Page 31 of The Hunter

Had he… Had he really just thrown a rock at Cole for touching her hair?

No, that can’t be right. He wouldn’t…

Would he?

“What the hell was that for?” Cole demanded as Okkor scurried past.

“Bug,” Telok said.

“There was not a bug on my head.”

Telok shrugged, the gesture’s nonchalance belying his continued glare. “Oops.”

Cole pressed his lips together and breathed heavily through his nose, rubbing the back of his head. “You know, if you fuckers would learn to just talk things out, you’d save everyone a lot of damn trouble.”

“I do not know your words.”

“Bullshit. You know them as well as you know this.” Cole flipped him off, turned around, and continued walking.

Lacey tried and failed to keep herself from grinning…not that she’d put much effort into the trying part. “Yeah! Take that!” She also flipped Telok off before jogging to catch up with Cole.

Telok growled.

“You’re gonna get me killed,” Cole said when she was next to him again.

Her brow creased. “Huh?”

“Really? You really need me to spell it out?”

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and muttered a few curses under his breath. “Remember how Ketahn was whenever anyone so much as looked at Ivy for more than a few seconds? Or Rekosh when Ahmya was hurt, and he almost bit Diego’s head off for touching her?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with me?”

“I would touch your hair again to show you, but I really don’t like getting beamed with fucking rocks, Lace.”

She gaped at him. “Are you seriously blaming me for Telok throwing a rock at you?”

“I’m not blaming you, but you’re the reason why.”

“I am not!”

Cole came to a halt and put his hand out in front of her. “Hold up for a sec.” When Lacey stopped, he turned in place. “Any bugs on me?”

“Uh…no.”

Facing her with a decidedly unamused expression, he lifted a hand and grasped one of her braids again, this time stroking it with his thumb.

Lacey wrinkled her nose and moved her head back, pulling the braid taut. “What are you doing?”

He ducked abruptly.

Lacey’s eyes flared as something tiny whizzed over Cole’s head. She swung her attention to the black and green vrix behind them. “Telok!”

“Bug,” Telok said flatly, still glaring at Cole.

Cole surged up, thrusting a finger at Telok. “There was fucking not!”