Page 17 of Wolf Hunter

“Why didn’t you just kill me?” she finally wants to know. “You clearly saw through my ruse. You know why I was there. Killing me makes more sense than taking me back to your sex dungeon.” She pokes at the floral bed sheets. “A sex dungeon with peonies and an 800 thread count. Gross.”

I nod. No sense in pretending otherwise. “I had my suspicions, yes. But I wasn’t exactly sure until we were face-to-face.”

A flash of anger brings color to the apples of her cheeks, and she mumbles mostly to herself, “It fucking figures the witches would get me in this mess.”

Hmm… I didn’t expect that one. “You don’t trust your own people?”

“They aren’t my people. Not in any real sense.” She opens her mouth to say something more and then snaps her lips shut audibly. “But it doesn’t explain why you brought me here instead of ending it last night. I might have been youractualsacrifice then, instead of just playing pretend.”

Actually, I can think of something better for her. Something more befitting of her skills. Not that I let her know.

“How about we start with a round of introductions and go from there? Although I guarantee you already know my name, I’ll give it anyway.” I don’t bother holding out a hand for a shake. She’ll probably bite it off before I get within a few inches of her. “Reid Holden. I’m the alpha of the Redcliff Pack. And you are?”

The seconds tick by as I wait for her to answer, my muscles tightening and clenching the longer I wait. Finally, she sighs, shoulders heaving with exaggerated motion.

“Why does it matter?” she asks.

“Because I want to know more about you.” A simple answer, and the honest truth. Maybe if I extend the first bit of candor, she’ll follow suit.

Why her name feels important to me, I don’t want to know. Or maybe I do want to know, but later, once I figure out a way to shake the odd feeling of intensity inside me. It builds to a crescendo the longer I stare.

I reign those feelings in and make sure to hold statue still.

“I guess you’re going to find out sooner or later.” She sighs. “Tasha Ward. Assassin extraordinaire up until last night. Now I’ve gone and ruined my perfect record.”

The name fits her, I decide on the spot. The slash of sound matches the intensity of her. I like it.

“Some people call me the Wolf Hunter.” A grin slides across her lips, telling me she’s proud of that little nickname.

“I think I prefer Tasha,” I say.

“Of course you do.”

I ignore that. It still baffles me how much bitterness could be jammed packed into just a small creature.

“Well, Tasha. I’d like to say it’s a pleasure…”

“Oh, why don’t we call this what it is? It’s an ambush. I might not have chains around me, but I’m stuck anyway. You aren’t going to let me leave here.”

“No, I’m not.” I shake my head because there’s no sense in skirting around the issue and trying to appease her with false sentiments of her assured safety. “You know there will be repercussions for what you did. Or what you tried to do, since I’m very much alive.”

Tasha’s laughter does something strange to me. Something unexpected and not altogether unpleasant to my insides.

“You really think I’m going to make this easy on you?” Her tone goes stale, sarcastic. “I’m not here to be your sex slave or anything else, for that matter. You can talk about repercussions all you want, but it means nothing to me in the long run. This ends in one of two ways: you kill me now and save yourself the trouble down the road, or I kill you and walk out the front door.”

I step back before I think about the movement. “Excuse me?”

Her gaze narrows on me. “You might be attractive, but I don’t open my legs for people like you,” she snaps. “I’d kill myself before I let you use my body.”

Pushing aside the strange satisfaction at hearing her admit she finds me attractive, I repeat, “People like me.” Then I think about it. “You mean, extremely sexy, highly educated men?”

“I mean assholes.” She flashes teeth at me. “I mean dirty wolves who think they can do whatever they want, treat people however they want, because they have a fancy title in front of their name. I mean any man who uses people against their will.”

I harden myself against the swell of desire to fight her on those points. To tell her I’m not my father, and she has the wrong idea about me. Not like any of it matters, though. I can’t let her live through this. Once I have the answers I need, she has to be eliminated as the true threat she possesses to my people. Then it will be back to business as usual: taking on willing sacrifices for the good of all.

“You’re my captive,” I tell her sharply. “Say what you want, but it doesn’t change the facts. I can use you however I please. You already hold such a high opinion of me. Should I prove you right?”

“Your facts are bullshit. Wait until I find a way to get out of here, and then it’s going to be your head on a platter. A silver platter because I want to watch it burn and sizzle your dead flesh.”

---