Title: Save a Horse, Chapter Eight

Author: Maggie

Archived: www.geocities.com/Margaret_Mary69 and www.taintedfiction.com

Feedback: Welcome if Constructive or at least not too mean, LOL

Genre: Dark Hunter… for info on Cannon Characters go to www.Dark-Hunter.com

Rating: PG (for now)

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize are the property of Sherrilyn Kenyon. She retains all rights to the characters and does not authorize this work. This is solely for mine and hopefully my friends’ amusement. No money is being made off of this story.

Notes: A Dorian Squire goes on an adventure. It might be more than she planned on. This may contain spoilers through Unleash the Night.

Thanks: A big shout out to Luna for her excellent and speedy Beta job on this chapter for me and to Nathan for being such a great sounding board on all things Hunter.

Save a Horse… Chapter Eight

Acheron Parthenopaeus stretched back in one the oversized executive chairs at the conference table. Sighing he listened to the bickering of the motley crew standing around the table before him. The soundproof door had barely been closed before the first shots were fired. Jenny and Jon traded barbs as only siblings could. Sean tried to avoid the pointed glares from the girl’s older brother as he attempted to defend his presence. Jean Luc had taken to questioning Tabitha’s sanity for her tone with Ash over the Valerius rumors.

“Enough,” boomed the voice of the Dark Hunters’ leader. The others turned to see he had removed his shades again. His swirling silver eyes held the promise of a storm set to rage.

The squeak of rolling chair wheels punctuated the sudden silence of the room. Jenny slid into the chair Acheron motioned her towards which was directly across from him. Jon sat to her right with Sean to her left. Tabby was the only brave enough to take the seat next the ancient leader. Jean Luc leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. At a raised eyebrow from Acheron, he sighed and came to sit at the end of the table, keeping his distance from everyone in case things came to blows.

Satisfied they were ready to listen and aware of the disconcerting effect his eyes had on most, he put his shades back on before continuing. “Alright children. I’m only going to explain this once so I strongly suggest you pay attention.” Turning his attention to Tabitha he began, “I had an associate of mine plant the rumors about Valerius with someone I knew would talk to Jean Luc. I had my reasons but you have my word they haven’t nor will they share that particular story with anyone else.”

Val’s mate nodded still not happy but at least satisfied Ash wouldn’t let the ex-Hunter be unjustly harassed any further. “Fair enough but you want to share the reason for making him the scapegoat yet again was?”

“It’s not a what so much as a whom.” The big man turned his gaze back to Jennifer rather pointedly.

The young woman shifted in her chair realizing everyone’s gaze was focused on her. She looked from Acheron’s stoic face to others, not finding help from any quarter. The worst was Jon who had an, ‘I told you so,’ gleam in his eyes. “Oh please, like he had never done anything reckless before,” she angrily thought.

Turning her attention back to the leader of the hunters, she cleared her throat. “I assume that is supposed to infer that I am somehow the reason for your charade. Why? Didn’t you like me snooping around into my friend’s disappearance? Did YOU have something to do with Nick’s sudden departure to parts unknown?”

The giant took a deep breath and counted to ten; then he counted to twenty. When he could see through the red haze he noticed that even Tabby had shown the good sense to scoot away from him. It was on the tip of his tongue to give the impertinent child the set down she deserved but Ash knew better than to let his words fly in anger or without forethought. The situation with Nick was a vivid reminder of that very fact. Still, if she was going to accept his offer, some ground rules had to be set now. He got enough grief from his hunters though even they knew some issues were verboten.

Jenny could feel the heat of Acheron’s gaze focused squarely on her, no mean feat considering he still had his shades in place. Surprisingly she refused to lower her gaze though she did scoot her chair back a bit. The leader of the Hunters grinned not sure if he was more amused by her defiant attitude or belated defensive gesture. It was a mixture of skills that would come in handy with the job he had in mind for her.

“First of all,” Acheron began, “Nick is not the reason for my charade. I simply utilized your interest in finding him to create a bit of a test for you. That is the beginning and end of Nick’s involvement in this matter. There is no need for you to look for him anymore.”

