Page 25 of Hunt the Dusk
A ghost of a smile teased his lips. “I very much doubt that.”
Huh? “Ew!”
The smile broke, and I caught a flash of teeth before he wrestled it under control. “Fine, but stay on your side.”
“Of course.”
He put his blanket between us like a barrier and lay down on the other side.
“Seriously? Do you think I’m going to attack you in the night?”
His eye whites gleamed in the gloom. “No.”
Then…oh…
He closed his eyes and settled.
“Hemlock?”
“Hmmm?”
“Has Ordell’s beast been fixated on anyone else like this before?”
His eyes remained closed, giving the illusion that he was relaxed, but his body visibly stiffened. “You should get some sleep. It’s late.”
“It’s a simple question.”
“Maybe, but there is no simple answer to it.” He sighed and opened his eyes. “Look, just keep your distance. No alone time, okay? It’s for the best. Trust me.”
Something pricked at my consciousness. A possibility that I didn’t want to entertain and therefore couldn’t voice.
But it was also something I couldn’t ignore. “Okay, good night.”
Hemlock’s eyes slipped closed again, and a few minutes later, his breathing had evened out.
How he switched off like that would never fail to amaze me, but it would be a while until my active mind shut down because I suspected what the answer to my question was, and I knew just the person who might be able to confirm it for me.
Hemlock was goneby the time I woke, but I caught him at breakfast, which we all took in the kitchen.
“Where’s Ordell?”
“Gone. He had things to do. I’ll be driving you into New Town.” He sipped his coffee. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah.”
“You snore.”
“I do not!”
“Yes. You do. You purr.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Like an angry kitten.” A stab of heat passed between us, sudden and unexpected. My face warmed, but his expression closed off, as if he regretted his words. He quickly drained his cup and shoved his seat back. “I’ll be outside.”
He left quickly, leaving me staring at his vacated seat. “What the fuck?”
“Oh, don’t worry about him.” A plate of bacon and eggs materialized in front of me, and Ingrid manifested a moment later. “Hemlock was never one to share his emotions, even before…This makes him uncomfortable.”
“This? What is this?”
“You, my dear. His attraction to you.” She canted her head slightly. “You don’t see it?”
