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Chapter Three
“So that’s what you really look like?”
Hunter chuckled, dressed in a pair of pants, though I wasn’t sure where he’d gotten them from. I’d accepted that he had to be stealing things, and while maybe it should have bothered me, thief-Hunter was the least upsetting thing in my life. At least this time he didn’t have to squeeze into a pair of my sweatpants.
We’d started to climb a mountain, though this one having a path was a nice change of pace. Troy, Kase and Grant remained at the camp we had set up at the base, since Hunter said our little trip wouldn’t take long. No doubt, he’d planned for it to just be us so I could ask about what I’d seen.
“Yeah, that’s me in all my glory.” Even though his words held a shadow of self-deprecating humor, it was different than with Troy. Hunter seemed aware I might not love his other form, but nothing in his tone implied he hated it for any reason.
“So, you still going to let me take off your pants after seeing it?” He lifted an eyebrow and gave me one hell of a smirk.
And just like that, I remembered why he got away with so much.
Though, to be fair, he’d been the only person in my life so far who hadn’t lied to me, not even once. He’d not explained what he was at first, probably so he didn’t freak me out, but he hadn’t ever told me something that wasn’t true. He hadn’t betrayed me, hadn’t gone behind my back.
Boy, have my standards gotten low.
“I’m harder to scare off than that.” I bumped my shoulder against his, trying for flirty-playful.
Hunter twisted, and before I had a chance to even squeak, he had my back against a rocky wall and his lips to mine.
After being in hell for…well, however long it had been already, I understood his taste. It wasn’t just flames. It had a hint of the ash that coated my tongue from the air, the hellfire that moved across the landscape like living creatures, the smoke that swirled over his body, especially when he was angry or distracted. Hunter wasn’t just something that came from hell—hewashell, all wrapped up in a body that was nothing less than sinful.
When I grabbed him behind the neck and leaned up, pressing against him, the tattoos on his skin swirled and moved beneath my palms. Then, something pinned my hands to the rock wall despite his hands being busy slipping up the front of my shirt, slowly and teasingly.
I was ready to yell at Grant—who else would do that?—when I broke the kiss and glanced up.
It wasn’t the empty space I expected, the muttered words from somewhere else as Grant held me in place with his magic. Instead, it was smoke. Tendrils of black stretched from Hunter’s skin and held me still. They were warm and strong and I gave myself a moment to see if I’d freak out.
Even Hunter paused, waiting.
Rather than my lust drying up, instead of letting myself worry about how this was extraordinarily weird, I went to my toes and bit softly at his full bottom lip.
It seemed my perversions were more than even I expected, because there was something unfailingly hot about this.
Maybe it was the surprise, maybe it was the fact that it showed, in no uncertain terms, that Hunter was not even close to human. I’d known it, of course, but seeing it this way made me desperate to have him.
Which was strange, since I’d spent so much of my life wanting what was normal. I’d craved the boring, human life, the human boyfriends, the whole package and yet the moment I was confronted with hownothuman Hunter was, I was smitten.
Hunter chuckled, though an edge to it said he hadn’t been as confident as he’d appeared. “You know,” he whispered as he moved his hand up again. “I have extraordinary dexterity with my smoke.” The words didn’t quite sink in, but leave it to Hunter to throw subtlety to the wind. “If you’re ever feeling unsatisfied with just me, don’t worry. I can fill you up all on my own.”
Thosewords I got. When Hunter rumbled that, low and promising, I pictured it. I thought about how the smoke would heat against my skin, how it would glide along me, how helpless I’d be against anything he wanted.
I lifted one of my legs to wrap around his, to pull him closer since I couldn’t move my hands still.Yes.He wasn’t asking me for anything, but my answer was an absolute yes.
Something touched my hand, and for a moment I thought it was more of his smoke. Soft, featherlight touches, a bunch of legs.
Legs?
I jerked my gaze up to find something that looked like a spider on acid crawling on my hand.
Whether I said something or he spotted my fear, I wasn’t sure, but Hunter’s smoke released me. I jerked my hand, the creature flung to the ground. It reared back on a few of its legs, and large, dripping fangs bared toward me.
Why does everything here have fangs?
When it charged, Hunter brought a booted foot down on it, the squish turning my stomach.
He twisted toward me, ready to take another kiss, to get right back to it, but this time I shoved his chest. “I don’t think so, buddy.”
