Page 66 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
Logic had never been his strong suit. He only cared that our supposed mate was suffering, and that was apparently unacceptable.
“You look terrible,” I said, because nothing said “romantic reunion” like brutal honesty.
“Right back at you,” she shot back, shifting her weight and trying to hide the wince that followed. “I suppose that makes us even.”
“We’re nowhere near even.” I studied her face. “You look like you’ve been put through a blender. I just look like I got into a fight with one. So no, not even.”
Something flickered across her face—almost a smile. “No,” she agreed. “We’re not.”
The air between us hummed with all the unspoken bullshit, energy pulsing in time with heartbeats that had decided to synchronize. Ever since I’d tasted her, everything had changed. She no longer radiated danger signals that made my hunter instincts scream. Now she just smelled like honey and rain andthings I shouldn’t be thinking about while barely conscious in a medical facility.
“I’m aiming to arrive at the council session a few hours before the window closes,” Logan interrupted, his voice cutting through whatever moment we were having. “We leave in twelve to make the journey. Both of you need to be functional by then.”
“Both of us?” Sable’s voice could have cut glass.
“Eve made it clear you’re under Orion protection,” Logan said. “That means you’re part of our delegation whether you like it or not.”
“I’m not going to any Council meeting.” She said it as if Logan had suggested she volunteer for experimental surgery.
“You are if you want to survive the week,” Eve said quietly. “The magical backlash you both experienced, it’s not stabilizing. According to the healers, your life forces are intertwined. Separation beyond a certain distance will kill you both.”
Well, that was just fantastic. Stuck together like supernatural conjoined twins, forced to attend the political equivalent of a root canal.
“How far apart can we get?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know.
“Close,” Eve said. “You have to stay very close.” She gestured to a chair positioned about three feet from my bed. “Sit,” she told Sable. “Both of you need to stop pretending proximity doesn’t help.”
Sable’s jaw tightened like she was chewing glass, but she did as told. The moment she sat down, the wrongness in my chest eased. My breathing deepened. The constant static that had been eating at my brain since the rejection quieted to a manageable whisper.
I could think clearly.
My first clear thought was that she looked beautiful, and I wanted her more than ever. My body reacted to the thought,and I had to adjust the sheets to keep it from becoming public knowledge.
Fuck my life.
“This is temporary,” Sable said, her voice tight, like she was trying to convince herself the Titanic was just taking on a little water. “Until we find a real solution.”
“What kind of solution do you have in mind?” I asked. Part of me wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
“I don’t care. The kind that doesn’t require us to share breathing space for the rest of our natural lives.”
Something low and possessive rumbled in my chest—not quite wolf, not quite human. The sound an alpha makes when his territory is threatened by someone with exceptionally poor timing. “And if there isn’t one?”
Her eyes flashed. “There will be.”
“You sound awfully confident for someone who just tried to magically lobotomize herself and nearly killed us both in the process.” I leaned forward slightly, drawn by her scent growing stronger. “How’s that working out for you, by the way?”
Her face went still, and the color drained from her cheeks. “How did you know?—”
“I felt it,” I said, studying her reaction. “Every second of it. The silver magic burning through your veins like acid. The moment you realized you were hurting me too.” I paused, watching her. “The moment you stopped. Tell me, Sable—if you really wanted this connection gone, why did you pull back?”
She didn’t answer. Color crept up her neck in a blush. My wolf panted in desire.
“We need to test the limits,” Logan said into the charged silence. “Once we’re in the council session, who knows what we might encounter. We need to see how close you need to be to each other for optimal function.”
“Function,” I repeated. “Like we’re broken machinery that needs calibrating. How romantic.”
Neither of us moved. “Move closer,” Eve commanded.
