C4 Married To A Hunter, Falling In Love With A Wolf (Part 4)

“I warned you and your folks that I don’t wanna see your kind in my town. Now you’ve got to pay the price for your insolence”

Wincing with pain in his own pool of blood, Boris slowly half started up, thought better about it and fell back. He looked up at Maverick, his face a mask of hate and death.

“Fuck you!” he gasped.” You can’t stop us!” he pointed a trembling gnarled finger at Maverick. “You are a dead man, Maverick! A dead one”

“Yeah I know!” Maverick replied. “But that doesn’t explain why your brother left you to fight a fur hunter. Look around!” his eyes swept the disarray room maliciously. “I can’t seem to find the scaredy-cat anywhere. Your coward of a bloody brother left you to die!” he was grinning wickedly now.

A wicked glint jumped into Boris dying eyes.

“Kraven as his way of doing things” he said, his voice shaking with rage and disappointment. “He’s a little crazy In the head. But he is no coward! Your days are numbered, fur hunter! Mark my words.”

“Look at you!” Maverick said, smiling bitterly. “you should see yourself. You look like shit!”

Boris grinned, flashing his blood stained teeth.

“You don’t look exactly like a modelling ad, fur hunter”

Maverick face hardened.

“You talk a lot for a dead man!” he said through locked teeth.

Boris shook his head miserably.

“Yeah. I’m a dead man alright. I know that. Here’s what you don’t know: More of me are still coming! More than you can imagine” he rasped. It was taking him a lot of pain and guts to say those words and yet, he continued, rambling on, wanting to inflict more pain as possible. “ This is our town! This town belongs to us! You took it from us! And that’s why we are going to take over this town! We are going to own it! We’ll come for your precious women and their children and ripped their fucking hearts out! We’ll take their husbands and make them widows! Mark my words” exasperated, he fell back to the ground, coughing out blood.

Maverick face twisted with anger.

“You bloody animals!” he looked mad now, really mad. “I won’t allow you to do that! Over my fucking dead body. You wanna die huh? Huh? you got it!” and cursing under his breath, he swung out his sword. He moved over to Boris, pulled him up by his hair and with the skill of an experienced swordsman, he viciously chopped off Boris’s head with a powerful swipe.

There was the sound of a cracked bone in the room as the head violently went off the neck to a corner of the room.

Maverick grinned devishly. His body was trembling; not with fatigue but with excitement; the thrill of the kill. Behind him, he heard someone gasped and swung around. Nessa was standing behind him, her eyes, bulging out of its sockets, were filled with shocking terror. The sadistic expression in his face disappeared instantly.

“My love!” He said, grinning at her. “Don’t be frightened! He can’t hurt you now. Not anymore!”. He moved towards her, took her in arms, and begin to stroke her fear stricken body.

But Nessa was still bamboozled by the whole carnage. She remained stiff in his arms like a doll, her eyes round with fear, her mouth gaping open in wonderment as she stared at the decapitated body of the wasted Boris.

“Did...you....Did you....cut” she babbled, trembling in his arms.

“Hush now, love! Hush! Don’t talk about it” he said hastily, cradling her face in his callused hands and then looking into her face. “He’s dead. Gone like a dead pig. I did what I had to do. Don’t worry about it alright?” This was the first time he was seeing Nessa this way and the whole thing puzzled him. Yet inwardly, it sweetened him. So you are not so tough are you?, He thought, pleasure surging through him. Who would have thought this day would come huh? Who would have thought about it, Nessa?

“But.....but....you killed him....” Nessa rambled on, her eyes still focusing on the dead body. “You killed a man! Like...Like....an animal” her voice was shaking violently.

“Hey!Hey!Hey!” Maverick shouted into her face, irritated by the blank, horrified look on it.” Look! I did what had to be done alright. It had to be done! And I did it! So pull yourself together! And stop this nonsense” his face was a shade of purple red.

“No! No!” I can’t stand this! I can’t!” Nessa wailed, pounding frantically at his chest with her fists. Then feeling suddenly ashamed under the eyes of some of the men who had lingered back, she pushed away from his body, put her hands to her mouth as if to hold back the coming screams and ran out of the bar.

Maverick watched her, his handsome face twisted with raw anger.

“You should learn to control your temper when you are with her” Sam said in a low voice.

Maverick turned around and saw the old man standing there, his gun still In his hands, his face, old and weary but determined. A evil glint settled into his eyes. He hated Sam and his hatred showed greatly on his face.

