Page 24 of Oath of Revenge

How had she been sitting there, watching his every move, and hadn’t noticed? He was too distracting, too mouth-watering for her liking. She was the best Hunter there was, damn it. She had great observation skills, but she’d completely missed the changes within herself.

She let the disappointment in herself go, the overwhelming joy of relief making her eyes mist. It wasn’t a cure, but it was definitely more manageable.

Olive’s gaze was filled with tears too, and Scarlet jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. “I–I, oh…”

Olive grunted and hugged her back. “Sh, it’s alright, child. It’s alright.”

Scarlet’s eyes closed as she tried to get a grip on the stupid emotions. The weight of her antlers was nothing compared to the weight of sticking out and not belonging. The smaller antlers would be hidden with her green and red cloak. She could go back to field work with the Hunters instead of managing teams. For the first time since she’d been cursed, it truly felt like life really was going to be alright.

“Thank you.” She squeezed her eyes to stop the tears. She wasn’t the crying type, even though her throat threatened to close and her eyes burned. All this emotion was unacceptable.

Olive patted her back. “I’m glad it worked,” she said softly, holding her tight just like she’d done when Scarlet’s mother had been killed.

By Growlers.

Her jaw clenched as she latched onto the anger and grief swirling inside. When they threatened to burst, she spun on her heel to flee to the washroom under the stairs.

She used the facilities, then splashed water on her face from the sink. She couldn’t turn her back on the Growler. There was no telling what he might do.

But she had to get her emotions in check first. Weakness wouldn’t do, not for a Hunter.

After a few more deep breaths, she was ready to go back out there and get some answers. Plus, she didn’t want to leave her grandma alone with him for long, helpless though he may seem at the moment.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that’s the reason.

Her body seemed to yearn to be in his presence, the ache in her chest at just being in a separate room made it difficult to breathe.

She opened the door and strode to the kitchen, carefully avoiding his heavy gaze. The way his golden eyes followed her every move made a shiver run up her spine.

She knew that look of interest, had seen it time and time again when she let herself be noticed by the nobles of Busparia or the tavern boys. Back when she’d been tasked with gathering information for various parties or taking out prominent society members, she’d not been above using her body to get what she wanted.

But there had always been safety in anonymity, the false identities and a sense of belonging when she was treated like any other woman.

This was different. The intensity of their connection was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Every time he gazed at her, a wave of electricity seemed to course through her body, causing her skin to tingle with anticipation. And when she had him pinned beneath her thighs, she could feel herself melting into a puddle of desire.

This level of attraction to the Growler would be impossible to resist, but damn it, she was going to try. There was something about him that was too alluring, too dangerous for her to indulge in fully.

She loved skirting the edge of danger, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew when to step back and regroup and when to attack and press her advantage. It’s how they’d survived the last mission into Busparia.

She grabbed a drink and guzzled it, deliberating setting her mind to all the Hunters had done last week. It was a needed distraction, and she still had to figure out what reconnaissance the Hunters needed to do next. They had to find out what those monsters were, for starters, and do it without getting killed. When she could breathe again, she grabbed a dish towel to clean up breakfast.

Even as she tried to shake off those thoughts, another danger loomed in front of her—him. She knew she needed to stay focused and keep her guard up, but her heart was pulling her in a different direction. By the gods, she had to find a way to balance these conflicting emotions

She shook her head, and the new lightness of her head reminded her of the changes and how that could affect the next mission. What did she need to know next, right in this moment?

She looked over at Olive. “Why didn’t we try the glocken berry months ago when I first came to you for help?”

Olive sighed and joined her in the kitchen, loading another plate with food.

“The dream, child, the dream...” Her voice trailed off as she turned to put the plate on the table. “Sit, child. Eat, then we’ll talk. Wulfric, would you like more?”

He grunted, licking the plate like the uncivilized Growler he was. Scarlet rolled her eyes and sat, picking up her fork and watching Olive as she sat at the table with her own plate.

Scarlet drummed her fingers on the table. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Olive pointed at the plate with her fork and frowned, but didn’t answer. Instead, she began to eat.

Scarlet sighed. There was no changing Olive’s mind once she’d set it to something. It was a shared family trait. Scarlet ate quietly, watching Wulfric out of the corner of her eye.

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