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“You can drop the act,” he said gruffly. “What the Southwick’s did was child’s play compared to the betrayal you committed.”
“That’s not—”
“Oh? So that wasn’t you in the woods that day? And you weren’t the one who shot me?” He still dreamed of it sometimes, of the way he felt before when Hunter had come to him requesting an audience. When he’d followed him into the forest behind the trailer the Thorn’s owned.
Odin had been too proud then, too cocky. He’d spent their silent walk thinking up ways to gently let the older boy down, believing he’d been about to get a confession from him after months of being longingly gazed upon from afar. Hunter had been cute back then, hardened everywhere but in his eyes, as if he was unable to conceal his true emotions.
But it’d all been a lie. Those looks, the stolen glances, the softness, all false. All ploys to get Oden where he wanted him.
Alone, in the middle of nowhere, with his guard down.
He was doing it now too, pleading with him with a look despite the fact the rest of him was all taut, sculpted muscle. Hunter wasn’t much shorter than Odin, maybe an inch or two, though his body was leaner. One of the doctors had informed him that Hunter was malnourished, not at a dangerous level yet, but getting there. How he’d managed to maintain any muscle mass at all had to be through sheer force of will to survive and pure stubbornness.
Hunter was injured, weak. At Odin’s mercy. But if he thought for one second he’d be able to fool him like he’d done in the past, Odin was going to have to add moron to that list.
“I missed,” he said then, as if that should somehow absolve him of any wrongdoing.
Odin snorted. “You did. Yes. Valiant effort though. I was bedridden for weeks.” He tapped the side of Hunter’s right hip over the blanket. “Sort of like you now. Only I didn’t have anyone as kind to look after me for the first half of it. But don’t let that get to your head. Once I’m done, Huntsman, those mere weeks I spent in agony are going to sound like a blessedly short time to you.”
“Not exactly how I’d like to be thanked,” Hunter said, a bit of that snarky persona that sometimes slipped past his hard exterior finally making a comeback.
“Thanked? The hunter wants to be thanked for almost killing his prey.” What a concept.
“It was you or my sister. I didn’t want to do it, and a part of me was glad I missed.”
Odin paused, but it was impossible to tell whether or not Hunter was telling the truth because he was still looking at him with that same expression. Like they were friends or something.
They’d never been friends. Friendly, yes. But the only reason the two of them were ever around one another was because Hunter’s dad had been hired to do some dealings in the streets for the Frost and Snow family, and later when he’d died, Hunter had taken over. That was it. Just an easy criminal for hire, not even worth a second glance, that’s what Hunter’s dad had been to Odin’s. What Hunter should have been to him.
What he needed Hunter to be now.
Just trash that’d finally been collected to be properly dealt with.
Still, he couldn’t help but growl, “You expect me to believe that?”
“No,” Hunter said, “but it’s the truth.”
“Right. And why was Leo Grimes after you?”
Hunter grew silent, which was all that Odin needed to confirm his suspicions.
“Another misunderstanding? Sure.”
“Snow—”
“Odin. Call me by my damn name,” he stopped him, hating how his blood was starting to boil when the conversation had barely even begun. He should have kept Hunter unconscious. Should have avoided seeing him until he was fully healed.
The reason why he wanted to wait for him to heal threatened to taunt him and he banked it down, now just as frustrated at himself as he was with the man lying under him.
Because it shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter that someone else had made those marks across Hunter’s skin, had caused him that kind of pain. Had almost taken him before—
It shouldn’t matter.
It didn’t matter.
And he was going to prove it.
Odin brought his hand up to the curve of Hunter’s hip and dragged his fingers upward, over his torso.
