Page 2 of Haunting the Hunter
The pendulum.
It must be the pendulum. Artifacts like that are unpredictable, and I can feel its pull tugging at the edges of my form. Strange. I let my hand fall and step back, watching her carefully.
She swallows hard. A single bead of sweat drips down her olive skin, and she visibly shakes it off before scrambling to her feet and rushing out of the room. Pity. I would have liked to lick it off her.
I follow—keeping to the shadows. She doesn’t need to know I’m here… Not yet.
She glides quickly down the hall, the navy rug muffling her steps as the wood creaks faintly beneath her. Approaching her brother, Cade: the little hunter. He towers over her with his broad shoulders and chiseled features. Overrated, if you ask me. Not to mention he’s a total asshole. I’m clearly superior.
He looks down on her as if she’s a child. She presses the pendulum into his hand, her voice tight with urgency. “Take this—it’ll keep you safe.”
I can’t help but notice how dainty her hands are, and how pretty they would look wrapped around my—
“Please, Cade.”
Please, Cade.My eyes roll into the back of my head. The only person she should be saying please to isme.
Something in her voice makes him pause. He sighs, taking the pendulum and shoving it into his pocket; not another word shared between them.
Yes.
Follow him, and stay the fuck out of my way. He doesn’t deserve her and neither do you. But you could deserve each other…
So, the skeptic has a magical object now,that’s hilarious.
CHAPTER 1
CADE
The heavy bass is a dull thump through the walls as I slip through the back entrance and look around the gaudy mansion. The whole place is ringed with hedges and elaborate sculptures. Even had a fucking staff entrance hidden on the side of the property, perfect for me to get in undetected.
A myriad of golden hues splayed from floor to ceiling. Too fucking much. My heavy boots echo against the marble floor in the quiet hallway.
Footsteps reverberate off the walls, and I quickly press myself into the wall near the entryway, silently setting my trap.
Just as the shadow of a man enters, I loop the cord around his neck, yanking tight till I feel the pull cutting off his air. He spasms, clearly shocked from my assault. I’m sure he didn’t expectthiskind of choking at a party like this. The poor bastard. He’s clawing at his throat, which will end in—Five. Four. Three. Two. Out.
I grab him by the ankles, dragging his unconscious body further into the room near a closet. Stripping away his clothes takes effort, but I get them off, tossing them aside. I grunt, wrestling his dead weight into the closet.
I grab the clothes and hurry out of the room, farther down the hall, slipping into one of the back rooms and planting the clothes underthe chaise lounge—I’m gonna need those for later. Walking over to the full-length mirror, I run my fingers through my hair, messing it up on purpose, and walk out, into the party.
The room reeks of sweat and arousal, a heady mix that turns my stomach. These people disgust me, but I haven’t come to judge.
In the writhing masses, bodies are tangled in slick, desperate motion among the silk pillows scattered across the floor, but they’re nothing more than background noise among the variations of blues. My focus remains sharp against the dimly lit euphoria.
I scan the room and head toward a bar in the back corner, sitting on one of the empty stools. I raise my finger up, capturing the bartender’s attention.
“What can I get you?”
“Whiskey, straight,” I reply.
The bartender moves with quick hands, sliding the drink to me. But I’m distracted by a stunning woman in lingerie. She’s carrying a tray out to a man fisting a woman’s hair as he aggressively fucks her mouth. My eyes shift away and meet the gaze of a short blond-haired man, his features delicate yet confident, as he seats himself next to me.
“You are way too hot to be alone right now,” he says in a sultry tone, eyeing me up and down.
“I’m not alone. You’re here.” I smirk and take a sip of my drink.
“You like what you see?” he says, biting his lip.
