Page 17 of Huntress and the Splintered Court
“What?” I gawked at him. How was Trey just casually talking about my sex life? We didn’t like each other and barely tolerated one another. We were not friendly enough to have this type of conversation.
“Don’t be a prude, Isabel. Gideon’s a mated wolf. Of course he was going to claim his female before he let her in a room with unknown males.”
The color drained from my face and my body cooled as if the temperature dropped. Gideon hadn’t said anything. Why hadn’t he? Because then it would have been pressuring me, I chided myself.
“You did have sex, didn’t you?”
Forgetting about the discomfort of discussing my sex life with Trey, I shook my head.
“Fuuuck,” he groaned. “Alright, listen.” He grabbed my arm to get my attention then winced, quickly releasing me like I burned him. Trey flicked a glance at Gideon who was glaring at him through the open doors as if he sensed the male touching me no matter how non-sexual. “Donotlet any man touch you, no matter how innocently. He should be fine. He wouldn’t have gone in there if he weren’t. But just to be safe. Take a spot close to Gideon. You don’t have to be in his lap or anything. Just arms reach. And for once in your life do not goad him. Be respectful of him as an Alpha and your mate. He could snap if you don’t do as I’m saying. Got it?” I nodded feeling incredibly selfish. I hadn’t wanted sex because of my own issues and now Gideon was paying for it.
I moved to cross into the room. “Oh and Isabel?” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Next time do him a favor and fuck him, okay?” He didn’t wait for my response before walking down the hall to grab the wolves from the mission.
Entering the throne room, all eyes turned to me. My father grinned. To anyone else it would appear joyous over seeing his daughter, but it was forced. He was upset with me and I didn’t need to guess why.
His arms outstretched as he approached. I remembered Trey’s words, but I couldn’t snub my father. Flicking my eyes to Gideon, who gave me the tiniest nod of approval, had me stepping into my father’s embrace.
“How did you get mixed up in this?” he whispered into my ear. “If this was his command blink once.” When he released me, he was the picture of fatherly love. I stared straight at him refusing to bat a lash. My father’s jaw clenched as he turned back to the delegation assembled before him.
Gideon sat up on his throne appearing every bit the sexy ruler he was, although I was probably the only one in the room who thought the sexy part. He seemed relaxed, but I knew he was anything but. Slowly, to not draw attention, I moved to the side of the stairs that lead up to the throne where Gideon sat. It wasn’t as close as Trey stated but any closer and it would look like I was standingwiththe werewolves. I was still a huntress and with vampire representatives present, I had to slip into my persona and that meant I couldn’t be seen taking sides.
“Let’s get started,” my father boldly declared. This was Gideon’s house. It was proper etiquette to let him be the one to start the process. Perhaps he wasn’t hiding his unease as well as I thought or my father was being gutsy by intentionally stepping on the Alpha’s toes. “It’s come to the Order’s attention that the werewolf pack under your orders attacked a safe haven in the vampire community.”
“If you mean did we track vampires that were suspects in a potential kidnapping of two wolves to a blood den, then yes,” Gideon replied nonchalantly.
“That is a lie!” one of the human servants announced. “You intentionally attacked us.”
“Garret, I need you to contain any outbursts. Right now, we’re just trying to determine what happened.” My father tried pacifying the human but the vampire he spoke for wasn’t done.
“We know what happened. I want to know why a huntress, who is not standing with her own, was involved.”
I glanced up at Gideon, but he stared straight forward. “She is my prisoner. I can do with her as I please.”
Refraining from wincing, I watched my father’s face redden, but he didn’t explode over the Alpha’s choice of words. “You cannot demand her anything that goes against her code. It’s against prisoner regulations. She is your prisoner, yes, but she is still a member of the Hunter’s Order and cannot be seen as taking sides in any altercation. We must always be seen as neutral, Isabel,” he began speaking to me instead of Gideon. “You know this. Were you threatened if you did not comply?”
My guard went up as the urge to jump to Gideon’s defense rose. The look must have shown in my eyes because my father quickly narrowed his before replacing his mask. But before I could reply, Gideon spoke.
“After one of your hunter’s kidnapped my Beta in hopes of bargaining away your daughter,” A chorus ofyour daughterrang through the room from the vampire representatives, who seemed unaware of the connection. “I agreed to not pursue justice on them in exchange for her cooperation.”
I wanted to call him a liar. I had done everything willingly because Gideon wasn’t the type to ask for help, but he had asked and I couldn’t refuse. He needed mine, not that it did much good as the werewolves were still missing.
My father’s face paled. He’d been unaware of Reed’s failed plan. He couldn’t risk contradicting Gideon in front of everyone and prove he didn’t control his Order.
“She is a hunter and you will treat her as such even as your prisoner. She is not to be involved in any altercations between the wolves and vampires except as a neutral party. If this happens again, we’ll say to hell with your retribution and bring her home.”
Gideon stood from his seat so fast that it toppled to the floor behind him. “If you attempt to take her you’ll be declaring war. She stays.” His eyes flashed amber and his fingertips grew to points. The room fell deathly silent as everyone watched the standoff.
Mine,the word growled in my head. Seeing him standing there, chest heaving, muscles rigid, I’d never been so turned on in my entire life.
Trey had snuck in minutes ago, his eyes wide at Gideon’s outburst. This was more than the Alpha refusing to give up his prisoner. I just hoped no one outside the wolves realized it was a male protecting his mate.
“She is my daughter,” my father stated refusing to cower to Gideon. I respected him a little more. I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of the Alpha’s rage. “I will do everything in my power to protect her.”
“And that is the problem. You think she needs your protection when she is perfectly capable of defending herself.” My heart swelled at Gideon’s words. He was the first man to understand that about me. Even as a huntress, Reed and my father both didn’t see me as the equal to men but as a female who ought to be protected. Gideon saw me as I was, a strong woman who’d go toe to toe with him.
I couldn’t help it. I peered up at Gideon standing on his stoop above us allowing my admiration to spill out of me. He only gave me the briefest glance letting me know he understood what his words had meant.
My father ignored the comment and went back to the task at hand. Gideon handed over the evidence proving the system had been tampered with. My father had no words. He’d sent a glare in my direction knowing that the wolves had acquired the information from me, but he could also see for himself that the evidence had been altered. Someone must have modified it from the home base to have achieved it so successfully.
