Page 21 of Whiteout

I replay our encounters in my mind. The more I thinkabout it, the more convinced I become that this couldn't be Kris. He's intense, yes, but there's a difference between passion and malice.

But what if it's not Kris? What if someone has been watching us? My blood runs cold as I recall the figure, I thought I had seen through the window of my cabin the first day I arrived. The broken lock on my cabin door. Could it be the same person? Someone jealous of our connection, or perhaps someone with a sick fantasy?

As I turn the corner, I spot his tall frame standing outside the hardware store, loading a large box into the back of his truck. Relief floods through me at the sight of him. He looks up, his dark eyes meeting mine, and a smile spreads across his face then falls into a look of concern.

"Cherry, what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you."

"What happened? You look terrified. Did someone do something to you?"

I shake my head, "No, no one did anything to me. It's what I just saw. I just came from the sheriff's office. There was a body found, a woman. She'd been marked by the Huntsman." I pause, searching his eyes for any sign ofrecognition. "I saw a photo of her on their computer. She was tied up, and the way she was positioned..."

"Go on."

"She was tied to a kitchen counter, exactly like you had me yesterday. I need to know, Kris. Were you home all night? Did you leave at any point?"

"No, I didn't leave. After I left your room, I went to bed. That's where I stayed all night until I got up and made us breakfast."

"Whoever it was that broke into my cabin, what if it's the same person? What if he's been watching us? What if this all ties back to the missing women?"

Kris pulls me into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, you'll be fine, but we need to get back to my cabin."

"Oh my God, what do we do? Should we go to the police? Tell them someone's been watching us?" My heart is hammering in my chest as I start to panic.

"No, we're not going to the police. I'll fix the door to the rental, but I want you to stay with me, please. It's safer for you."

"But why is it safer? I don't understand what's going on here."

"Listen, I don't knowwhat's going on either, but I'm not leaving you alone until I find out what's happening."

"Kris, I don't think you understand. The woman in those photos, it can't be a coincidence the way she was tied up. She was posed exactly how you had me tied up yesterday. She had a red wig on, the exact same shade and style as my hair." I pause a moment, trying to keep my emotions in check as I recall the details of the photo. "There was a towel in her mouth gagging her. Then someone carved the word 'Whore' into her stomach. It was horrific."

"That's why I need to get you back to my cabin. I can protect you there. I won't let anything happen to you, Cherry. You have to trust me."

"I do trust you, Kris. I just... I don't know what to think anymore. This town, the Huntsman, it's all so much to try and wrap my head around. I feel like I've stepped into one of the stories from my podcast, and I can't tell what's real and what's not. It can't be a coincidence that a woman was posed like that."

He leans closer to me across the truck seat. "I'm real. This pull to you that I feel is real. The rest, we'll figure it out. Iwon't let anything happen to you; I promise."

His words, though comforting, do little to calm my nerves. Is Kris hiding something? Or is he genuinely trying to protect me? My eyes dart to Kris, searching for any sign of the Huntsman. But the man sitting next to me is just Kris. No, it's not him, he was home with me all night.

Someone is watching me, watching us, and he's pissed.

Chapter 11

Kris

What the fuck is my brother thinking?

Breaking tradition and killing before Christmas Eve? It's unthinkable. Centuries of carefully maintained ritual, and he's ready to throw it all away because of his petty jealousy.

I don't give a fuck how pissed he is that I got to Ivy before he did. She's mine, and it's going to stay that way. The memory of her soft skin, her bright green eyes, the sounds she makes when she comes, they all play in my mind like a slideshow. No, he will never lay a finger on her, and I'll do whatever it takes to make damn sure of it. I won't let him take her from me.

With every new generation born of our family, it brings a new Huntsman to carry on the family secret. The weight of our legacy is almost unbearable at times. And yet, I'm not the one who carries the burden.

The only reason he's the Huntsman isbecause he was born two minutes before I was. Two minutes that have defined our entire lives. The job is always passed down to the eldest male born in the next generation. Two fucking minutes, and I'm left in the shadows cleaning up his messes, while he wears the mask.

My twin brother Nick stands before me, his shoulder tense and fists clenched at his sides. For a moment, I think this fucker might actually take a swing at me. But he just shakes his head, continuing to pace the floor.

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