Page 9 of Wild Hunt
“I was talking about for him,” I said, putting a hand out to block her against the wall. “Little moths who flock to your light have a way of getting burned, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A warning,” I corrected, tilting her chin toward me. Anger blazed in her eyes but I knew even she wouldn’t dare such overt retaliation this time. She was already on strike two and Odin wasn’t known for being merciful. “Why don’t you piss off and go back to your boy band?” she quipped, batting my hand away.
“Because we have business to discuss. Namely the fact that your name is on the roster for the Games.”
“And?”
“You’re going to humiliate yourself,” I informed her. “That is, if you’re conscious for long enough. The Valkyries are going to be gunning for you from the get go and even I won’t be able to convince them to hold back.”
“Guess you’ll get to enjoy the show when Dionysus and I wipe the floor with them, then.”
This time, I outright laughed. Her spunk was impressive. Unfounded and foolhardy, but impressive nonetheless. “You don’t stand a chance.”
“We’ll see,” she said, ducking beneath my arm. I watched as she left, her plaid skirt swishing as her hips swayed. She even walked with a bad attitude.
I shook my head and headed toward my next class, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was being watched. Sure enough, Fenrir was waiting for me in one of the closest halls. I ducked in, glancing him over.
“What is it?”
“We’ve got a problem,” he muttered, somber as ever. The guy never took a break from watchdog duty, no matter how much I wanted him to. “Kore has entered the Games.”
“I know. I’m handling it.”
“How?” he demanded.
I felt a flash of irritation at being questioned, even if he was one of the two people who could get away with it. “She’s my problem. Leave it to me,” I barked.
There was something in his golden eyes that said he wanted to argue, which wasn’t like him. Fenrir didn’t usually concern himself with the affairs of the lesser gods, let alone other students. He’d been different since Kore had transferred in.
Everything had, and as much as I loathed the status quo, I hated change even more.
“It’s time to take the gloves off,” I muttered. “Send out the text tonight. The Hunt just entered phase red.”
His eyes widened in protest, a protective flare I hadn’t expected. It just confirmed my suspicion that there was more going on where he and Kore were concerned than met the eye. “She’s your fiancee,” he growled, his voice more animal than man. “Isn’t it about time you stopped this little game?”
“It’ll stop when I say it will,” I snapped, feeling the need to put him back in his place. He was the closest thing to a brother I had, but he was stepping beyond the bounds. “Kore needs to learn her lesson. The sooner, the better.”
I turned around and kept walking but paused at the end of the hall. “There’s something else.”
“What is it?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation.
“It’s time for a second Rabbit to join the Hunt,” I told him. “Dionysus. Make sure he gets his rose.”
Chapter 5
Kore
Morning came like a load of bricks, but that probably had something to do with the drinks Dionysus and I had enjoyed last night while watching our favorite old movies. We shared similar tastes in everything from movies to men and drinks, which made being roomies fun if not so productive when it came time to get down to work.
I groaned, rolling over to smack my alarm clock into submission once it started screeching. “Too early.”
“You’ve hit that snooze button seven times, and if you do it anymore, you’ll be late,” he warned in a listless tone.
His overt awakeness got my attention and when I sat up, I found him sitting on the already made bed across the room. They were originally bunked, so it wasn’t hard to get another mattress out of storage even if I’d broken a nail in the process. I realized he’d probably been up for some time, given the fact that he was already dressed, but he seemed in no hurry to get to class.
I sat up and threw off the covers to walk over to him. “Dionysus, what’s… wrong…” I trailed off when I saw the black rose he was absently twirling between his fingertips. “Holy shit.”
