Page 230 of Hunters and Prey

When he reached her, he didn’t think. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her up against his body, breathing in her light––her very scent.

“Are you all right?” he said, when he finally pulled away enough to look at her face.

She smiled up at him. He saw the brightness of her eyes, right before she wiped them with her fingers.

“You made it here,” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “How the hell did you make it here, Black?”

“I don’t know…”

Looking around the house, taking it in with more intention that time, he felt his aleimi harden into a denser, more protective wall, now that his wife was in his arms. As he took in the space, he also realized how well his wife knew it already. A near-anger rose in him as the thought sank in, as he felt it in her light.

She had a whole life here––part of one, anyway.

He knew it was irrational, to react that way, but a part of him couldn’t help it.

At the same time, his relief was so intense, he couldn’t keep it from his light, or from his voice.

“Miri,” he said, looking back at her. “I have about a million questions.”

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t,” another voice said, causing Black to turn.

A beautiful seer with pale green eyes, high cheekbones, dark skin and a full mouth smiled at him, her nearly-black, loosely curled hair hanging down to the middle of her back. There was something wild-looking about her––some flavor he’d already noticed in his blood cousin. The sheer power coming off her light made him nervous in a way even her husband’s hadn’t.

If she noticed his appraisal, it didn’t faze her.

She smiled at him in a friendly way, then turned to Revik, quirking an eyebrow in his direction in a silent question.

Her husband shrugged.

“I found him stealing fruit in the back yard,” he said, matter-of-fact.

A whisper of humor came to those narrow lips.

“…Naked,” he added pointedly. “He’d befriended that herd of jaleisi that keeps knocking down the fence. Near as I could tell, he was helping them raid the orchard.”

Black heard the dry teasing in the other male’s words.

Even so, he fought a scowl.

Looking back at his own wife, Black saw her frowning at him faintly, as well. He didn’t see a rebuke in her eyes or light so much as confusion, along with a faint jealousy at how long he’d stared at his cousin’s mate.

Don’t be stupid,he sent, feeling a flush of embarrassment mixed with a near anger at her again for having a whole relationship with these people. Nudging her pointedly with his light, he gripped her harder. You’re making me fucking crazy, you know that? And you brought me here and then left me. You fucking left me, Miri.

Before she could answer him, he spoke aloud.

“He says you’ve been coming here for months,” Black growled. “More than a year.”

A not-so-subtle accusation lived in his words.

At the same time, he still felt like some part of him was processing this, like the information hit him in concentric circles, in increasingly deeper and more comprehensive stages.

He felt it hitting him as more real, even just in speaking it aloud.

“…He says you’ve been here five or six times,” he added.

Frowning, he fought with which question he wanted to ask her first, even as he continued to wind his light into hers, maybe in some feeble, instinctive attempt to hold onto her.

Maybe in a far less mature, full-blown jealousy.

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