Page 43 of The Hunt

“I’m really tired, but I don’t know if I can actually get to sleep because of everything that’s happened tonight,” she said, lowering her eyes to her plate. Her cheeks were rapidly flushing pink. “But maybe… if you stayed a while longer, that might help me sleep. Just knowing someone is there can make things better, you know? But it’s okay if you can’t. I totally und—”

I cut her off. “I can stay.”

She raised her chin again, eyes wide as they searched mine. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s fine. I’ll stay.”

She gave me a small, grateful smile. “Thanks,” she said. A softness had entered her voice; one that I’d never heard from her before now.

“You can try my technique if you want,” I said, nodding toward the TV.

“Technique?”

I smiled thinly. “When I was a kid, I used to have horrible fucking nightmares. I was scared to go to sleep because of it. But eventually, I found one thing that worked.” I gestured to the TV again. “For some reason, having the French news channel on helped me get to sleep.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Fuck knows why. Maybe me not being able to understand a single word made me sleepy because it exhausted my brain,” I said, shrugging. “But hey, whatever it was… it worked. So maybe it’ll work for you too.”

She looked skeptical but gave me a small nod. “It’s worth a shot, I guess.”

After she’d finished her food, she turned the TV on and clicked the remote a few times. A minute later, the faint hum of the French news channel filled the room.

With that, Ev climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over herself. I went and sat next to her on the other side of the bed, maintaining a careful distance.

After a few minutes, I could see her eyelids fluttering, the tension in her body starting to loosen. “Wow,” she murmured. “You’re right. This actually works. I’m already half asleep.”

I let out a soft chuckle. “Told you.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again, her voice even quieter now. “What were the nightmares about?”

I cocked my head. “Hm?”

“You said you had nightmares as a kid,” she said. Her eyes were barely open now. “I did too. For me, it was house fires. I was always scared of being stuck in one, so I had a ton of bad dreams about it. What was it for you?”

I looked away and gritted my teeth, feeling the old, familiar weight of those memories pressing against my chest. They were always there, lurking just below the surface, waiting to come back when I least expected it.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” I finally muttered, face hardening.

I half-expected Ev to press me on the issue, but the room was silent except for the soft chatter from the TV news anchors. I glanced down at her again. Her breathing was slow and steady now, and her eyelids had shut all the way. She’d probably fallen asleep before I answered.

I knew I should get up and leave, but instead, I stayed and watched her rest, her face softening in the peace that had eluded her earlier.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me too. The long day, the adrenaline, the worry—it all just piled on. I let myself drift off, Ev’s steady breathing in sync with my own, and the demons in my head quieted for the first time in what felt like forever.

I absolutely fucking hated to admit it… but I could get used to this.

9

Everly

I woke slowly,caught somewhere between imagination and reality. For a moment, I wondered if it was all a dream. The attack, the hotel… Rhett.

My eyes blinked open, and it hit me: I was really here.

The sheets felt impossibly soft against my skin, and the faint scent of luxury—some mix of fresh linen and expensive wood polish—lingered in the air. I sat up, taking in the room, and my stomach tightened. Rhett was gone. His scent was still here, though, lingering on the bed, and he’d left a note on the nightstand.

I picked it up, reading his scrawled handwriting.I meant what I said.Order whatever you want and stay as long as you want. You’re safe here. - R

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