Page 37 of Huntress and the Thorn Court
I startled as Eric took the seat across from me. After running late all morning I was surprised when I arrived first. We opted for a public place, which was how I found myself sitting at the food court in the mall. A few tables away was Adam, acting as either my bodyguard or jailer.
“Eric,” I breathed trying to slow my racing heart.
“On edge?”
If he only knew. After Carla’s unearthing, I swore that every wolf I passed in the house was eyeing me knowingly. I hadn’t touched Gideon after my shower, still upset with his comment, and his bath products were the same unscented ones I had in my room so nothing should have been out of the ordinary. I trusted Gideon’s gag order on Carla. No one could have known. I told myself I was just being paranoid, yet the lingering gazes made it hard for me to dismiss the notion.
“It’s fine. Now what was so important that it couldn’t be done on the phone?”
“This.”
He slid a manila folder across the table to me. It was all very top secret agent, I chided internally. What I saw when I opened had me spewing profanities.
“That’s what I thought you’d say. Carlos owes me fifty bucks.”
“This is Drake,” I stated pointing to the picture clarifying for Eric in case he was unaware, which of course was obtuse. It was why he was showing me. Drake was to vampires what Gideon was to the wolves. He kept himself hidden, paranoid that everyone was out to get him. I didn’t know if paranoid was the right word since he was right. He was a horrible leader to the vampires. He let them run amuck doing whatever they wanted, forcing us to police them. Most behaved, understanding that Drake’s way wasn’t the best way to stay alive.
“I know.”
“And Reed,” I stated seeing my fellow hunter in the images.
Eric nodded curtly. I glanced back in the folder. There were several pictures, each time stamped. Reed had spent fifteen minutes with Drake and Eric had somehow caught it.
“You understand why I needed to give them to you in person. You’d have never believed it otherwise.”
“I still don’t believe it. If anyone but you had showed me, I’d think it was a joke, but you don’t have a sense of humor.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t say it sarcastically. Eric prided himself on his cool behavior. “I didn’t catch much of the conversation. The paranoid old goat had blockers interfering with the chip in Reed’s phone, but what I did decipher is in there.”
I flipped to the page he mentioned and read over it. Gideon was referred to, along with a no name spy wolf.
“Shit. Reed’s in on it.”
“Playing devil’s advocate but he could be pretending to…” I cut him off with a glare. If he was undercover, I’d have known. “Yeah, that didn’t sound true even as I said it. Look this isn’t enough to move against Reed, especially with you away. He’d simply claim just as I was saying. I’ll keep following him. Keep my guys on his crew and we’ll see what comes up.”
* * *
In the caron the way back to the manor, Adam tried probing me for information. Apparently the food court had been too rowdy for him to eavesdrop. The folder I left with Eric. Not only was I helping Gideon, but I was also going to attempt to bring Reed down a peg.
“I’d rather just say it once.”
He let it go after that, but silently stewed.
Leading me into Gideon’s office where the Alpha and Trey already waited, I didn’t fret even though just hours ago I had been lying naked beside one of them. I reminded myself I couldn’t get twitchy after each sessionifwe continued. I was still pretty pissed about his snub at me being a hunter and didn’t see myself spreading my legs for him any time soon.
The moment the door clicked shut sealing me in with the three wolves, I laid out almost everything I learned, keeping just a smidge to myself. Trey roared while Gideon sat oddly still.
“The hunters and vampires are against us too,” Trey bellowed.
“No,” I stated. “It’s only a small fraction of the hunters.”
“How can you be sure? Maybe you’re in on it and that’s why you were so eager to offer help.”
“Offer help…Are you nuts?He,” I jabbed my finger in Gideon’s direction, who sat quietly in his chair steepling his fingers, “dragged me here, locked me in a cage and said if I helped then I could get out.”
“Likely story. You seem to have it well here. So well that you found your way into the Alpha’s bed.”
Blood rushed to my face and I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or fury. How he knew was irrelevant. The fact that he threw it in my face was uncalled for. “Fuck you, Trey.”
