Page 23 of The Hunter

Lacey blushed, heat creeping down her neck and over her chest, and unclasped her hands. “You can take that off. You don’t have to keep it on there.”

Telok grunted and curled a hand around the shaft, sliding it down slowly. His calluses rasped over the wood. When he stopped his hand, he took the weapon in a firm grip and held it out with the shaft tucked along his arm, lowering his head to stare down its length. Then he turned his wrist and held the spear on the palm of his hand, checking its balance.

“Not straight,” he said, “and the head is too heavy.”

Lacey’s face burned hotter. She took a step toward him and extended a hand. “If you don’t like it, I can take it back.”

He snatched the spear out of her reach, leveling a glare at her. “No. You gave it to me. It is mine.”

She started, hand hovering in the air. “Oh.”

Turning the spear upright, Telok rested the butt on the floor, and one of his hands again found the braid she’d attached to it.

Lacey dropped her arm to her side as she watched him. Her mind was once more taken back to the first time they’d met, to how fascinated he’d been with her hair, to the way he’d hooked it with his fingers and examined it like it was the most wondrous thing he’d ever seen.

He was doing that now, but there was heat in his gaze, and that heat turned into something primal as he returned his eyes to her.

Something visceral slammed into Lacey, making her core clench and her breath hitch. God, she’d felt sparks of desire around him before, but they’d been nothing like this. And that…that frightened her. Most of the time, it seemed as though he couldn’t stand to be around her.

So why was she feeling like this?

And why was he looking at her like that?

Since coming to Kaldarak, she’d been convinced he hated her. But there was no hatred in his eyes. Only lust.

And fuck, her body was reacting in kind, which meant…he would know. He’d be able to smell her arousal and would know she wanted him too.

Licking her suddenly dry lips and tucking her hair behind her ear, she retreated from him. “Okay then. I’m just going to…go.” She jabbed her thumb toward the exit “I’ll see you later!”

Lacey spun around and hurried to the doorway. Flinging aside the curtain, she rushed through, but came to a panicked halt an instant later to avoid running straight into Rekosh, who stood just outside. “Shit!”

Rekosh jerked back, his red eyes flaring as his hands came up in front of him. He blinked at her. “Lacey?”

She chuckled and sidled to the side, slipping around him. “Oh, heeey Rekosh. Sorry about that. I was just on my way out.”

God, can this get any more awkward?

He canted his head as he lowered his arms. “Is everything all right?”

The curtain was once again swept aside to reveal Telok. He didn’t so much as glance at Rekosh. Every bit of his attention, all its weight and fire, was directed at Lacey.

She cleared her throat and walked backward. “Yep. All good. Peachy keen. Was just dropping something off to Telok. Tell Ahmya I said hello!”

She turned and scurried off, feeling Telok’s gaze on her back.

CHAPTER 7

Telok’s grip on the spear tightened as he watched Lacey depart. His hearts pounded, each beat sending a wave of restless, tingling heat through his body.

He willed her to slow down, to look back. She did neither. Her red hair bounced and swayed with her hurried steps, and the distance between them grew.

A wild urge seized him, like a thousand threads in his chest twining together into a tangled mass that pulled on every fiber of his being at once.

Chase her.

Claim her.

His leg muscles tensed, eager to obey the call of instinct, and that heat gathered at his core. Yet despite all his body and soul roaring for him to act, he held himself in place, watching Lacey until she was out of sight. Even then, he could not pry his gaze from the spot where he’d last seen her.