Page 58 of The Hunt of Night

“If I tell you to pull away, will you squeeze tighter? I don’t really have the capacity to work backward right now, but it seems I’ll do just about anything for you,” he mutters, raising a questioning eyebrow at me.

We pass the fountain that redirects the pathways to each origin building, and we take the wolf path without hesitation.My gaze steals a peek at the gash on the side of his face and I cringe. It doesn’t look good. Hopefully, it’s just superficial, but he’s acting like nothing is out of place.

The sight of his pain has me complying. Again. Once to his initial command, now to this. What is he doing to me? Flexing my fingers around his, he relaxes his tight grip just a smidge so it’s comfortable.

“Actions speak louder than words, Alpha, and this…I like it.” He nods down at our joined hands with a pleased grin on his face, and I sigh.

“Of course you do.”

He doesn’t treat me to a smart remark or even a sliver of snark. Instead, he swings open the main door to the wolf building and leads me inside. It’s eerily quiet since everyone else is likely in class. Our footsteps echo around us as we march to his room, and by the time he kicks his bedroom door shut behind us, my pulse is thundering in my ears.

Swiping my tongue over my bottom lip, I wiggle my fingers between his, and he thankfully releases his hold. I take the distance and double it, tilting my head back as I inhale a deep breath. When I finally feel centered enough to deal with this infuriating man, I glance around his room to find him perched on the side of his bed.

His elbows are braced on his thighs, his fingers laced together as his eyes track my every move.

“Why did you do that?” I ask, my eyebrows pinching with confusion. Every situation we find ourselves in only seems to go from bad to worse, and today is no different.

“Do what?”

“Duel,” I say with a gasp, waving my hand at the door like that helps.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He leans back, switching his elbows for his hands on his knees as he continues to assess me.

“Why didn’t you mention thatyoucould fulfill the challenge?” I push, pursing my lips.

He shrugs. “Because it didn’t matter.”

“It didn’t matter that someone might attack you?” My head rears back, horror dancing in my eyes as I gape at him, and all this ass can do is shrug. Again.

“Just like someone might attack you?” He quirks a brow, turning the situation back around to me, and I shake my head.

“That’s different.”

“How?”

Fuck.

Exhaling slowly, my hands clench at my sides. My right hand wraps around fabric, reminding me I still have hold of Cassian’s green cloak. I quickly toss it on his bed like it’s on fire and step toward him.

His thighs spread wider and I enter his proximity with bated breath. Reaching for his face, my thumb grazes over the bloody mess down his cheek, avoiding the main damage.

“She could have done much worse,” I murmur, squinting at the wound as if an adjustment to my eyesight can help me gauge how deep the three cuts are.

He tilts his head to the side, leaning into my touch. My heart races, my throat dries, and my eyes blink in wonder at him. “I was distracted by your beauty, and she’s lucky she got away with this,” he murmurs, a smirk touching the corner of his lips, and I shake my head again.

“I shouldn’t be a distraction.”

That’s what I’m struggling with. More than the remnants of her attack, more than the duel in general, I hate the fact that his guard slipped because of me. Being a distraction wasn’t my intention, but here I am, causing chaos for those around me.

“Get over it,” he grumbles, replicating my touch on his face, only his thumb strokes in wide swipes across my cheek, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

“Cassian.” His name slips from my lips. A prayer? A curse? A plea?

“Addi, I would take more than a slash to the face for you. This?” He points at his face with his free hand, driving his point home. “This is nothing.”

I blink at him. Once. Twice. Three times, until he suddenly shakes his head, shifting my hands from his face as he sighs.

“Fuck. I didn’t just say that,” he mutters under his breath.

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