawers on his side table.

"Because I don\'t want your mate phoning me.." He trailed off and rounded the bed towards her.

"Why would he phone you?" Aila tilted her head to the side. Damon would never phone Gabriel unless there was an emergency or something. He\'s far too busy anyway for a casual conversation. Not that they would ever call each other for that..

Gabriel chuckled and didn\'t answer, she looked at him curiously, but he opened his palm with the phone in, instantly distracting her. Aila reached for it, but the vampire moved it out of reach with a smirk. Aila narrowed her eyes. What did he want? She tried to go for the phone again, but he raised his hand higher out of reach. She huffed and looked at him with the most unimpressed look she could manage.

Aila reached up onto her tiptoes and took the phone from Gabriel\'s hand, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when he steadied her balance by holding her waist. Their close proximity was unsettling, and she knew he was doing it on purpose. His smirk proved that he enjoyed teasing her. 

As soon as she grabbed the phone. She turned around, letting her hair swish behind her. She hoped it hit the vampire in the face. A low chuckle from behind told her he was listening to her thoughts. Without looking at him, she raised her middle finger up at him and stormed towards the door.

But the vampire appeared in front of the door, beating her to it and smirked, "I\'m leaving anyway. Use the room. It\'s soundproofed. Not like the one you had your \'private chat\' with Chase."

Aila blinked back. Soundproofed? She glanced at the stylish bedroom. Why would it be.. Her cheeks instantly heated. But it also made her think about her own bedroom and how it would make sense for her and Damon to have it soundproofed. She smirked at her own thoughts and wished Malia was awake for a dirty comment.

But she snapped her attention back to the here and now. Again, wondering where she was.

"What is this place, Gabriel?" She queried in confusion.

Gabriel turned back around and tilted his head, "A hotel.. " He trailed off and looked at her in puzzlement.

"A hotel wouldn\'t have all your clothes and belongings.."

"Well, it\'s not all my belongings.. I own this hotel. This is my suite," He replied casually. But Aila\'s brows rose at his nonchalant comment. She wanted to ask more, Gabriel was still a bit of a mystery, but she stopped herself.

It wasn\'t necessary; she could ask after. Right now, she needed to hear her mate\'s voice. She could tell through the bond that he was safe; his injury had healed along nicely compared to hers. But feeling everything he was feeling somehow made the distance worse, not easier. Aila wanted to see him.

Gabriel didn\'t stay and left instantly in a blur, with the door swiftly closing behind him.

Aila sat down on the bed and dialled the number into the small brick of a phone. Usually, she could only remember her number and her mum\'s house number. But somehow, most likely due to the bond, she remembered Damon\'s mobile number after putting it into her phone once. Her fingers swiftly typed the number in, and she put the phone against her ear, holding her breath.

After two rings, the call connected.

"Damon," She whispered.

"Aila, thank fuck." He breathed heavily into the phone, and she could hear a low growl at the back of his voice.

"It\'s so good to hear your voice," She whispered, afraid to speak any louder for her voice to crack as her eyes welled with tears.

"Baby, don\'t EVER do that again. I\'ve destroyed our room," He groaned, and she could hear the pain behind his voice.

"That\'s okay, we can redecorate.." She replied with a giggle, trying to lighten the mood while wiping away some of the tears that dropped down her face.

"Aila.." He breathed. His voice was so gruff and warm, it was like music to her ears, and she found herself lying back onto the bed, staring at the glass ceiling with her lips spreading into a smile.

"I miss you," She sighed into the phone and heard his low chuckle that seemed to wash over her in waves of desire. Just his voice alone, made her body sensitive with need. 

"I miss you too. When are you coming back? What\'s your plan from here? I don\'t know if I can stay back while you\'re out there risking-"

"Damon.." She interrupted in a soothing voice. "Let\'s not talk about what danger I\'m in or what the plan is from here. I just want to listen to your voice as you whisper sweet nothings into my ear or.." She bit her lip, "you can tell me how much you missed me and the feel of me writhing under your sweaty hot body.."

She\'d closed her eyes now, envisioning just that, and she felt her body heat up as she let her hand graze down her t-shirt and slide into her lingerie, imagining a much bigger hand touching her sensitive tissue. She felt her core clench and pulse just thinking about it.

Damon\'s breath hitched, and a low growl vibrated through the phone. "Aila.." He groaned, then cursed under his breath, "What are you doing?"

Oh, he knew what she was doing. She could hear it in his voice.