”But what about…” the young archaeologist began.

“The subject is closed.” The big guy bit out. Jon grabbed Jenny’s hand warning her to hush as the ancient being continued. “The good news is you passed the test.”

“What exactly were you testing and why?” The young woman warily asked.

Ash grinned. “Now you’re asking the right questions. A friend of Sean’s and I have a business proposition for you. However we wanted to see how you would react when faced with difficult situations first. We needed to know how you deal with rumors and potentially hostile confrontations.”

Jenny raised an eyebrow, “And I passed?”

From across the table Tabby muttered, “I’ll second that.”

The Hunter frowned at his friend. “Tabitha you are a bit biased where Val is concerned. Jenny did rush in without her back up,” he added with a pointed glare at Jean Luc. “However she was following her heart. When faced with conflicting evidence, she weighed the truth of the rumors versus the facts and did her part to diffuse an explosive situation when our pirate friend finally showed up.”

“Hey, I just retreated to regroup. She’s stabbed me before.” He added pointing at Tabby.

“I told you it was an accident. I thought you were a daimon. You immortals all look alike.” The woman snapped back.

“Now that we’ve sorted all that out, Sean and I still have business to discuss with Jenny.” Pointing at the door the giant added, “The rest of you are excused.”

“Like HELL,” Jon shouted. “It sounds like my baby sister has been in all sorts of danger while she’s been down here and now you want to get her involved in more? I’m not going anywhere without her.”

Acheron glared at the young man but he refused to budge. Jean Luc rose to leave, hesitating at the door when Tabitha didn’t move. He looked at her questioningly.

Val’s wife shook her head. “If he’s staying then so am I. I know how bullying siblings can be.”

The leader of the hunters sighed and motioned for Jean Luc to sit back down. In over eleven thousand years, dealing with humans hadn’t gotten any easier. He’d let them stay for now. It’s not like he couldn’t alter their memories if it became an issue though he hated to do that. The Fates were a fickle bunch. They didn’t react well when he tread in their domain.

Acheron turned back to Jenny. “You passed. We have a friend who’s moving to Denver and he needs some help.”

“A hunter friend?” The archaeologist asked. When the leader nodded, she added, “Just how much help? Does he need me to find him a real estate broker or some helpful hints on the local scene and what does this have to do with your test?”

“He isn’t bringing his squire with him so he needs a new one.”

Jon interrupted, “Jenny is purely a Dorian squire. She helps out with whatever you guys need on as needed basis. She has a full time job with the Museum. She doesn’t need another full time job as a personal squire.”

His sister snapped at that, “Jenny is in the room and can speak for herself thank you very much. What would this new position entail Acheron?”

Tabby laughed from across the table. Maybe the young woman didn’t need her as back up after all. Jean Luc looked unsurprised by her comeback. He knew the girl had spirit from their past dealings. Sean smiled more sure than ever he had made the right call on this one.

The big guy grinned at the girl’s spunk. “The usual for a Hunter’s personal squire. You’d help protect his identity and make sure his life appeared normal to any curious strangers. You’d serve as his eyes and ears during the daytime hours and be on call in case he got caught away from home too close to sunrise. You would probably still be able to work for the Museum at least as a consultant though it would obviously put a wrench in any plans to go on out of town digs. As always all your monetary needs would be provided for,” he raised a hand. “I know you don’t need the money but it’s part of the deal.”

Jenny thought about it silently for a moment before smiling. “Well I was looking for a new adventure after all. It could be fun to be more hands on…”

Sean interrupted at that point. “Jennifer you do know that as his squire you will not be allowed to hunt with him? Bringing a human along is like waving a red flag in front of the daimons.”

The ancient Hunter raised a hand as Tabitha cleared her throat, “Don’t even start Tabby.”

“Whatever you say Ash. We’ll talk later,” the older woman winked at the archaeologist.

“No you won’t. This is a crazy,” Jon began but was interrupted by his sister.

“Jon I love you a lot,” she started. He grinned until she added, “Now shut the hell up. This is my decision. Besides, weren’t you all gung ho for me to stick closer to home? This will pretty much guarantee I don’t go traipsing off across the globe as Dad says any time soon.”

