The Last Hunter: Collected Edition (Antarktos Saga #1-5)

“Hush,” Em tells her and then waves her into the ferns. “Come here.”


Kat resists. “We need to go.”

“This is important,” Em says.

Kat looks dubious.

Em fills her voice with conviction, raising her arms at the group. “We are a family. We must complete the bond.”

Kat stares at her for a moment, looks over her shoulder and then enters the ferns. She stops in front of Em.

“The bond is a tradition among hunters,” Em says. “It is one of the few. But it is important. Blood binds so few in the underworld, but the bond is a declaration that replaces it. You are my sister by birth, but there is a different kind of bond that makes Luca and Solomon my brothers, and Tobias my father. And now Kainda my sister.”

Kat doesn’t reply, but she doesn’t leave, either.

Em puts her hand around Kat’s head and pulls her down. Kat seems to understand her intention, probably from having witnessed Em and Kainda doing the same. She puts her hand on the back of Em’s neck and they press their foreheads together.

“Sister,” Em says.

“Sister,” Kat repeats, though a little more quietly.

Em steps back and points to Kainda. “Now you two.”

The two warriors stare at each other. Both women are hardened by lifetimes of battle and death. They no doubt see this in each other and the compulsion to resist vulnerability increases. But then Kainda steps forward and Kat follows her lead. The put their heads together and say, “Sister.”

Kat turns to me. She steps forward, but then stops. “My husband gave his life for you. But...what I’ve learned about you since... I understand it. And I know he would have no problem doing this himself, so...” She steps forward, takes the back of my head and pushes her forehead hard against mine. “Brother.”

I actually have to reign in my emotions when I say, “Sister.” My voice cracks. When I lift my head, I notice Mira standing nearby. Her eyes reflect a sense of pleasant wonder, but also of longing. I lift a hand in invitation.

“What?” she says, confused. “Sol, I’m not—”

“You have been with me from the moment I stepped foot on Antarktos, in person or in my heart. When I was lost, you saved me with a memory, with a photo and with a note.”

She’s surprised by this. “You found that?”

“You have supplied me with hope whenever it was needed and though we were separated by space, and even time, the small gift of confidence you gave a scared fourteen year old boy, might have been what saved my life and led me to this very spot.” I shrug. “So we’re kind of bonded already, whether you like it or not.”

With a laugh, Mira accepts my invitation. She walks right up to me, puts her hand on the back of my neck and grins. “Which box did you check off?”

“Huh?”

“On the note.”

I know exactly what she’s talking about. Every word of it flashes through my mind, perfectly recorded:



Solomon,



I am new to this and I’m not good at writing so I’m going to get right to the point. I like you. A lot. I’m not big on romance. Or flowers. Or girly things in general. So if that is okay with you, I’ll overlook the fact that you are clumsy. And smart. And kind. We will always be good friends. I knew it from the moment I picked you up off of my driveway. But maybe, if you’re lucky, we can be something more? I’m debating about whether or not to give this to you, because the idea of you turning me down makes me sick to my stomach. Actually, I’m pretty sure that this will make you sick to your stomach, too. So to make this simple I’m going to do something I swore I would never do.

Do you like me? ? Yes. ? No.

Or maybe just sit next to me and put your foot against mine. Grin.



Mira.



I smile, feeling slightly embarrassed, but also safe. This is the history that binds us, and there is no reason to hide from it. “The first.”

“I knew you would.” Mira smiles. “Looks like we get to be something more, after all.”

With a gentle laugh, I pull Mira’s head against mine. “Sister.”

“Brother,” she replied.

Then I feel an arm wrap around me. It’s Em. She puts her head against mine and Mira’s. Kainda and Kat join in next until all of our heads are touching. It feels like the ultimate cheesy moment, like something you’d see at the end of a 1980s movie montage, but it also feels significant. This moment is bonding the five of us, and I suspect that Adoel knew it would happen. Hope, faith, passion and focus, united with me. “Family,” I say.

The word is repeated four times more, working its way around the circle.

A moment later, a deep, rolling rattle separates us. Grumpy stands by the tree, his muzzle stained purple. Zok, whose snout is also covered in Nephilim blood steps up next to him and repeats the gentle call.