Page 89 of The Hunt of Night

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KRYLL

“Why would you just let her leave like that?” Raiden grinds out, the chords in his forearms coiled tight as he clenches his fists. I get it. I do. But the reality is we’re dealing with a special fucking woman who is not going to react well to being told what to do.

“Because trying to contain her will only push her away,” I state, the words not doing justice to what we’re up against with her. If anything, it’s our fault for getting all desperate and needy over the strongest, most independent woman I’ve ever met in my life.

I wouldn’t change a damn thing, but the reality is, this is out of our comfort zone.

Raiden growls as Brody sighs.

“Kryll’s right. I’m sure the way you and Cass give her those asshole unhinged vibes gets her all fucking hot for you, but those feelings are only going to get you so far,” he states with a shrug, and Cassian scoffs.

“They get me far enough.”

Brody gives him a pointed look, turning it to all of us before he speaks. “I want more with her. Do you?” It’s weird seeing him like this. He’s usually the lady’s man. The guy with too manygirls crying over him, yet he’s the first to take everyone else off the table to have Adrianna. He’s quieter, but it doesn’t feel like it’s from sadness. More…contentment.

My animal swirls inside of me, eager for the same feeling that it knows will come from her, and I rub at my chest, trying to will the ache away.

“More?” Raiden asks with his eyebrow raised in question, and Brody rolls his eyes.

“Love, dumbass.”

The vampire scoffs, but it’s cut short as he frowns, looking down at his hands in confusion. “I’ll go and find her,” he blurts, swiftly rising to his feet, but I move faster.

“No, I will,” Cassian grunts, hurrying for the door, shoulder-barging me as he goes.

“Wait. Wait. Wait,” Brody hollers, swinging his arms around in panic as my chest warms.

One word. Four letters and my animal wins out.

“No, you won’t. I will go. What she needs right now is a calm approach. Someone that is actually going to listen to her, and we all know that’s me.” The words leave my lips with a surety I didn’t know I had, taking root in my core as I take strength from them. It’s not lost on me that it wasn’t so long ago that we were in a similar position, and I refused to claim her.

That was then. This is now.

“Fuck you, Kryll,” Raiden grumbles, his lips setting in a thin line as his nostrils flare. “What we need is a plan because we’re just waiting around for the next attack aimed our way, and I don’t care for being on the defensive all the time. Last night reminded us of that. She needs to understand all of this as well as everything we’re feeling.”

“Agreed, but she needs to be equal to us, or shit, above us, because anything less than that will only put distance between us, and that’s the last thing we want. Right?” My body thrumswith anticipation as I practically bounce on the balls of my feet, waiting for their response.

“Fine, you go,” Cassian mutters, stepping away from the door with a sigh.

“We’ll meet you at the dining hall. She needs to eat,” Brody orders, and I nod, rushing out of the door before anyone can change their mind. Especially Raiden, since he kept his lips shut.

I hurry down the stairs of the wolf building, basking in the silence since everyone else is in class, but the moment I step out into the fresh air, my confidence falters. Have we really given her long enough to think? The time I promised her? The likelihood of her being pissed at my appearance feels pretty damn high, and that’s not going to help us.

Fuck.

I reach the fountain quicker than I can make a decision when a thought comes to mind. Maybe I should fly by her window and see how she’s looking first. That would give me a head start when I actually knock on her door. If she’s actually gone back to her room.

Fuck.

I didn’t think of that.

Swooping past her window first seems like the best option. Then, if she’s not there, I can scour the surrounding areas on campus.

With my mind made up, I make sure no one is around before I dart into the air, shifting the moment my feet leave the ground. The tension I hadn’t realized was rippling through my body eases as my animal takes over, enjoying the rush as I soar through the air.

With them close to the surface now, their thoughts intertwine with mine, and everything I feel toward Adrianna increases tenfold.

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