He nodded grudgingly. He so didn’t want his sister to do this but he knew when to cut his losses.

Jean Luc looked from his leader to Sean breaking the silence, “So who’s your lucky friend?”

Acheron answered for him, “Well I thought about moving you Jean Luc but I figured your boat would be a little out of place in the Rockies. There seems to be trouble brewing in the Mile High city and Tad could use a change of locales. Quebec has lost its charm for him.”

“WHAT,” Jon screeched. “You must be crazy! You want my sister to work for Tad Monaghan the most notorious rake of a Hunter this side of the Atlantic? Quebec has lost its charm my ass. More likely Quebec, hell the whole country has run out of women for him to seduce.”

Jenny bristled but Acheron had already seen enough of the siblings bickering. It was time to remind the Blood Rite Squire of his place in the grand scheme of things. Jenny had proven she could handle what was thrown her way but a reminder to Jon of who was in charge of Hunter business would not be amiss.

The big guy took his shades off and focused his full gaze on Jenny’s brother. “I really would not advise you to second guess my sanity or my decisions. As for Tad, I’d be careful before I threw any stones. You haven’t exactly led the life of a monk yourself. Who invited you down here anyway?”

The archaeologist had heard enough. She could tell her brother to keep his nose out of her business but she’d be damned if someone else was going to, ancient hunter or not. Standing to face her foe she began, “HE didn’t need an invitation. He’s family and was worried about me. Who are you to throw his past in his face? I agreed to meet with Sean not you, so what was that line about throwing stones?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

Everyone at the table tensed, afraid of their leader’s reaction. He looked from Jenny who was positively glaring at him, to Jon who looked ready to leap in front of his sister at the first sign of an attack. Acheron then took in the shocked faces of the rest of the table, leaned back and laughed.

The ancient raised a brow at Jon asking, “Do you still think your sister needs a spokesman?” When he shook his head no in quiet shock, Ash turned to the young girl. “As for you, I can see you’re going to be a handful. Point taken but be very sure of where you stand before you engage in any battles in the future.” He focused the silvery swirl of his inhuman eyes on her. “I’m not always so forgiving.”

The young girl realizing she was playing with fire in a game where she didn’t even know half the rules, finally backed off. “As you said, point taken. So do I get to meet Tad before I make my decision on this to see if we can even work together?”

Sean leaned over to tell the girl. “Lass, Tad is a kind man. I’m sure there won’t be any…”

Jenny reached out to squeeze his hand as she interrupted the older gentleman. “No offense Sean but if I’m not going to take my brother’s word about this hunter, I really can’t take yours either.” Looking up at Ash she asked, “Wasn’t that one of your tests? That I can form my own opinion based on the facts rather than appearances?”

The leader of the hunters grinned, showing a bit of fang as he put his shades back on. “Indeed it was. There’s no time to arrange a visit to Quebec though. Tad is moving soon and I need someone on the ground in Denver ready to help him get settled.”

Shaking her head, the archaeologist grimaced. “I’m not making such a huge commitment to alter my life without some sort of feel for whether it’s the right decision.”

Sitting back in his chair, the giant asked, “What does your gut tell you based on what you know so far, based on where you’d like to see your life going? What is one meeting with Tad going to tell you that you don’t already know?” He raised a hand before she could answer. “How about you agree to a temporary assignment, say six months to help him get settled. If you decide it isn’t worth it after that you can quit.”

Eying the man suspiciously, she asked, “Why six months.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw her brother nod in agreement, clearly pleased at her caution.

“Because he needs help. I don’t want to send my hunter to a new area only to be left with no local contacts five minutes after he gets there. Six months will give you time to decide how you feel about being his squire and give him time to make more contacts in case you want to walk away.”

Jon growled, “it will also give him enough time to seduce her if that’s his aim.”

Tabby, silent until now raised an eyebrow at him. “If you’re so concerned about your sister’s virtue with the hunter moving to town, this job is your best bet to make sure she’s OFF the menu, or did you forget there is a rule against ahem…. Intimate fraternization between a hunter and his personal squire?”

