Page 54 of The Hunt of Night

“With a wolf.”

I catch sight of Cassian throwing his arms in the air at my admission, drawing everyone’s attention his way.

“Would you look at that?” His eyes are narrowed, but there’s a glint there that tells me he’s all ears.

“I’m considering if there’s anyone else first,” I admit, looking back down at my plate to avoid the wrath I know is coming. Instead, the feeling in the air is more butt-hurt than anything.

“What’s wrong with me?” he asks. I shrug, acutely aware that the entire table is waiting for another answer, but I pretend the peas on my plate are too riveting to shy away from. “Addi.” There’s a warning in his tone, and I sigh, tilting my head to meet his pointed stare.

“I don’t…maybe Janie might help,” I grumble, watching as his brows gather and his jaw tics.

“Janie? I mean, for sure, she would, but what’s wrong with me?”

I’m locked in a stare-off with him, unable to look away as I struggle to give him an answer, when Flora snickers.

“You don’t come with a vagina.”

I splutter on my next breath as the table erupts in a round of laughter and her cheeks turn pink from the attention.

“So?” Cassian is not backing down from this. Maybe hecouldhelp. I know he would, but there’s a part of me holding back. Likely the part that knows something is growing between us, between all of us, and I’m scrambling to push the pause button, but it’s futile at this stage.

“You’re also hot-headed and she might need a softer approach,” Brody muses, wagging his finger at Cassian, who huffs.

“And just hot in general, she’s going to struggle with that too,” Flora adds, earning another chuckle as I gape at her. She’s definitely a handful. I can’t handle her and Nora together. Ever. I wouldn’t stand a chance with these smart comments.

I chance a glance at the wolf in question to find his heated stare still focused on me.

Fuck.

This is exactly what she’s talking about, and I hate that she’s right.

“Are you two still together?”

I frown, glancing at the girl suddenly appearing at the end of the table, and my spine stiffens. One of these days I’m going to get to eat a meal in peace, but it’s clear my chances are slim. Looking at her, really looking at her, it takes me five seconds to get my read on her, and shock, horror, it’s not good.

Her green cloak says enough, and the way the corner of her lip flicks up on a sneer leads me to believe I know exactly where this shit is going.

“Excuse me?” I plaster the fakest smile I can muster on my lips, relaxing my shoulders back as if my mind isn’t mush.

She runs her tongue over her teeth, flicking her brown hair over her shoulder in a way that has me questioning if she’s beentaking lessons from Vallie. “I mean, are you still laying claim to our man?”

Our man?Our man?Our fucking man?

It spikes a level of anger through my veins that I can’t make sense of, or I refuse to, but either way, my nails dig into my palms as I fight back the immediate urge to knock her the fuck out.

“Again, excuse me?” I repeat, tilting my head and fluttering my eyelashes like I have no idea what she’s hinting at.

“Don’t play dumb,” she seethes, and I snicker.

“But I do it so well.” My eyes narrow as my nostrils flare. My anger is no longer hideable.

“Has anyone challenged you since the new moon?” she asks, pressing her palms flat on the table beside Cassian, and I hate how close she’s standing to him.

“I have no idea what moon we’re on,” I grunt with a shrug, watching her inch closer to him.

“She was forced into a duel the other week. Pretty certain we’re still on the same one,” Brody states with a bored tone, but she’s unfazed by his lack of excitement at her presence.

“This can’t go on any longer,” she snaps, baring her teeth at me.

---