Page 5 of Huntress and the Splintered Court
I smiled sympathetically. “It’s okay.”
“We will continue this later.”
“I don’t think the cake will survive that long,” I teased hopping off his desk heading to the door with my plate of cake in hand. Gideon’s arm snaked out grabbing mine and spinning me back into him before kissing me with such ferocity that I dropped my cake so I could cling to him. I’d forgotten that Adam was there until he cleared his throat. Gideon ignored him and kissed me one final time. “You made me drop my cake,” I pouted, but dear God it’d been worth it.
“Distracting you from your cake is the highest compliment.”
“Gideon,” Adam pressed.
The Alpha nodded. “I’ll have another piece delivered to you.”
“You don’t even know where I’ll be.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll get your replacement cake.”
“A man after my heart,” I smiled.
“That’s the idea.”
Before I could reply, Gideon kissed me once more then released me. In a haze, I exited his office. Did he really mean what he said? Did that mean he had feelings for me? The idea gave me butterflies.
* * *
Polishing off my cake,I headed to the gym. Working out after cake might seem counterproductive but not only would I burn off the calories, and with how much cake Gideon had been sending my way I needed it, but the sugar rush would give me a temporary boost. I normally did my workout after training the Omegas. Working with them did very little as far as exercise for me. They were strong but didn’t care to properly use it.
With gloves in place, I worked on a sequence of jabs and kicks using the bag as an opponent.
“Isabel,” Gideon’s solemn tone rang through the room.
Halting the bag before it struck me, I turned to see the Alpha strutting across the open space. His body was tense and his expression grave.
“What is it?” I asked recognizing the somber air he emitted. I immediately began undoing the Velcro on the gloves dropping them onto the floor.
Exhaling heavily did nothing to relax the tension in his shoulders. “Vampires.”
Peeking out the window that sat high on the wall of the gym the sun was still bright in the sky. It was best to check as I sometimes lost track of time when I trained. With it still daylight I wasn’t sure what problem the vampires had caused.
“Last night,” Gideon went on to explain noticing my puzzlement. “They took hostage two wolves.”
“What?” I gasped. There was a peace treaty in place. If the vampire’s violated it, it could mean war.
“If they’re killed—” Gideon spoke through closed teeth. If they were killed, his hands were tied. The vampires would either have to offer restitution, much like I had, or Gideon would go to war to revenge his comrades. If he didn’t, he’d face challenges from any wolf dominant enough.
Placing my hand on his arm was as much comforting as I dared offer. Things had certainly changed between us, but I didn’t understand to what extent. Gideon surprised me when he placed his hand over mine accepting my comfort. Drawing both our hands to his lips, he placed a kiss on my palm. “I need your help.”
The fact that this domineering Alpha asked for assistance from me meant he was either swallowing his pride or I was someone worthy enough to see past the self-reliant façade he wore. My heart raced at the notion of that latter.
I nodded unable to speak for fear my voice would reveal what I felt, and that I might be mistaken.
“I need a hunter.”
3
Istared down at my hunting attire laid out on Gideon’s bed. Eleanor had brought it to me just minutes ago. It was an odd contrast against Gideon’s gray bedding. There was a heavy sense of apprehension that clung to me as I stared down at the clothes. It seemed like another life when I wore them. What I was about to do could condemn the hunters as a whole, insinuating we were siding with the werewolves. We were meant to stay neutral, yet if the vampires had kidnapped, or worse killed the wolves, then it would fall to the Order to handle it. Problem was, there was no evidence to support Gideon’s claim. I trusted him not to put me in a position that could compromise me anymore than I was already. I wasn’t sure when it happened that I grew to trust Gideon, but I did.
“You don’t have to do this,” Gideon stated shoving off from where he leaned against the doorframe. How long had he been watching me? Feeling eyes on me since I arrived at the manor was a regular occurrence that I’d begun ignoring the sensation unless it was accompanied by a sinister vibe; after all, I’d had my life threatened more than once. The way Gideon observed me held nothing threatening about it except that I might lose my clothes.
“How long have you been there?” I asked as he came to stand directly behind me. He was so close I could feel the heat from his body, but he kept a whisper of space between us giving me room in case I needed it.
