Page 40 of A Hunter for Luna

Unable to resist, I said lightly, "You look like you're thinking too hard. Regretting your life choices already, or just sulking because you can't keep up?"

Luna's eyes narrowed. "Oh, absolutely. I lie awake every night worrying how I might fall behind the great Benedetto d'Alvarez. It's a deep, consuming fear."

She was sharper than I gave her credit for. I almost wished…no. Better not to think about it.

As she climbed, it was obvious that she’d taken this route before. Her movements were graceful and practiced. A flicker of curiosity sparking within me. There was much more to Luna than what she let others see, and despite my best efforts, I found myself wanting to unravel all her secrets.

Focus, Benedetto. You have a mission, a purpose. You can't afford distractions, especially not in the form of a young woman with a sharp tongue and haunting eyes.

I followed her up the tree, the rough bark biting into my palms as I pulled myself onto the window ledge. Luna had already slipped inside, and I could hear her soft footsteps padding on the floorboards within.

This night had changed something between us. The banter, the shared experience, the fleeting moments of understanding... it was a dangerous path for me to tread.

But then again, I'd never been one to shy away from danger. And it had been a long time since any woman piqued my curiosity.

Safely in the room, Luna ghosted to the door and flicked a stray strand of hair out of her face. Her voice was softer than the hush of morning rain. "Tell me, Benedetto, do you always have this effect on people, or is it just me who finds your company so utterly exhausting?"

I raised a brow and kept my tone casual but with an edge, matching her quietness. "Only on people who are too weak to handle a challenge. If you find me exhausting, Luna, maybe you're simply out of your depth."

Luna snorted. "Out of my depth? I was out of my depth when I was fourteen, forced into a marriage with a man who couldn't even recognize his own wife when she was standing right in front of him. Now I know exactly what I’m doing."

My smirk faltered for a split second. "Well, you were a child then. You’ve done well."

Scald the moon, why did I say that?I shouldn't be engaging with her like this, letting her get under my skin.

Luna's eyes blazed with anger, her whisper-soft voice sharp. "Don't patronize me, Benedetto. I've survived things you can't even imagine."

She was right. I didn't know the full extent of what she'd been through. Nor did she know my scars, so we were even in that.

I forced a smirk back onto my face. "Is that so? Well, why don't you enlighten me then, Luna? What great trials have you endured that make you so strong?"

Keep pushing her away. It's better for both of us. I can't afford to let anyone close, not now, not ever.

I leaned slightly closer, my eyes gleaming with challenge. "Careful, Luna. You're starting to sound like you think you can handle me. That's a dangerous thought."

She met my gaze head-on, not backing down an inch. "Maybe I'm not just thinking it. Maybe I know I can."

For a heartbeat, the air between us crackled with unspoken tension. The words were biting, but there was an undercurrent of something else, something neither of us wanted to acknowledge. It was a moment of raw, electric attraction, hidden beneath layers of animosity.

Void eat you, woman.Why did she have to be so damn stubborn, so infuriatingly alluring?

I forced a lopsided smile, shaking my head. "You know, it's almost charming how fiercely you fight back. Like a fox pup barking at a wolf."

Luna rolled her eyes, but the ghost of a smile flitted across her lips. "And it's almost charming how you keep underestimating me. Almost."

Damn it, she was impossible. Maybe that was why I couldn't seem to look away.

I glanced at Luna, catching the determined set of her jaw in the faint moonlight streaming through the window. She was tougher than I gave her credit for.

She slipped out the door, heading for the opposite wing of the house. The rooms kept for me on the rare occasions I visited were only a few steps away. Down the hall, Luna turned. For amoment, I paused, watching her silhouette disappear into the shadows.What are you hiding, Luna? What secrets do you carry beneath that sharp tongue and fierce spirit?

Shaking my head, I entered my chamber, the familiar scent of leather and steel enveloping me. I stripped off my sword and boots, my thoughts still lingering on the woman down the hall.She's a distraction. A complication you can't afford.

The book I wrapped in a silk shirt. I’d left it here the last time I visited, just in case. It was enchanted to obscure scrying, so whatever was wrapped in it was almost impossible to find. Worn, it didn’t have the effect, since it didn't completely cover the wearer.

It had cost a pretty penny, but worth it now.

Task complete, even as I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't escape the memory of her eyes, the way they'd blazed with challenge and something else, something that made my pulse quicken. Scald the moon, I was in trouble. Real trouble.

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