Page 132 of Hunting Pretty

“But I’ll be back.” He tugged his hand out of my grasp and I felt the loss of him immediately.

“You promise?”

“Haven’t you learned by now, Ava?” His lip twerked up. “I’ll always come back for you.”

I watched him from under heavy eyelids as he walked across the room, my body sinking into the softness of the bed, exhaustion pulling me under.

He paused at the door, his eyes softened, something almost fragile flickering there for a brief moment.

“I’m afraid, Ava,” he said, his voice trembling with vulnerability. “The next time, I might not be able to protect you.”

AVA

The predawn light crept in through the curtains, casting a soft, silvery glow over the room. I lay still, barely daring to breathe as I watched Scáth sleep beside me.

He was here.

He came back.

His face, usually so hard and guarded, was relaxed now. The sharp lines softened, and in this rare, quiet moment, he looked almost boyish, as if all the weight he carried had finally lifted, if only for a little while.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him like this—at peace.

My gaze traced the curve of his jaw, the way his dark lashes brushed against his cheek.

His lips, the same lips that had spoken so many harsh, cutting words, were now slightly parted, his breaths slow and steady.

I should have felt at peace with him asleep beside me,but instead, I was torn, a knot in my chest that tightened the longer I stared.

Last night, he had told me he loved me.Loved me.

The words had echoed in my mind ever since he’d said them, impossible to shake.

They had hit me harder than I’d expected, as if some hidden part of me had been waiting for them, dreading them and craving them all at once.

There was something about him that drew me in, something dark and twisted and yet… real.

He was dangerous, obsessive, everything I should be running from. He was my foster brother for God’s sake.

And yet I couldn’t stop this pull toward him, couldn’t ignore the way my heart betrayed me every time he looked at me.

He saw me in a way no one else did. He watched over me. Protected me.

I felt my throat tighten as I thought about it. I should be terrified. Iwasterrified.

But at the same time, part of me felt alive in a way I never had before. With Scáth, every moment was sharper, more vivid.

As I watched him now, peaceful, vulnerable even, I realized that I was past the point of no return.

I was falling for him, hard, and that terrified me more than anything.

It didn’t make sense—it couldn’t.

I didn’t want this. I couldn’t want this. Loving Scáth was like walking into the flames, knowing I’d be burned but unable to stop myself.

Every part of me screamed to turn away, to run before itwas too late. But here I was, lying next to him, drawn in by the very thing that should’ve scared me the most.

What did that say about me? About us? I tried to steady my breath, but the fear pressed harder. Falling for him wasn’t just wrong—it felt like the beginning of the end.

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