Page 33 of Hunted By Darkness

Ryker slapped the confused bear on the back, laughing. “Don’t worry about it, big guy. Just familiarize yourself with their scents and leave the battle planning to me.”

“A battle?”

“Between men,” Ryker explained, only baffling the giant further. I already felt sorry for him. At this point, Ryker was doing it on purpose. “You’ll see soon enough, promise. These two will be at each other’s throats in no time. The tension is close to combustion, and Sally’s never been very good at managing his emotions.”

Tometi agreed with a nod, a sentiment he clearly shared.

I didn’t think my life would get weirder than an infamous, masked assassin who followed me around like a puppy or talking to a bunch of dead souls in my head, but I was wrong.

So very wrong.

“I woke up and two men were standing over my side of the bed,” I started.

Silas didn’t let me finish. His sword was out and magic swept the room, on the hunt for an enemy he’d never find. “I knew we couldn’t trust this two-faced twat,” he growled under his breath. “Bet Rilas is up to his old tricks. You better prepare yourself, you wolf bastard, because I know it was you who brought them straight to our doorstep.”

Salvator’s answering growl was beastly. “What’s to say you weren’t the one who led them here?” The angry shifter stood, wearing only a pair of shorts Lev had lent him. They clung to his thighs for dear life, and it’d be comical if the two weren’t on the cusp of killing each other. “You’re the whole fucking reason she was attacked last time. You’ve gotten sloppy,Sparkles. Admit it. You can’t protect her, and that’s why Rilas was able to find her in the first place. It’s lucky I came when I did. Who knows what trouble your incompetence might drag her into this time.”

The air ignited between the two.

“Told you so,” Ryker snickered.

As if impressed, Tometi watched the two ex-Brothers glare at each other. “You must have clairvoyance, Ryker.”

“Not exactly.” Ryker’s face was split by a mischievous grin.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed Silas’s arm. “Would you just listen? It’s not what you think. They weren’t enemies, obviously, or I wouldn’t be down here acting like nothing happened, would I?”

Silas’s searching eyes paused on me before he sheathed his weapon, acquiescing with a nod. “Go on, love. I’m listening.”

Salvator had his arms crossed, closer than before. His upper lip was pulled back as his eyes darted around the room, seeking out the voices he’d heard from different spots.

Ryker and Tometi were wandering around, making absolute nuisances of themselves. Neither seemed to care that I was suddenly expected to explaintheirsituation and play mediator between two battling brutes. This situation was oddly reminiscent of the first time I heard the three talking inside my head.

Also, where was Lev when I needed him? How was he this deep of a sleeper after all we’d been through? The fact that their antics hadn’t woken him up was a problem I’d need to address after everything calmed down.

“It was Tometi and Ryker,” I went on.

Silas’s jaw ticked. “The head squatters?”

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on this three-dimensional Silas, does it, Tome?” Ryker joked, walking in and out of view.

Tometi was leaning in close to Silas again, his face mere inches from the mercenary’s. “I don’t understand what you mean. He looks the same to me. Smells acrid, though.”

“That’s the jealousy, big guy.” Ryker patted the bear’s back and headed over to where their previous host stood, hearing every word. “I never thought I’d see Sally like this. He’s never been a fan of his own reflection. I’m a little annoyed he’s so pretty to look at. And tall.”

Salvator was nearly as large as Silas, so he was easily a head taller than Ryker. The wolf clicked his tongue and did a slow circle around him, sizing up his previous host.

“Do you think he’s prettier than me, sweet girl? Should I see if there’s a phantom way to make myself taller? Stronger? Maybe with a cute but pert backside? Who knows if I can customize this body, but it’s worth a shot,” Ryker rambled off.

I cleared my throat, close to laughing. I’d missed Ryker’s nonsensical rambling despite it being a major distraction on far too many occasions.

“Oi, love. Which of those head-squatting wankers is giving you that smile? And what do you mean they were standing over your bed?” My mercenary was slowly losing it. I’d have to be careful with what I told him and how I addressed it, or he’d think the worst and throw me over his shoulder like an overprotective brute.

Salvator’s jaw clenched, and he took an unintentional step back as if sensing the wolf nearby. “They have different bodies?”

“Yes. They aren’t a wolf and bear, at least not anymore,” I confirmed, earning a wide-eyed stare from the mercenary beside me.

Silas’s brow pinched together and his pecs flexed several times, an agitated tick he did whenever he was uncomfortable. “So…they’re no longer animals? They’re blokes?”

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