Page 68 of Oath of Revenge

How dare they capture her? How had they been so fast with it? How had they snuck up on her?

She was the best Hunter in the land, damn it. She had never failed an assassination, never caused a scene or gotten caught.

Except last summer with the king.

This was unacceptable. No matter that she had grown weak and her aura readings had started to fade the farther she was from Wulfric. No matter that she was cold, weary, and weak. She had to reclaim her title as the best of the Hunters and use this to her advantage.

She pursed her lips as they drew closer to a hollow. The tents were densely packed, but there was a sort of order to it. The tents seemed to be arranged in clusters of four with a small campfire built in the center, each of the groups of four neatly organized in rows.

The closer they came, the stronger she felt. That made her angrier too, because that meant Wulfric was in camp. He’d sworn he was just going to gather information from a guard or two. He’d lied.

The well-worn walking path they followed led straight through the camp. The closer they came to the center, the larger the tents became. Still she struggled, her heart racing as she cursed them under her breath.

“You fuckers are going to regret this.”

A lone wooden building was nestled under the trees. Beside it were three of the largest tents. On the other side of those three was the largest tent in the camp.

In front of the large tents and the building was the largest bonfire. There were no tents nearby, just a large open area for congregating.

They’d passed a few people around the smaller campfires, but as they went closer to the center of the camp, more people followed them. Most of the men wore loose canvas pants while the women wore simple hide or canvas dresses that hung to their knees. Slits up the side revealed a lot of leg, but the simple soft leather shoes on their feet were the most surprising. The way Wulfric had complained about the boots, she would’ve thought they’d all be barefoot.

Women, children, and even shifted Growlers in wolf form came to see the prisoner as she was carried to the bonfire. When they reached it, one of her captors let out a sharp bark. She jumped, her stomach quivering as an answering set of growls swept through the camp. Fear threatened to choke her, and her rabbit nose twitched.

Shit, were they going to rip her to pieces? Roast her alive?

The crowd’s noise died down as someone came out of the biggest tent. A wiry man with shaggy brown hair walked forward, his golden eyes cold and calculating as the crowd whispered and pointed. Two others followed him.

“What do we have here?”

“Intruder, boss,” said the one holding her. He slapped her ass hard, making her jerk.

“Get your fucking hands off me, Growler, and let me go,” she ground out. If she could just angle her head around, she’d be able to bite him.

“She’s a freaky little thing. Can we rough her up a bit before…”

The man’s voice trailed off as he sought guidance from the leader.

“Don’t even think about it, you upstart. Are you the little bitch Brody I’ve heard so much about?” Scarlet asked.

The crowd gasped and looked at the leader. Two other Growlers stood behind him, arms crossed, but Brody just threw his head back and laughed. It sent an icy shiver down her spine.

He waved his hand toward the bonfire. “I see my reputation precedes me. At your service, my lady.”

He did a mock bow, but Scarlet snorted. “Let me go.”

Brody’s eyes glittered in the glow of the fire. “For your impertinence, I believe we’ll have a bit of sport first. We’re not monsters, after all, no matter what the outside world says. We’ll give her a fighting chance.”

Suddenly the men holding her dropped her to the dirt too close to the fire. She rolled away from the flames and to her feet. Her hood had fallen back, revealing her antlers and ears. She lifted her daggers as her eyes darted from target to target.

The crowd gasped and began to murmur, several falling back a few steps. A mother tugged a child back into the crowd. She searched the gazes for any open faces, anyone who might be able to help. But all that stared back was horror and a freakish fascination. The familiar wave of not belonging washed over her.

Dread settled in her stomach as she realized there would be no help coming. The Growlers wouldn’t let her leave. The civilians were too scared or too stupid to help or let her go, and the warriors would follow Brody.

But she wasn’t going anywhere until she found Wulfric. He was here somewhere. She just had to live long enough to find him. Hands spread and daggers gleaming in the firelight, she shifted her feet to prepare for an attack.

Chapter 21

Wulfric slipped through the woods and crouched next to a tree to watch the guard slink slowly through the forest. Wulfric stayed down wind and sniffed. He didn’t recognize this guard.

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