Page 6 of Hunted
Pity.
I gathered my towel from the hook by the door, shook the ash from it, and left the room—and Cicely’s whisper of silent laughter—behind me.
Chapter 3
Ruya
The air in the lowerlevels of The Fox was usually light and cool.Robin’s sanctuary was immaculate.The air never felt heavy, the way you’d expect an underground hideout to feel.But right now...the air was thick with power, and frustration, and unspoken resentment.It felt oppressive.
I lightly slid my fingertips over the smoothly paneled walls and slightly textured wallpaper as I made my way through the sanctuary and to the living room.My ever-growing magical senses pulsed faintly with agitated auras—echoes of the people currently assembled in the sprawling living room.They called to some deep, instinctive part of me.The part I was learning to recognize as my omega nature.The powerful people around me were struggling.And there was something within me that they needed.That only I could provide.
It was hard to focus on that, though, when I was struggling so hard to regulate myowntumultuous feelings.
So much had happened over the course of the last couple of weeks.Over the last few months, if I was being honest.Things hadn’tstoppedhappening to or around me since the day Sanka, Dusek, and Martina stole me from the Order of the Tripple Moon.My entire life had been blown up and re-organized, only to be shaken up again and again.Sometimes I wondered if it would ever end.
But then, I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I chose to stay with Robin and the rebel court and help them with their plans.
I knew it would be hard.Dangerous.Emotionally fraught.Forme.I just...hadn’t thought about collateral damage.Every time I thought I was past being the naive, sheltered woman I once was, another lesson presented itself.
It wasn’t just me who was endangered by my choice to stay here and support Robin.That choice affected everyone I cared about.It was one thing to know that intellectually, but it was entirely different to know it now—viscerally.
If I had left the court and taken Sadavir and Josh with me, maybe Acacia wouldn’t have decided to use Josh to prove a point.She wouldn’t have been able to use him to control Robin and her court.Maybe sweet, gentle, patient Josh wouldn’t be a bloodthirsty vampire with a psychotic maker whispering madness in his head.
“There’s nothing you can do about it now,” I muttered to myself as I turned the corner and headed toward the living room, and all the powerful auras gathered there.“Chin up, shoulders back.Don’t let them see you stumble.”Sometimes, my training from my time with the cult came in useful.All I could do now was make the best of what was before me, one moment at a time.And keep up a calm front until the storm passed.
Just like I always had.
The living room had become an informal meeting space lately.Usually, it was the place where movies were watched, books were read, and on a couple of memorable occasions, orgies sparked.But now...it was a war strategy room.The thought made my heart heavier than it already was.
I reached the threshold and paused.It was never quiet when the full court gathered in one place, but today was louder than normal.Even though we were missing someone.
Josh was absent, banned from leaving the guest wing.And even though I couldn’t see the faces of the people around me, I still felt his absence keenly.He belonged here with us.With his new family.He and Sadavir might be new to the court, and there were things to work out still before they were truly comfortable.But I had no doubt they were meant to be part of this court.Part ofus.And it throbbed like a hidden wound to have one of them missing.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, I slowly crossed the room.I took my usual spot on the big couch, just to the right of Cicely and across from Yukio, and let my aura settle into a neutral pulse—present but non-invasive.It was a practiced motion, subtle, like but powerful.I was new to the whole omega thing, but now that I knew a little more about what my role could be, things like this had started to come more naturally to me.I had the ability to ground and steady the alphas, gammas, and betas around me with my mere presence.And boy did they ever need steadying.I anchored myself and waited.
Robin stood at the far side of the room, her blurry physical form and her bright aura a flare of red and gold that moved with fluid swoops.She must be pacing.Her aura flared slightly around her, adding a layer of blurry orange and gold to my limited sight.I reached my awareness outward, letting my aura seek for hers and twine with it.Like holding hands.
