Page 34 of The Huntress

Leo stopped in front of her, and as she studied his familiar features, the tension between her shoulders eased. He could have killed her three times already. Would he be her ally if she needed one?

Yes, but you don’t need me, Callista.

“Leo,” she said, by way of greeting.

His bow was formal as he flashed a grin. Gabe frowned, his expression intense. She gave him a look that said she’d explain later.

“No more suicide attempts?” Leo teased.

She shook her head. He held out a hand, palm upward, and out of nowhere, a tumbler of burnished gold liquid appeared. She gasped and accepted it from him, a little dazzled. She raised it to her lips and sipped the best scotch she’d ever tasted. The intensity of it warmed her stomach, swirling like a voracious lion. She downed it and gave him back his glass. It disappeared before her eyes. Right, yet another talent she didn’t know about.

“And?” Syl asked Leo.

With a chuckle, the tall man shook his head, his pale-gold hair brushed his shoulders in the process. “Snippets, as usual.”

“Nothing?” Syl asked. “As per the ball?”

“There was something when she entered, but once she realized I was there…” Leo shrugged. “She has compartmentalized her thoughts. I can share in a few, and only those she deems acceptable.”

“Well, well, Devereaux. A fountain of surprises.” Syl grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. “Could you train her, Leo?”

It’s a pity you belong to Gabriel now.

I belong to me.She felt like thumping her chest. This was the 21st century. You’d think suckbloods would move with the times.

Not anymore, Callista.“Yes, I could train her,” he said, his lips twisting. Sadness flitted across his face then nothing, no expression, just serenity.I wanted to taste every inch of you.

She gasped, surprised he’d liked her in that way.

“Are we done?” Gabe asked as he yanked Callie against him.

She scowled at him. What was she, a chew toy?

“Yes, by all means, go.” Syl dismissed them.

With a nod, Gabe tightened his fingers clasping hers and tugged her through a side door.

“You know Leo,” he said, as she studied the silver moonlight caressing his features. He led her through a courtyard, crossing cobblestones that looked ancient.

“We met at the mayor’s ball.” She shrugged.

“He told me he didn’t touch…?”

Leo told him? They'd discussed her at some point, or did Leo talk to him telepathically? Wasn’t that the same thing? It took a while for Gabe to voice that question. She wondered why it mattered. He was hundreds of years old—it wasn’t as if she was asking him about his past lovers. Not that she and Leo had ventured in that direction.

“No. He was a gentleman. Okay, spell it out. What doesAdsumomean?” She admired the starlit sky spread above them, not wanting his handsomeness to sway her determination. She needed answers.

“Thank you,” he said.

Without a doubt, she understood he thanked her for agreeing to this publicly.

She reached up to stroke his cheek, caught herself, and shoved her hands into her back pockets. “My pleasure. What did I agree to?”

Part of her wanted to rant at his audacity, at placing her in such a situation. As if her being here, at the festival, in his home, now in this stronghold, was his fault. But she’d agreed to chase after Val, vulnerable with no weapons, and she’d chosen to descend through the trapdoor. It was on her when she helped him to the chair. She could’ve returned to the race. She might have made it, saved Val, or she could’ve died and found herself sitting alongside Val as a suckblood.

Part of Callie wanted to run and never look back. She wasn’t a quitter, but the panic, the overwhelming circumstances, her illogical intense attraction to him drove her to consider it. So much was happening too fast. It left her head spinning and herself second-guessing her decisions.

He shifted closer to her, bringing a little of his warmth and his intoxicating cologne. The moon illuminated his face with enough light to reveal his troubled expression, as if he measured his words with care.

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