Page 16 of Huntress and the Splintered Court
“Sure, just click…” I followed his instructions. Soon I pulled up everything just as I saw it the other night. Quickly printing it, I saved it elsewhere, just in case. According to Eric, whoever changed the data may try hacking the system to corrupt my files within the app. Given the depths that they’d already gone, Eric believed as I did, the vampires couldn’t have pulled this off. Which meant it had to be someone from the Order.
Once I had the papers in hand, both sets of information, the tampered and the originals, Gideon coaxed me into the shower. We’d both been running outside, him naked and me mostly, that a shower was probably essential.
After helping me wash, his lips began tracing along the column of my neck. With no idea when the Order would arrive, I debated on whether this was the best use of our time.
“Gideon,” I warned even as I tilted my head to give him better access.
“Yeah?” His lips traced my shoulder as his fingers glided across my belly.
“I can’t,” I groaned. I was too in my own head and Gideon deserved my undivided attention.
He paused, but I could feel his erection brushing against my backside.
“I want to, but…”
“But?” he asked pressing his hand against my hip turning me to face him. I stared nervously up into his green eyes, but I didn’t find the disappointment as I expected. He was simply concerned. I wasn’t sure since we started having sex if I had ever refused him. This could very well be a first.
“The Hunter Order will be here soon. My father…” my words fell away. I didn’t know how to explain it. I hadn’t seen my father since before Gideon had claimed me. What if I was different in some way? What if he figured out that I turned against all that the Order had taught me and surrendered not only my body, but also my heart, to a werewolf.
“Ah,” he said with a raise of his brow. He turned off the shower and stepped out. Wrapping a towel around his hips, he approached me tenderly wrapping one over my shoulders before tugging me into our room.
“Eric was a random act I couldn’t have prepared for,” Gideon explained.
“I don’t blame you for his discovery.” Even though his werewolf made damn sure Eric understood that I was Gideon’s.
“But you worry just the same that your father will learn of us. I’ll be honest. It’s possible, Isabel, but the pack is gagged, no one in the Order will be able to smell my scent on you and besides the full moon, when have I ever marked your body?”
I reached up feeling the slight scarring on my shoulder. I hated the idea of dressing to intentionally cover it up. It was the mark that tied me to Gideon. Without it we wouldn’t be where we were, but the idea of my father seeing it had my stomach in knots.
“I know all that, I just… I can’t…”
Gideon smirked sympathetically. “It’s okay.”
“It is?” I asked unsure what he meant.
Nodding, he reached out taking me into his arms. “Let’s just go to bed and try to catch some sleep before morning arrives.”
I blinked, surprised. “You’re not going to pressure me for sex?”
He laughed. “We have sex all the time. I’m not going to be upset over one night. Now get your ass into bed.”
Dropping my towel, I crawled under the covers, the sheets clinging to my damp skin. When Gideon curled up behind me, I was momentarily stunned that I didn’t feel the strain of his erection, but the feeling quickly transformed to grateful. I would have been bothered to feel it brush against me knowing what he wanted and that I was refusing him. The fact he was being understanding of my feelings and not pressuring me to get what he wanted almost had me rolling over to give him what he’d asked out of appreciation. My anxiety of what was coming weighing heavily on me was the only thing that stopped me.
“Sleep, Isabel,” he whispered placing a tender kiss on the back of my neck. “We’ll take it all in strides in the morning.”
And for once, I did as he asked without arguing.
7
We’d been informed of the Order’s arrival and were making our way to the throne room. The closer we drew the more on edge Gideon seemed to become. Several paces behind him and I could still feel the tension radiating off of him. It flew off his body like tendrils. I didn’t want us to appear arriving together, so I hung back. It was the little things that could give us away. I wasn’t ashamed but this was not the time to announce I’d taken a werewolf as my lover.
Gideon entered the room first, throwing the doors opened like he owned the place, which I guess he did. We agreed I was to wait one minute then follow.
“What’s wrong with him?” Trey asked guarding the door. I wasn’t sure if he was a bodyguard or a stopwatch.
“I don’t know. He was fine in the room.” My concern for Gideon had me unaware that I was speaking to Trey like a normal person.
“It’s almost like his wolf is riding him which doesn’t make sense since you all had sex earlier.”
