Page 27 of Haunting the Hunter
Guess my fun is over.
I shift into smoke, moving around the building like a blur. I stop dead in my tracks when I see Alok, staring at Callisto.
No.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I approach him quickly, sizing him up.
He laughs under his breath. “I told you I wanted to know what had you so consumed by this one.” He pauses. “Now I know.”
My heart skips a beat and my throat goes dry.
“You don’t know shit,” I say, attempting to brush him off.
“That mark on the back of her neck.”
“What about it?” I glare at him.
“She is marked for death,” he continues. “Now, I wonder how that happened.”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” I answer, attempting to sound convincing.
It’s not technically a lie. Humans shouldn’t have ancient knowledge like that. But I know how they got it. The grimoire. I just don’t know how they obtained that particular artifact.
“So you are following this pretty thing to discover the source?”
“I’m fucking warning you. Stay out of this.”
He smiles. “I will do as I please. And you aren’t going to stop me.” He moves closer, whispering in my ear, “I think I’ll drop in every now and then. You see, I like pretty things, too. You have piqued my interest and I currently have nothing better to do.”
“Leave her out of it. I can deal with this on my own,” I say, head down, ears back.
“Oh, I don’t think I will. And if you try and stop me, I could always inform the council.”
“How petty of you. All of this because you’re bored?”
“Sure. You could say that.” He smiles. “I’m sure they will be intrigued as to why such ancient knowledge is carved into a human’s flesh. A mark that symbolizes worship and sacrifice of our kind.” He looks me in the eye. “Such a binding hasn’t been allowed since before the war of the titans.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Alok. I’ve broken no laws.”
He looks up at me with an aura of authority. “You’re toeing the line, Kai,” he says sternly, using my chosen name. “I will sate my curiosity, and you will not deny me, or I will say something.”
“She. Is. Mine,” I say as the ground rumbles under our feet, my voice a low growl. “You will do well to remember that. I’ll tell you what I know when I know.”
Alok chuckles, patting my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, brother. I’ll keep to the shadows. For now. But expect to see me again. I happen to enjoy watching the way this one affects you.”
I despise being toyed with, and I hate being threatened even more.
He’s not wrong, though. I’ve been able to keep this quiet for so long simply because my kind doesn’t meddle in human affairs. But this, this is different, and my hands are tied. I clench my jaw, that fucker.
I don’t respond. I want to tell him to fuck off, to threaten him. But it’s not worth the trouble. I doubt he would actually say anything, but the threat is enough to accept the position I’m in. The council is a bunch of old fuckers, powerful, out of touch, and set in their ways. Keeping this under wraps is more important than ever, especially with Alok involved.
“See you soon, friend,” he says ominously, grinning from ear to ear before disappearing, leaving me standing there like a dumbass. I rub my face in frustration.
“Fuck…”
I make my way back over to Callisto and Jack as they continue having a good old time.
