Page 40 of Tattered Huntress
‘I’m doing fine. How’s Dad?’
‘He’s good. I’ll tell him you were asking after him.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ I continued to glare at Hugo. ‘Love you.’
‘Love you too, Daisy Pop.’
I hung up. ‘Can we have the phone now?’ Otis asked.
‘Sure.’ I laid it on the ground, facing upwards so they could watch all the cat videos they wanted. Then I drew in a deep breath and marched back to Hugo.
‘Almost done,’ he said cheerfully, his attention on the canvas.
I crossed my arms over my chest and cleared my throat loudly until Hugo looked up. ‘Is everything alright?’ he asked.
I tapped my foot. ‘It’s interesting that you seemed to think I was a criminal because I take spider’s silk whenyou’rethe dodgy elf around here.’
His brow furrowed slightly and he got to his feet to face me. ‘Pardon?’
‘What gives you the right,’ I spat, ‘to send one of your goons round to my parents to investigate me?’
Hugo’s face smoothed into a blank façade. ‘Oh. That.’
‘How dare you!’
His expression didn’t alter. ‘It was a perfectly reasonable action to take under the circumstances. I couldn’t allow my team – or anyone else taking part in the treasure hunt – to be endangered by one of the other participants.’
Unbelievable; he actually thought he was in the right. ‘Youdisturb my parents, invade my privacy and you think you did a good thing?’
‘You’d already proved yourself untrustworthy. There was a very real chance that you tried to get John Thurgood and his team killed. Plus, you stole information from me at Neidpath Castle?—’
‘I saved John fucking Thurgood. And I didn’t steal anything! That information was out there in the open! I only used it after you got me fucking fired!’
Hugo didn’t pause for a second. ‘Well, you got your own back for that one. You deliberately made me look like a fool with the way you swooped in and used my research. You got that necklace after sending the most cantankerous troll in the country to my damned home! You started this vendetta against me. You can’t blame me for being wary.’
I hadn’t started it, he had. ‘Are you upset because I dented your pride?’ I sneered. ‘Is that why you’ve become this massive thorn in my side?’
Hugo growled, ‘I’ma thorn inyourside? After all you’ve done to me?’ He stepped towards me.
I matched him and took a step towards him. I wouldn’t let him intimidate me. ‘All I’ve done to you?’ I scoffed. ‘You can’t stand a bit of real competition.’
‘You’re no competition for me. I’m the one who’s standing here with part of the key. You’ve got nothing.’
‘I’d have beaten you to it if I hadn’t stopped to help those idiot men from being eaten by a snake!’
‘So you say.’
We glared at each other. The man was nothing but a cumbubbling pain in my already sore arse. He was a stuck-up high elf with too much arrogance and annoying blue eyes that were the colour of the ocean and a cinnamon scent that belonged in a bloody bakery and … and … and…
Goddamnit. Suddenly I was strangely, painfully aware of our proximity to each other. I pulled back but Hugo grabbed my right hand. His eyes dropped to my mouth as his thumb caressed the flesh of my palm. ‘Are you attracted to me?’ he asked roughly.
I gritted my teeth. ‘No.’
He moved his head closer, until his mouth was hovering over mine. ‘Are you sure about that?’
‘I don’t know how you usually get women into your bone zone but sending someone to interrogate their parents isn’t a seductive move as far as I’m concerned.’
Hugo blinked but stayed where he was. He loosened his grip on my hand until his touch was feather light. ‘Step away, then,’ he said.
