Page 95 of A Hunter for Luna

Pip attacked with claws and teeth from the other side, harrying it. It jumped backward and she planted herself between me and the beast.

"Get back!" she shouted.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself up despite the fire spreading through my veins. Hellhound venom. This wasn’t good.

The hound feinted left before lunging at her, jaws snapping inches from her throat. She spun away just in time, her fan scoring a long wound down its side. It howled in rage but didn’t retreat.

Pip bit one of its ears and the hound swiped at it, leaving Pip leaking blood from a long scratch.

The hound was toying with us. Waiting for an opening.

I readied two daggers. I wouldn't go down without a fight. I reached for the starlight and used it to guide my aim and then waited my moment.

She dodged out of the way, and I threw the blades. They flew true, one into each eye making it yelp and recoil, shaking its head as those flaming eyes dimmed. It ran off into the trees, hopefully not to return this night.

"Let me see," Luna demanded, suddenly at my side. She yanked up my pant leg, sucking in a sharp breath. Her face was pale, eyes dark with worry.

I watched her work, my mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. She was helping me, there was no denying that. But why? Because she cared, or because she needed me alive for her own purposes?

Those damned thoughts!

The pain in my leg intensified, and I gritted my teeth against a wave of nausea. I had to focus on survival, on getting through this. But even as Luna tended to my injury, paranoia whispered to me.

The hound must have been sent by Moonshifter. It should be blinded permanently, so I doubted it could seek us out again, even if compelled.

Luna's fingers traced dark ribbons around my leg, her brow furrowed in concentration. "There's magic in hellhound venom. I need to disrupt it before it spreads."

I watched as she worked, the pain in my leg slowly ebbing. But the doubts in my mind only grew louder. Giordano's wordsechoed in my thoughts, taunting me with the possibility that Luna's loyalty was nothing more than a carefully crafted lie.

The venom was clouding my thoughts, but I couldn’t stop them.

She stood abruptly, her hands shaking slightly as she moved to the makeshift fire pit. "I'll brew some willow tea. It'll help with the pain."

I wanted to believe in her, to trust that the connection we'd forged was real. Heat ran through my veins.

As she busied herself with the tea, I studied her movements, searching for any sign of deceit. But all I saw was a woman who seemed genuinely frightened, her hands trembling as she measured out the powdered bark. Who gently dabbed at the scratch on the drake’s flank.

She was scared. The thought hit me like a physical blow. She did care, didn't she?

But even as the thought formed, the doubts crept back in, insidious and unrelenting. I'd been betrayed too many times, seen too much deceit to trust blindly. And yet, the idea of Luna as my enemy felt wrong on a fundamental level.

She returned to my side, pressing a steaming cup into my hands. "Drink this."

I took a sip, the relief spreading through my body. But it did little to ease the heat blurring my thoughts. I was caught between two impossible choices. To trust Luna and risk everything, or to push her away and lose the one person who'd made me feel truly alive.

As I looked into her eyes, I knew I had to decide. But for the first time in my life, I had no idea which path to choose.

The night settled around us, the crackling fire casting dancing shadows across Luna's face. My leg still throbbed, but the pain had dulled to a manageable ache.

I reached out, my hand covering hers. Her skin was soft, warm against my calloused palm. "Thank you."

Luna looked up, her eyes soft.

"Of course," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

I'd been betrayed so many times before. The memories of past hurt threatened to overwhelm me. Was trusting her the biggest mistake of my life?

"Bene," Luna said. "What's on your mind? You’re upset."

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