“What you did was rather harsh, I mean cutting that man’s head off” Sam said evenly. “But giving the situation, it was necessary” he lifted his shoulders resignedly. “Nessa had to be protected at all costs. You came through for her and that counts. I think what you did was really brave”

“I don’t care what you and the other thinks” Maverick lashed out. Then his voice took an even, biting undertone. “I’ve told you, old timer, you can’t handle Nessa. You can’t protect her. She needs a man and not an old fool! Talk to her. Throw some sense into her thick head. She needs a man like me. I’ll definitely keep her safe”

Sam shook his head.

“You know Nessa is the only one who can decide that”. He said, raising his hands helplessly. “I don’t have any hands in her decisions. She alone decides what’s best for her. And right now my boy, you aren’t on her menu” he slipped the last words in glibly but Maverick heard the jeer In his voice alright. A look of contempt and disappointment settled on his face.

“You blasted fool!” he lashed out. “You are such a weakling!. You can’t even protect her.” He shook his head scornfully.

“I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation with you” he moved towards Sam, stood in his front and peered his face into the old man’s. “One day, Nessa would be mine! Mine!” He was stabbing at Sam in the chest with his finger.

“By that time, you old sack would be having a long stretch six feet below.” He grinned viciously. “Don’t worry, we’d drink to your memory” and he moved away from Sam as if he was a vermin or something.

“Nessa would never have you” Sam croaked, his face now had the look of an old ivory. “You are like a dynamite! You are too hot for her. She’ll never have you! By God, that child as made a lot of stupid mistakes in her life, but you thinking of her getting involved with someone like you.........”he turned his face side way and spat. “That ‘s preposterous!”

Maverick inclined his head.

“We’ll see!” he said. He holstered his sword, gave Sam a long, despised look and turned to go.

“Where are you going?” Sam babbled after Maverick had taken two steps towards the door.” I hope you aren’t going after......” but Maverick raised his hands cutting him off.

“ You don’t own this town, old man! I can go wherever I desire! ” He hissed out. “And if you are not happy with me been in the same place with you, burn your goddamned bar and go squat somewhere else!” he began to strut towards the bar entrance in long, sloping strides, roughly pushing aside the men who stood in his way.

“What are we going to do with the body” Sam called out.

Maverick fired back, not even turning around. “Do whatever the fuck you want with it but keep the goddamned details to yourself” He walked out into the freezing night and heaved heavily. He stood like that for some time, brought out a cigarette, cupped his hand around the gas lighter and lit it. He drew in smoke and exhaled deeply. Then he threw the half burning cigarette on the ground, stubbed it out with his boot and began to walk into the night, his head bent, the darkness pressing in on him.

***********************

Nessa stumbled into the house, headed for the living room, fell on the couch and buried her face into the softness of the chair and began to cry; great, body wracking sobs that shook her body. After a while, she raised her head and looked around the room. She lived in a modest apartment. Her room was designed to suit the taste of a woman. The colour of the walls and curtains had solid feminine tones. There were comfortable, simple chairs, tables, a small, OLED TV, the walls were covered with French impressionists paintings, a wooden cabinet that housed books, movies cases, phones, Air-pods cases, and some women’s accessories. Everything in the room remained sane and normal......everything except her. Her emotions were in turmoil. So many thoughts were running around her skull.

What if Maverick had not come at that moment? She thought. What if Boris had had his way with her?. What if Boris had taken the gun away from Sam and blown the old man’s head off? She shivered at the thought. If Sam had died because of her stupidity, she knew the guilt will forever stick with her like white on rice. One thing she was sure of was that the whole sordid scenario that had taken place that night would be imprinted in her mind forever. There was no doubt about that. She drew in a long, slow breath and pushed the thoughts away from her mind.

Tiredly, she stood up from the sofa, went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She came out of the bathroom, went into the living and crossed to the minibar. She took out a bottle of Jack Daniels, sloshed the drink into the glass and lifted it to her mouth. The drink went down stiffening her nerves. She found out that her hands for whatever reason were shaking. She fixed another drink, tossed it down and felt better. As she moved away from the bar to go into her room, she heard a knock on the room door. She stiffened with fright, her ears prickling. The knock came, harder, with great urgency. Her throat turned dry. One of the beasts had come for her. She thought wildly. He had come to avenge the death of Boris. Her face turned white and her body became rigid with fear.