Page 26 of Art of the Hunt
“What is your type?” She held her breath. She didn’t want to know.
Shereallywanted to know.
“I’m not sure. I told you I haven’t dated much. And obviously none of my previous relationships worked out. I guess I haven’t figured it out yet.”
She expelled the oxygen she’d been holding in her lungs.
They walked in silence, taking the stairs down to the river and wandering along next to the energetic, greenish waves. “What’s your preference?” he eventually asked. “Sports bar? Jazz club? Bar at a restaurant? I’m not even putting biker bar on the table.”
“I belong to a motorcycle club, and we own our own bar, actually.”
One eyebrow shot into his hairline. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. But we can avoid biker bars for now. How about this place?” She paused at a roped off seating area in front of a glass-front building. Live music drifted through the open doors as clusters of people sat at tables outside, laughing and drinking and enjoying the balmy summer evening.
Hunter eyed the patio area. “Sure, but we’ll probably have to sit inside.”
“I think that couple is getting ready to leave,” Artemis noted as she sent the canoodling couple a compulsion to vacate the area immediately.
They both stood, looking mightily confused but hurrying away nonetheless.
“See?” she said cheerfully, and after a furrowing of his brow, Hunter stepped up to the hostess and asked if they could have that table.
When the server arrived to take their drink order, she said, “Hey, they left without paying.”
Artemis pulled a fifty out of the pocket in her dress and pressed it into the young woman’s palm. “Hopefully, that will cover it.”
She glanced down and her stormy complexion brightened. “Thanks. What can I get you?”
Hunter ordered a vodka tonic with a twist of lime. Artemis opted for a local craft brew, telling the server to surprise her. When they were momentarily alone again, Hunter said, “That was kind of you.”
She shrugged, choosing not to point out that it was her fault the couple had left without paying. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
The bubbly server returned with their drinks and left again. Hunter took a sip of his and said, “So, you’re part of an MC. Based out of Seattle, I presume?”
She nodded and took a generous drink of her beer. Wow. Chicago knew how to brew the stuff. This was fantastic.
“That’s it? No elaboration?”
“Well, we’re called Gods of Thunder, and when we decided to settle here in this realm, we thought it would be funny to make our home base near Mount Olympus.”
He shook his head in that way people did when they didn’t believe what the other person was saying but decided not to argue. Which was for the best, of course. Artemis wasn’t supposed to divulge the gods’ secret—that they even existed at all, let alone were now based in the US—but she’d never understood Zeus’s need for secrecy. Maybe if they knew about the gods, humans would be more open to accepting their help.
“Okay, let’s go with this for a minute,” Hunter said, lounging and hooking one arm over the back of his chair.
Artemis decided she liked his casual look. Possibly because it was different from Orion, who, as much as she’d adored him, had been a tad stuffy, very concerned with his appearance and what other people thought of him. They’d kept their relationship a secret for that very reason. Well, and because of Apollo’s weird obsession with her virginity.
Apollo ended up discovering their relationship anyway and was ultimately the cause of Orion’s death, so she supposed Orion had a point in insisting upon keeping their love a secret.
“What are we going with?” she asked.
“This whole god thing. So you’re Artemis. Goddess of the hunt. And yes, I see the humor there.”
She smiled.
“And you’re part of a motorcycle club called Gods of Thunder. I assume Zeus is the leader?”
She chuckled. “Yes, although Poseidon and Hades are co-founders and vice-presidents.”
