Page 42 of Wings and Shadowthief

“Your move,” he repeated.

Tris moved a white pawn on the board. “Your voice’s different. Slower, I think.”

“Only one of us speaks without considering the weight of his words.”

Tris snorted. “Tell me about it. Jack is an ‘act now, think later’ kind of person.” The vampire smiled. “What are you?”

Hunter moved his pawn.

“A Caro-Kann opening,” Tris observed. “Jack’s more of a Ruy Lopez guy.”

They moved piece after piece, fast but deft. “Jack’s obvious.”

“And you’re his shadow.” Tris smiled. “I had a shadow. When I became a vampire, it took over. I understood then.”

“What do you think you understand?” Hunter asked him. “Check.”

Tris moved his bishop, sacrificing it to save her king. “Why I was scared of it. Why I shouldn’t have been.”

“Jack should be scared of me. He’s a lie. He built his entire existence on the pretense of being a huntsman. A pseudo-human. I am truth. He knows that when I take over, he’ll fade.” Hunter moved his tower. “Check.”

Tris took a minute to analyze the board before lowering his king. “Checkmate in three,” he concluded. “You made it look easy.”

“It was. You play to amuse yourself. I play to win.”

Tris replaced the whites on the board. “I love Jack,” he stated.

“Jack loves you,” Hunter replied easily.

“And you? Do you love anything?”

Just like Tris had when he’d cornered him, Hunter paused to consider the trap laid before him. Did he love? Hunter didn’t quite understand the concept. He never had the time or the luxury to think of anything but his own survival.

“That depends on your definition of love. Jack would give his life for you.” Hunter wouldn’t, but he also would never let him walk into a situation where said life would be in danger in the first place. “Don’t go to Atlantis. Talk Jack out of it, too.”

Tris laughed. “Have you ever talked yourself out of anything?”

He never needed to. His ideas weren’t dumb.

“We have worse problems coming, Jack and I. We’ve been split apart for ten years. We’re weak, untrained in anything but huntsmen games. And we’re being hunted by something far, far worse than your little queen.”

“What?” he pressed. “What’s hunting you?”

Hunter considered his cousin carefully. Knowledge was power, and what Tris wanted to know could be a weapon against him.

Did he trust him? No.

Jack did.

Jack was a fool.

Jackdid.

Jack wasn’t in charge, not in this moment.

Fucking spit it out, you asshole.

Hunter frowned, sensing Jack as clearly as he saw Tris right in front of him.

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