Page 55 of Hunt Me
Thankfully, Ruaridh makes an amused sound at the back of his throat, his thumb soothing as it rubs a final circle across my cheek.‘You never need to thank me for telling the truth, little deer. And I will always tell you the truth until the day I die.’
Chapter Twenty-four
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Ruaridh
Iam starting to recognise the tell-tale signs Fauna lets off; how the soft pink blush on her cheeks is one of a harmless sort of embarrassment, as if she’s been caught out. The deep red hue that spreads up her neck is a sign she’s uncomfortable, and the discomfort accompanying it is more concerning than the embarrassment she seems to show with a small wrinkle of her nose. That sort of embarrassment is evident when she is lost in thought, as if she is daydreaming about something she has done and is experiencing second-hand embarrassment from her memories.
I love watching her when she is lost in thought. I’ve found myself waiting in anticipation more times than I can count for her nose to wrinkle. It is adorable.
Her neck, now reddened with emotion caused by the prospect of approaching that passage, is not.
Fauna’s fight-or-flight response was immediate as soon as I revealed the passage. Her body tensed, and her breathing halted momentarily. How I noticed, I’m not sure, but there are many things about this woman I notice that I have never cared to pay attention to with others before her. Brown eyes scanned hersurroundings like she was the prey about to be attacked by a predator.
Usually, I would love a look that evoked a scenario of her being hunted, but not this time.
This time, I went on the defensive with her. I was startled as if there was a threat out there that needed to be destroyed to keep my little deer safe. But I know there is no immediate threat. I know the passageway doesn’t hold any creeps or demons, but I reacted that way anyway. No matter what, I know that if this woman beside me feels unsafe, I will not feel peace until she does.
It's new, this feeling of over-protectiveness.
My mind has been racing with scenarios and possible things that Fauna could have experienced to account for her being so afraid. I’ve been attacked in the past from doorways or cupboards I had not fully processed were there. It was back when I was a lot less experienced in exploring an area, and I hadn’t seen some of the more fucked up things I have today, but for a while, it stuck with me. The feeling of dread and fear that walking into a room will almost certainly be me walking into something far more horrifying than a simple jump scare.
Now, I thrive in those environments. I want to walk into a dangerous place so that I can eliminate the filth that plagues my city, the rats that roam around, causing nothing but terror and destruction.
I am their exterminator.
‘Would you like to talk about it?’I ask Fauna, who is now sitting beside me on the sofa.
I’d led her up to the next level and guided her silently to where we now sit on a rather sad-looking sofa.
‘What’s there to say?’she responds, her voice devoid of emotion.
‘Whatever you want to. Everything, nothing, something completely unrelated. Whatever you want, I’m here to listen regardless.’I confess, meaning every word.
She sighs, and I accept I’ll not get much out of her again, but then she begins speaking.
‘Being a woman… in a world like this is...’
I listen, not trusting myself to say anything, so I clench my jaw.
‘It’s happened a couple of times. Just walking around and there is some fucking weirdo hiding in the walls waiting to make their move.’
I nod my head once in acknowledgement.‘I’ve come across so many disgusting people, and I’ve seen how a lot of them target women. One of the reasons we started hanging their balls around their necks when we nail them around the city is that we want to make a statement.’
Fauna snorts.‘I noticed that when we were walking in. I thought it was a nice touch.’
Satisfaction warms my chest at seeing her smile, a genuine one that crinkles the skin around her eyes.
I will cut off every man’s balls I kill now, just for her.
‘Anyway, there was one time that was particularly bad, and he took someone close to me. We got her back, but she hasn’t been the same since. Not that I’d expect her to be, but…’ she shrugs.‘We’ve all been cautious about passages, hidden rooms, all that type of stuff since.’
‘Your group?’I ask, hoping not to push her away by mentioning them.
Fauna gives a singular nod.
She is finally opening up to me, allowing me in one tiny step at a time.
