‘Try me.’
‘Heard of the Americas, Doll?’
I nodded. I’d heard of it. We were taught in school that America was one of the worst affected countries of the apocalypse. I’d never met an American before, which explained why I hadn’t recognised his accent.
‘What are you doing in England?’ I asked, trying to stall him for as long as possible.
Slowly, I brought myself into a standing position, and once again, he did not retaliate.
‘Not the weather, that’s for sure.’ He allowed himself a smile, his emerald eyes crinkling at the sides. ‘Work brought me here.’
‘W-what do you do?’
He smiled wider now. ‘I’m a Hunter,’ he said.
My throat became dry. ‘Is that your Power?’ It was hard to keep my voice steady.
‘I am an exceptionally good finder,’ he said, hoisting himself away from the door frame, into an upright position.
‘So, I take it you’re here for that bounty?’
‘Ten thousand is a lot of money,’ he agreed, folding his arms across his chest. ‘But I’m not in it for the gold.’
‘What else is there?’ I asked, narrowing my eyes.
‘The thrill of the chase,’ he shrugged.
‘You’re kidding, right?’ I said disbelievingly. ‘You’ll turn me in for the fun of it?’
‘Not for the fun of it, no.’ He took a step closer. I mimicked him and took a step backwards. ‘Like I said, I’m a hunter. It’s in my blood. A wolf doesn’t catch his prey for fun, he does it to survive.’
‘Please,’ I said, taking another step back. ‘You don’t need to do this. If you’re not in it for the money, can’t you just let me go?’
‘Well, the money is a rather nice perk,’ he said thoughtfully.
‘I have a friend,’ I said quickly. ‘He is waiting for me in the woods. If I don’t go back to him, he will come looking for me.’ This was not a complete lie. Hawthorne was in the woods, but there was no telling how long he would wait before he came to the house.
‘Why didn’t he come in with you?’ the man sneered.
‘Because he doesn’t fit through the door,’ I said with the hint of a smile playing on my lips. The effect of this sentence was very satisfying.
He raised his eyebrows but did not seem too alarmed.
‘I highly doubt it. You are alone.’ He scratched his unshaven face thoughtfully.
If I whistled, would Hawthorne hear me? And if he did hear me, would he make it to my side before this man slit my throat?
‘So what are you going to do, then?’ I asked. ‘Kill me? Kidnap me?’
‘Well, I’m not sure. The poster didn’t specify whether they wanted you dead or alive.’ This seemed to please him.
‘Well, since I’m finished either way,’ I said, taking another step back, ‘why don’t you tell me your name?’
He smiled again, showing all of his pearly white teeth.
‘I don’t see the harm. My name is Finn Mackenzie.’ He lowered his head and winked. ‘What do I call you, Fire-Mage?’
I gritted my teeth together. ‘Gretchen Burgwall.’ It was the first name that popped into my head. Gretchen Burgwall had been a very elderly teacher who had passed away several years before.
‘Well, Gretchen,’ said Finn the Hunter. ‘You seem like a sweet kid-’
‘So let me go,’ I tried.
Finn laughed. ‘No, I don’t think so. What I really want to know is why the Realm is interested in you. You must have done something pretty bad for them to plaster your face across the whole country.’
‘They have me mistaken for someone else,’ I lied. ‘Just one of those faces, I guess.’
‘Who could forget a face like that?’ Finn took another two steps towards me. Only a few feet separated us now. The window for escape was slowly closing.
If I ran, he would surely embed that dagger in my back.
‘It’s a shame you’re going to be arrested,’ said Finn.
‘I don’t have to be.’
He ignored my comment. ‘A pretty thing like yourself, well, just my type of gal, really.’
‘Maybe we can forget about this whole ordeal, and grab a cup of tea sometime.’ Hell, if pleading didn’t work, then I’d flirt my way out of this situation.
Finn smirked. ‘Sorry, kid.’
He took another step closer. I brought my fingers to my mouth, jammed them in, and blew as hard as I could. The resulting whistle would surely reach the forest.
Finn jumped but was not overly concerned by my sudden outburst of noise. He reached forward, ready to grab me.
Something large appeared in the doorway behind me, throwing a shadow over me and Finn.
Finn looked up, his eyes fixating on the thing behind me.
‘What the hell is that?’ he said, stepping back.
‘This is the friend I was telling you about,’ I said, looking over my shoulder. Hawthorne filled the room, staring transfixed at the stranger. ‘Finn, meet Hawthorne.’