Jean Luc chuckled, “she makes a good point mate.”

Jenny looked from the pair to Jon before sighing. “There is also the fact your sister is not an idiot or easily manipulated, you overdressed Neanderthal.” He frowned as she turned back to Ash. “As for your offer, I need some time to think about it unless anyone else has anything to add.” She turned to Jon cutting off whatever he was about to say, “anything USEFUL that is.”

Ash stood and handed Jenny a business card. “This is a number where I can be reached. Give me a call when you get back home. Let me know soon though or I’ll have to go to Plan B.”

“What is Plan B,” Jon asked.

”You really don’t want to know.” He grinned and vanished from the room.

As soon as the ancient was gone, the Bloods Rite Squire turned back to his sister, ready to make his case for turning the offer down. Sean, apparently prepared for the man’s reaction tried to make a preemptive strike announcing, “Well you will have a lot to think about the next few days, lass.”

Smiling at the man, she nodded. “Yes I will. Thanks for understanding Sean.” He tilted his head in acquiesce. Turning toward her brother she added. “I think I’ve already heard your arguments so don’t start. If you’ll all excuse me, this has been a long night and I have to pack for home.”

She rose and headed for the door, which Jean Luc opened for her. Tabby reached out to give the Jenny a hug, instinctively sensing a kindred spirit in the girl. She told the young woman, “If you need anything, a sounding board about your decision or advice on dealing with temperamental hunters, give me a call.” She pressed a card with her number into Jenny’s hand before letting her go.

The young woman nodded her thanks and headed down the hallway away from the others. She thought she knew what she wanted to do, but wasn’t quite sure if it was a case of her heart overruling her head. She could so end up in the deep end without her life preserver if she wasn’t careful.

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

Butterflies jumping in her stomach, Jenny was regretting the third cup of coffee she had as she stood on the tarmac waiting for Tad’s private jet to de-board at Denver International Airport four weeks later.

She didn’t know what had possessed her to call Ash back with a yes when she got home but it was a little late to worry about it now. She had spent the past few weeks, finding a home for Tad. Fortunately he already had a short list of properties narrowed down from an internet search. All she had to do was give him some advice on the prospective neighborhoods and do an onsite inspection for him. His belongings had been arriving in crates for the past few days though she had received strict instructions not to open anything until he got there. She still hadn’t actually talked to the man other than a few short emails. He never seemed to be in when she called.

Her brothers, angry that she refused to be swayed by their strongly worded suggestions she decline the offer, refused to give her any information on her new employer. So here she stood, not sure what to expect.

The door to the small plane opened up, with stairs coming down. The first one out was a man in a flight jacket with blue jeans carrying a suitcase and an overnight bag. He smiled at Jenny as she waved him over. She opened the back of her SUV and let the man put the luggage in. She grinned thinking he seemed nice enough though rather quiet. He was a bit taller than her with short brown hair and hazel eyes.

“So how was the flight?” She asked the man.

“Blissfully over. My headache has ended and I think yours is about to begin.” The man sighed. At Jenny’s frown, he pointed behind her.

She turned around to come face to face, well more like face to chest with another man. The first thing she noticed was the tailored cut of the dark Armani suit the man was wearing. She stepped back to look up. Good grief, the man had to be seven feet tall. He had dark sunglasses, which he took off to reveal a pair of those trademark black hunter eyes that left you wondering where his pupils ended and the iris began. As he turned his head to look at Jenny’s car, she saw his blonde hair tied off at the nape of his neck in a ponytail extended halfway down his back.

He turned back to the girl, “Good evening Chere. You must be my welcoming committee.”

With those looks he belonged on a romance novel cover. When he spoke though she was sure he had just stepped out of some hot dream she never wanted to wake up from. He grinned, revealing a hint of dimples at the awestruck effect he was obviously having on his new squire. He barely noticed the Dorian squire, making his way back to the plane as he waited for the girl to respond.

When she did, it wasn’t exactly what she had meant her first words to her new boss to be. “But he’s…” looking at the retreating form of the other squire and not seeing any help, she turned back to the man before her, “you’re…” grimacing she added, “Shit I’m so screwed.”