Page 108 of The Spider Queen
“Do you know how to dispose of a body? Have you done this before? Is that why you’re so calm?” I demanded.
He looked at me. “I’ve never done this before.” His face paled. “I just killed a person.”
“To protect me,” I stated. “Right? You killed someone to protect me.”
“Is that how I’m supposed to rationalize it? Is that howyourationalize it?”
I shrugged. “I’m still trying to deal with the fact that spider web silk flew out of my mouth.”
He looked at the ceiling in sheer exasperation. “One problem at a time, please.”
Chapter 41
It was the guy from the bar.
The cute one that had tried hitting on me while Hunter was getting us drinks. Who could’ve known that a killer lurked beneath his Irish lilt and good humor? I shuddered and looked away from his body. Hunter and I hadn’t moved him, and now, we were sitting in silence while we waited for someone to come clean up the mess.
I didn’t bother asking who was coming since I knew I wouldn’t recognize the person anyway. Hunter assured me it was someone who was both capable and discreet.
The silence gave me time to think. As usual, I was left with a lot of questions and no answers. I didn’t have the mental energy to go head to head with Thane, so I didn’t bother asking him about the silk that had spun from my mouth.
Hunter was somber, and I attempted to alleviate the tense silence. “Want to talk about it?” I ventured to ask.
“What’s there to talk about? I killed a man. I’m trying to wrap my brain around that, but I…I want to be a doctor, Poppy. What kind of doctor willingly takes a life?”
“He would’ve killed us, and besides, aren’t you forgetting about generations of Hunters being bred for this very thing?” I pointed out.
He ran a hand across his tired face. “I know.”
There was a quiet knock on the door, and Hunter jumped off the bed to answer it. He cracked the door slightly and then opened it all the way. A tall, stoic man entered the room, looked around, eyes skimming past me to focus on the body on the carpet.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the guy muttered with the faintest trace of an Irish accent. He walked to the corpse and crouched down next to it. “A knife? Really? Could you have made more of a mess?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Hunter protested. “It was his weapon of choice—not mine. Do you recognize him?”
The man shook his head. “New recruit, I guess.”
“My thoughts, too,” Hunter added.
“Only reason you’re still alive.” The man put his hands on his thighs and pushed himself upward. He reached into his back pocket and tossed Hunter a set of keys while giving directions to the car.
“You bring anything?” the man asked. “Clothes? Baggage?”
Hunter shook his head. “Traveling light.”
“The Darcys have everything you need anyway.” The man’s eyes left Hunter’s face to look at me. His gaze flickered up and down my body—not in a sexual way…more like he was sizing me up.
“Fragile,” the man said, addressing Hunter.
“She’s not.”
The man raised his eyebrows. “Hold on to her. She might blow away.”
I frowned. What the hell were they talking about?
“Thanks for your help.”
Hunter took my hand and led me toward the door. He opened it a crack, looked out in the hallway, and when he deemed it clear, he ushered me to the stairs.
