Page 255 of Hunters and Prey

It had to be some kind of Barrier trick.

Whatever it was, I didn’t miss a word.

“Thank you all for coming,” she said simply, looking at the group gathered around the long, rectangular fire. “I have a few things to tell you, before we begin. Those of us who did the prep work for this task have information we’d like to share with all of you… especially our two new guests here.”

Meeting my gaze, she smiled at me almost shyly.

She was a lot younger than I’d expected.

A lot younger.

When they said “head shaman,” I’d expected her to look like one of the ancient monks that led me and Black to our seats around the fire pit.

I smiled back at her, and she smiled wider, making a hand gesture that I didn’t understand, but that felt respectful.

“We have confirmed their identity,” she said, raising her voice and facing the rest of the group around the fire.

I found myself looking through those faces, too.

I saw Balidor there.

Unlike Allie and Revik––and me and Black––he sat next to his wife, his hand on her thigh where she sat cross-legged on the floor in full lotus, her long black hair hanging down her back, her face even more dramatic in the red and orange flames.

Directly across from her sat a wild-looking seer with long, dark red hair and eerie but riveting amber-colored eyes.

Catching me looking at him, he smiled at me broadly.

The smile was weirdly infectious.

I was still looking at him, when he raised his hand in a friendly wave.

I’d fuck you sister,a voice murmured in my head. Any time you want, as hard and deep and as long as you want. You look positively… delicious. I’m hard just thinking about it.

Black’s head and eyes turned sharply.

He glared, first in disbelief, then in fury at the seer with the red hair. As he stared, Black’s face darkened, his expression growing into an openly violent mask.

I don’t think I’d ever seen him so angry.

The red-haired seer blinked back at him, unfazed.

“What?” he said aloud. “I thought you wanted my sisters, brother? Cassandra? Alyson? That’s the water cooler gossip. That you’ve got some kind of yen-fetish for the women of the Four… despite their rather possessive husbands.”

From my other side, Revik let out a grunt of wry amusement.

I thought Black might burst a blood vessel.

Before he could say anything, Allie’s voice rose.

“Feigran.” She used her mom voice, the one I’d heard when one of her children was acting out. “Stop goading brother Quentin. Now.”

The red-haired seer chuckled, looking between me and Black.

He didn’t say anything more though, at least not that I heard.

Allie looked at Zarat.

“I apologize, sister,” she murmured, bowing her head. “Please continue.”

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