Page 63 of Blood of a Huntsman

He'd said that, hadn't he? "Fine. Maybe I don't hate you. It's just fucking frustrating how easily you seem to waltz through life. Perfect at everything. Being a lady, a vampire, a goddamn videogame player."

Catherine took a swig of beer. "Maybe we aren't as different as I first thought. I watch you struggle with something that seems so simple to me, and I find it frustrating as hell, too, you know. The composure? That's normally easy to me. Effortless. I only got where you came from after tasting true hunger. Before, I couldn't even comprehend it clearly. But just because I don't suffer from thirst like you doesn't mean I don't have problems."

He wasn't sure he would have believed that earlier, but after the last few days, he got it. She had one issue: her last name. And everything and everyone who went with it.

Rather than voicing his guess, he asked, "What kind of problems?"

She seemed startled by his curiosity.

"Well, you shove your nose in my business and tell me what to do. I should do the same. Even out in the field."

She rolled her eyes. "All right. So, my problem is my siblings."

He hadn't expected that.

"You have two, right?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes, Seth and Claudia. Our extended family is full of bullshit and complication, but the three of us…we have fun, you know? Sure, I bicker with Claudia. All the time. She sneaks into my closet and steals my shoes. Then she spars with them and brings them back unpolished."

She was grinning from ear to ear, proving she didn't really mind. Bash gasped dramatically. "No!"

"I didn’t even tell you the state my favorite suede boots were in after she took them on a damn hunt. And Seth is…a lot. Megalomaniacal as hell. He doesn't even believe he can lose or be wrong. The annoying thing is, he’s generally right."

Catherine Stormhale had never looked quite so human. Relatable. Bash looked away; if he didn't, he might end up pulling her to him. Touching her. Kissing her.

She'd been clear. No more kissing. He wasn't one to ignore a woman’s wishes.

But trying to convince her to change her mind had never been quite so tempting.

"So what's the issue?"

She sighed. "There's a war coming, and we aren't on the same side."

Oh. Yeah, that.

"If it came down to stopping my uncles and aunts from entering Oldcrest, I wouldn't think twice. I'd fight them." A laugh escaped her delicious lips. "I might even enjoy it, in some cases. But Claudia or Seth…"

"No one is asking you to fight your brother or sister."

She nodded. "I know. But that's what it comes down to, even if I don't face them directly. A line has been drawn between our clan and Oldcrest. They're with Stormhall, and I'm here."

Bash tried to imagine fighting against Emilia and Paul, but the notion was inconceivable. Whatever line there was, he'd cross it and drag them both along by his side.

"Do they have to be?" he asked her. "On the other side. Have you asked them what they think?"

He regretted his question. It was too simple. Of course she'd thought of that.

"I can't. I can't contact them on my family's network. You don't know what it's like in Stormhall. There are servants everywhere, reporting on our every move. Our emails are watched, too."

Bash said, "Sure. Too bad you don't have a witch friend or two who could help you send some secret correspondence, right?"

Catherine blinked. She clearly hadn't considered that.

Then she bit her lips. "It'd be dangerous. Claudia could go straight to Drusilla. She could be ordered to spy for her, or worse."

"It comes down to how much you trust your siblings."

Silence stretched between them. Her forehead wrinkled as she considered her options.

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