Page 86 of The Hunt of Night

“And I thought I proved last night that I can handle myself. Not only that, I fucking warned you what would come if you kept undermining me like that.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about your abilities, Adrianna. That’s not my issue, but if we can avoid danger, I think we should. And don’t even get me started on that goddamn threat. I told you as much last night.” His warning rings louder than mine, and I gulp. For a split second, I falter, until his words repeat inmy mind and the restraint I was holding on to slips between my fingers.

“Youthink?”

“Yes.” He nods vigorously, and I scoff.

“Guys,” Brody warns as if sensing the anger that I can feel in the air around me.

“No, please, continue. What else doyouthink?”

Kryll’s hands drop from my shoulders as I turn to stare down Raiden head-on. The vampire lifts his hands in surrender, but the determination doesn’t leave his eyes.

“I’m not looking to pick a fight, Adrianna.”

“No, you’re looking to have me trail after you, nodding in agreement with whateveryouthink,” I snap, unable to contain the pure rage his words have created inside of me.

“No, I?—”

“Save it,” I bite, turning for the door.

I need out of here right now. I can’t breathe, and a small part of me can’t decide if I’m overreacting or not. Some fresh air will give me the balance I’m looking for, and that’s only going to piss him off. But so be it. I’m my own fucking person.

“Wait,” he calls, and I half expect to feel his grasp on me in the next breath, but it doesn’t come.

“Let her go, Raiden,” Cassian mutters, his quietness in all of this a little unnerving, but it surprises me even more when I peer over my shoulder to find him restraining Raiden from moving toward me. It’s just a hand on his shoulder, but it seems to do the trick.

“If anything happens to her, it’s you I’ll blame,” he snarls, turning his words to Kryll, who nods at his friend before signaling for me to get the hell out of there.

The door slams behind me as I scurry down the stairs and straight out the front door. I can’t decide if he has a point or is insane, but either way, all of this is ridiculous.

Before I realize it, I’m at the fountain with a fork in the road, considering my options. I can take a walk, I can go for food, or I can hurry to my room. Despite the other options, the latter sounds the most appealing. As much as I need space, annoyingly, he’s not wrong, and my ward will serve to protect me.

With my mind made up, I march toward the fae building, my pace quickening even more when it comes into view. I grasp the door handle and twist, but freeze when movement sounds from the tall bushes to my left.

My pulse rings in my ears as my gaze darts everywhere. When movement ruffles the leaves, I stand tall, ready to defend myself.

One final flurry has someone stepping out into the open, and my heart stutters in my chest.

“Hello, Adrianna.”

Fuck.

“Mother.”

35

ADRIANNA

Her gaze caresses over me, assessing every detail as her eyes sparkle in the late morning sun, while I grind my teeth together to make sure my jaw doesn’t fall slack and reveal my surprise. Uncertainty zings up my spine, making my fingers flex at my sides as I offer the same eye scan.

I can’t get a sense of her feelings or emotions. She’s got them locked down and bolted, which only serves to leave me on higher alert. Of all the dangers Raiden could have warned me about, I doubt this would’ve been one of them.

Even though her presence pisses me off, it grates on me more that Raiden is right.Nowhereis safe. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle myself, though.

Her hair is pulled back in a slick ponytail. She’s wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and a plaid shirt. In all of my memories as a child, she didn’t look like this in any of them, but I guess that’s because she wasn’t really herself then. Not like she is now.

Clearing my throat, I keep my lips in a flat line as I cock a brow at her. “Why are you here?”

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