Chapter 333: Unfinished business.

At the same time, Malia raced out of the medical pavilion, very frantic. "Zyra, where is Taylor? He is not in here, and I have checked thoroughly."

Zyra calmly lifted her arm and pointed a lazy finger toward a white, pristine building sitting quietly beside the medical pavilion. "Relax. He’s in the extended isolation wing of the medical pavilion. I didn’t want people disturbing him."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the entire squad changed direction and took off like a pack of hungry wolves chasing a cooked chicken.

"Taylor!"

"Bro, don’t you dare die on us!"

As the noisy crowd scrambled toward the extended wing, Hunter shot forward and caught Etania by the elbow, gently pulling her out of the sprinting group.

Etania blinked, looking at him in confusion. "Hunter? What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to check on Taylor?"

Hunter’s eyes narrowed, a cold, dangerous glint passing through them. "I have unfinished business back in Grimmark. Zyra is not worried about Taylor, which means she is confident that he is okay. I on the other hand, am not confident that your divine maiden will not be disturbed by unfinished business." All three ex fiances needed to die.

Etania caught on instantly. She didn’t even ask questions_ she just gave him a knowing, wicked grin. She raised her hand, sliced her fingers through the air, and tore open a portal.

In a flash of white light, the two of them vanished and materialized right back inside the dark, foul-smelling quarantine zone of Grimmark.

The building was quiet now, mostly cleared out, but over in a private ward that he had spent his last energy stones on, Shane was throwing a temper tantrum. He was rolling on the floor, coughing violently, and aggressively scratching at the painful boils on his neck.

When others had been treated, his room had not been visited. He was sure Zyra had done it deliberately.

"Curse that wretched woman!" Shane spat, his face twisted in ugly rage. "When I get out of here, I’m going to hire the best assassins in the world! I’m going to skin her alive! I’m going to kill Zyra with my own_"

The door suddenly flew off its hinge. Hunter marched in, he didn’t even bother giving a grand, hero-like monologue. He just walked up to Shane with terrifying silence, unsheathed his gleaming dagger, and shoved it deep into Shane’s chest.

Shane’s eyes bulged. He let out a pathetic gasp, looked down at the blade sticking out of his ribs, and went completely limp.

"No one that hurts her will be spared on my watch," Hunter muttered, pulling his dagger back and wiping the blood on Shane’s dirty silk sleeve.

He then walked out to a general treatment room where Michael was laying on a bed. He had been left unattended there like an unwanted sack of rubbish. Hunter leaned down, placed two fingers against Michael’s neck, felt no pulse, and smiled.

"This one’s dead," Hunter said flatly. "His spine got pulverized."

A few paces away, Etania was crouching over the corner where Clifford lay motionless. She poked him with the tip of her boot. Clifford didn’t even twitch; his skin had already turned an earthy grey.

She dusted off her hands and stood up. "Yep, this one too. Looks like your kick was truly deadly. I wonder why they bothered to bring his corpse inside."

Hunter nodded, sheathing his dagger with a satisfying clack. The three scum who had hurt his wife, smeared her name, and tried to ruin her life were officially erased from the face of the earth.

He collected the bodies, went back and collected Shane’s as well, dumping all three in a beast pocket he did not plan to ever use again. "Mission done." Hunter said, a rare, relaxed smile gracing his face. "Let’s go home for real this time. Zyra is probably waiting."

"Why are you taking the bodies?" Etania asked curiously.

Hunter replied coldly. "For permanent disposal. Some wild beasts will be having a feast tonight."

Etania waved her hand, tearing open a fresh portal. Stepping through the rift, they left the gloomy building behind. The portal opened up to a jungle, where the bodies were tossed.

Less than a minute after Hunter and Etania left, beasts tore them apart, swallowing the tracking devices in the arms of the three young men. Their families would never find them.

***

After checking on Taylor and making sure that he was okay and giving new instructions to Malia, Zyra finally retired for the night. Her legs felt like overcooked noodles, and her brain was entirely fried.

When she pushed open the door to their room, the steam billowing from the bathroom told her everything she needed to know. Hunter was already in the shower.

She peeled off her dirt-stained combat clothes, tossing them onto the laundry basket without a second thought, and slipped into the bathroom.

The glass door slid open, releasing a wave of hot, lavender-scented steam. Hunter turned, water cascading down his broad shoulders, his hair slicked back. A slow, lopsided smirk spread across his face the moment he saw her.

"Well, well. Look who decided to crash my private spa session," he said with a smile, his voice low and warm over the sound of running water.

"Shut up and make room," Zyra teased, stepping under the spray. The hot water hit her skin, and she couldn’t suppress a long, pathetic groan of relief. "If I had to stay in that town for one more second, I was going to set it on fire. It stunk like the inside of an old barn. How do people live there?"

Hunter chuckled, pulling her closer until her back rested against his chest. He took the soap, lathering it between his palms before gently working it over her shoulders. His touch was soft, completely contrasting the lethal hands that could snap a beast’s neck in seconds.

"Rough day at the office, my dear?" he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck.

Zyra closed her eyes, leaning back against him, letting the warmth soak deep into her aching muscles. "You have no idea. If one more beast tries to roar at me today, I’m going to roar back."

"I’d like to see that," he chuckled, his hands sliding down to wrap around her waist, pulling her body against his. They stood there under the falling water for a long time, enjoying the quiet intimacy, completely washing away the smoke, sweat, and chaos of the battle.

After stepping out, Hunter wrapped a soft towel around her shoulders and sat her down on the edge of the bed. He picked up a dry hand towel and began gently patting her hair dry, taking his time, untangling every damp strand with surprising patience.

"You know," Zyra murmured, looking up at him through her wet bangs, "you’re far too good at this. Did you work as a hairdresser in your past life?"

Hunter flicked her forehead lightly. "Be quiet and enjoy the royal treatment, my queen. Otherwise, I’m leaving you to dry in the cold."

"You wouldn’t dare," she sniffed playfully, but snuggled closer to his warmth anyway.

Once her hair was manageable, her stomach let out a loud, pathetic rumble that sounded suspiciously like a dying wild boar.

Hunter burst out laughing. "Alright, my lady. Let’s go find some food before you eat me alive."

Zyra made her brows dance. "I just ate you though. I am not in the mood for any more sausages tonight."

Hunter let out a thunderous laugh. His mind traveled to her dead exes for a moment. They had no idea what kind of wonderful woman they had missed out on. He was not like them. He would hold on to her so tightly, never letting another get between them. There was no room for second, third or fourth husbands here. Only him, and a bunch of dead idiots.