All Chapters of Married To A Hunter: Fascinating & Terrifying: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

He stared at my breasts as he talked to me. The usual talk of saying I should show myself a little more appreciatively for giving me a job and not having to live on the street. Of course, he wasn't at all interested in the fact that it was a lousy job in a bar, where the drunken visitors regularly groped me or made disgusting offers. I got money from him every week and that was of great value in our world. A world shaped by poverty, hunger and violence. Most people had no home, wandered around like nomads or lived on the streets until the next winter buried them under its velvety blanket of snow and dragged them away.

Hunter.I had often seen from a distance the warriors who were responsible for ensuring law and order in the surrounding area on behalf of the Empire elite. But now that they were only six feet away from me, they looked even more powerful and threatening. Very impressive.

I spent the next evenings in tense anticipation. Every time the door of the bar opened I held my breath and did not let the air out of my lungs until I saw no Hunter among the newcomers. And finally I came to the conclusion that I had read way too much into Nikk's words. So my life resumed its normal course. Karen, Danika and I stayed in our little apartment during the day, where we felt safe from the dangers that lurked everywhere, and in the evening we were picked up by Baris' security guards and driven to work.

I spent the hours leading up to the evening letting her words go through my head over and over again. Part of me, the greater part, completely refused to even think about accepting the Hunter's offer. But the other part, however small, longed to escape this constant struggle for survival and the ever-present hopelessness in the surrounding area. And if only for a limited time."Stop dreaming," I told myself, shaking off the thought and getting ready for work.

After the last guests had left, Danika and I cleaned up the shop and then picked up our weekly wages at Baris."Riley, I have to speak to you," he said, glancing at his bodyguards. "Your girlfriend can go home, you will come later."I swallowed

Panicked, I took a few steps back, turned and kept walking, even though my legs and knees felt like they were made of concrete. I didn't know where I was, so I had to get to safety quickly. The streets were already dangerous during the day, and at night it bordered on suicide to venture out.The old man from just now probably wouldn't have hurt me and just wanted to beg, but I couldn't allow myself to stay in one place too long. You had to keep moving if you didn't want to get into s

When I came to, I was lying on a cot, wrapped in a warm sleeping bag. I straightened up quickly and immediately winced as my body responded to my abrupt movement with a dragging pain in every imaginable place. Slowly I sank backwards and carefully felt around to find out how much I was hurt.My shoulder burned and was bandaged, as were my elbows and both knees, my right foot was in a hard shell. I felt like I had countless battles behind me.

"You're not telling the truth," he said, narrowing his eyes.My hands were shaking even more and I clamped them between my thighs. "No sir," I admitted sadly.The Hunter said nothing for a while and kept staring at me with his bright eyes, whic

The next time I woke up, it was dark outside again, as I could see through the fabric walls of the tent. So I must have slept for half an eternity, and surprisingly well despite the not very comfortable cot.I discovered clothes on the chair and hurriedly put on the black pants and black long-sleeved shirt. The clothes couldn't possibly have been made by a Hunter because they fit me. Maybe I was wearing a lover's clothes.

"You're in the shit," I mumbled, and sank down on the cot because standing was getting too strenuous. I ran my fingers through my tousled hair, trying to bring some order to the mess. It felt sticky and knotted and I wondered what I would look like after my adventurous escape. "It doesn't matter at all," I answered this question myself and let my hands drop again.The tent entrance moved and another Hunter, whom I hadn't seen before, stepped in with a tray in his hands. He wore