Page 89 of The Huntress and Her Hound

She grabs my arm. “Um, someone. It’s written all over your face.”

“No, not at all.”

“Cher, don’t lie,” Lydia giggles. “If you’re worried about Henry finding out and losing his mind—well, he probably will—but I won’t be the one who relays the news.”

I glance up at her then, suddenly desperate to share everything that’s happened between Jude and me. I have no one to help me navigate a relationship. I’ve never even had a real one before.

“Who is it?” Lydia narrows her gaze at me. “Surely it’s not someone I know?”

Biting down on my lip, I wince. “Um...”

Lie. Just lie.

But I don’t want to lie anymore. If Jude would’ve asked me this morning about my purse and its contents, I would’ve told him. In fact, I’m done lying. The moment Dr. Nile is taken care of, I’ll face the music. For everything. I already know that.

“The only person I know here is...” Lydia’s eyes widen. “Oh my... Is it? Jude?”

I let out a sigh that I know gives it away. “It’s complicated.”

“But it’s him, isn’t it?”

“Henry will fucking murder him,” I blurt out, concern bleeding from my words. “And I know he probably won’t actually—”

“I hope not.” She suddenly appears worried as well as she cuts me off. “But it’ll have to be handled delicately.”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” I mutter, running my fingers through my hair. I pull at the tangles, my mind flashing back to earlier today—when Jude had it fisted in his hands. My body reacts with a tingle of excitement. And it’s so fucking refreshing.

“It’ll be fine though,” Lydia reassures me, though I don’t hear confidence in her voice. “He’ll get over it.”

“He never gets over anything.”

Lydia giggles. “Well, he’ll have to. But let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about Jude. How did it happen? How serious are you?”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek, never having tried to discuss a relationship before. “Um, I think it’s serious.”

She cocks her head. “Do you love him? I mean, he’s been here for a month, so...”

“I...” My voice trails off as I swallow hard, knowing the answer. I know what love is. My brother loved me better than most parents love their kids, and... “Yeah, I think so.”

“Does he know?” Lydia is feeding into this like a ravenous scavenger, hungry for anything I’ll give her.

“Um, no? I don’t know. I haven’t, like, told him. It’s not like he’s said it, either.” As those words slip out, my stomach lurches with fear. What if he doesn’t love me? What if he doesn’t want to be with me long term?

What if he’s just doing it because I’m Henry’s little sister?

“I’m sure Jude wouldn’t be seeing you if he didn’t have real feelings. He’s not the type to jump into something—or anything. I don’t think he’s been in a relationship since college. That’s what Henry said.”

I nod, feeling a little better. “Yeah, well, I still have to tell my brother. He wanted to tell him today.”

“Then he must love you,” Lydia snorts. “No way he’d choose that if he wasn’t serious about it.”

“Yeah, maybe. But I wasn’t ready.”

“I don’t blame you. You’ll have to approach it with caution. I get that.”

As I open my mouth to say something, my phone rings. Heart jumping at the chance it’s Jude, I pull it out, seeing a Las Vegas number. Huh. Okay...

“Hello?” I answer.

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