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Had a part of him hoped there was a way for them to find their way back to one another? Yes. But he hadn’t been holding his breath.
“I was with Isa for several hours,” Hunter said. “Meg was with him for several years. First wasn’t alive long enough to give us gritty details, but there’s no way, in all that time, Isa left her completely unscathed. The shot to her head was what erased her memories, and it most likely changed her personality in the process because that girl who handed me off to Isa? That wasn’t my sister.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I have to be.” He didn’t want to give up on Meg, but she’d made her choice, at least for now. “I have a family to protect. That has to come before anything else.”
“Your sister—”
“Is a stranger,” Hunter stated resolutely. “You’re my family now.”
“From zero to one hundred.” They turned to find Yule suddenly standing nearby again, his tattooed hands on his hips. He eyed Hunter. “Weren’t you like, trying to escape only two months ago?”
“You better be back here to tell me something important,” Odin warned.
“Car is ready to take you to the club,” he hitched a thumb over his shoulder, clearly trying to keep from grinning and getting his teeth knocked out.
“Report once you’ve finished here and if you find something.” Odin took Hunter’s wrist and led him quickly outside to the black hovercar that waited for them. Even though there were Snow soldiers everywhere keeping watch on the perimeter now, his gaze kept pinging around them as they went, his hold on Hunter not loosening until they were at the door and he could ease him into the vehicle.
They were mostly silent on the drive to Club Cherry, but he settled his hand over Hunter’s on the seat.
Hunter didn’t pull away.
Chapter 13:
“It was a desperate attempt,” Vetle snorted, glancing around at them all.
They’d reconvened at Club Cherry, the underboss, and Wren already waiting by the time Hunter and Odin had arrived. Corbi and Loni were both off following other orders, so it was just the four of them in the large meeting room, the waning sun bathing them in a golden glow.
“He was turned away by the Emperor,” Wren told them. “That’s probably why he took this risk.”
He would have left his people to rot otherwise, Odin knew. With most of his soldiers out of commission, scattered, and on the run, Isa was most likely desperate for any strings he could grasp.
“What did he ask Altz for?” Hunter was seated on Odin’s right, his expression serious. Despite their playful banter during and after the attack at the Storeroom, he’d settled back into work mode the second they’d entered the room.
“He never got far enough to actually ask for anything,” Wren said. “Since he didn’t want to risk getting spotted by one of ours, he sent a soldier to the Emperor to demand an audience, but that soldier was turned away. I had someone follow them, but they must have sent the information through their multi-slate, making them obsolete, because they ended up being hit by a car shortly after leaving the palace.”
“What about his multi-slate?” If they had that, Odin knew more than a few people who could try and trace all outgoing and incoming communications, but Wren shook his head.
“Another reason why I’m certain it was a hit. They killed the man on impact, but they backed up afterward to make sure they also destroyed the device. There was nothing but bits and pieces left. Nothing useful.”
“Killing his own,” Vetle let out a low, disgusted whistle. “What an asshole.”
“Most of the Frost Brumal stood with him out of fear,” Odin reminded. “When he was the most powerful Shout on the planet, it made sense for them to. Now that word has spread I almost killed him people are starting to change their tune.”
“Not to mention the fact you have a Whisper.” Wren nodded at Hunter. “Even though we’re all a dying breed, that still means something in the streets. Isa Frost doesn’t stand a chance against you so long as you have Hunter by your side.”
“Which I will,” Odin drawled, a thread of warning in his words, “always.”
“It wasn’t the Whisper that allowed you to beat Isa,” Hunter pointed out.
“How are you holding up, boss?” Vetle asked after a moment when they were all silent.
“Fine,” he clipped. Talking about his feelings wasn’t going to happen. Not here, with them.
“Ander Snow would be happy to finally have a place inked into your body.”
“Don’t make this weird.”
