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“How do you feel?” Wren asked, smiling wryly when that earned him a scowl. “I mean physically. Do you feel more powerful?”
He considered the question. At the time, the whole thing had been a blur. He’d gone to the hospital and given the orders, had his father burned and the tattoo artist there to begin as soon as they were able. It’d taken less than two hours for it all to take place, and his focus then had been entirely on his Huntsman and how he was going to find him even after he’d boosted.
“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to follow the link,” he said, tentatively at first. “There’s this invisible string that connects a mated pair, and before I took his power I was only able to slightly tap against it. Afterward, there was a burst and a heatwave where I felt like my insides were boiling alive. But as soon as those sensations subsided, there was only this warm thrum.”
“That’s how you located me?” Hunter frowned.
Odin nodded.
“I felt it, too,” he admitted. “I’d read somewhere that if the Shout is powerful enough, their Whisper might be able to connect to their power source if they were in danger. That’s how I gave myself away. Frost was freezing me from the inside out and I reacted instinctually to save my life.”
“Since Snow was already on the way,” Wren said, “that must have been after he’d inked his father’s ashes.”
“Why didn’t you tap into me during the fight at the Storeroom?” Odin asked him. He’d paid close mind to Hunter during, impressed with his moves and his dexterity, but he didn’t think the man had used any heat or fire in his attacks.
“I was prepared to, but I didn’t need to,” he shrugged. “I wasn’t in any real danger.”
Vetle snorted and then scratched at the side of his nose, pretending it’d been nothing.
Later, the two of them would have to sit down and discuss all of the things Hunter had learned while he’d been on the run. Apparently, there was a lot for Odin to learn, and he didn’t like the idea of not being prepared, especially when it could make all the difference during an emergency like the one they’d just experienced when the Huntsman had been kidnapped.
If he’d known there was a chance Hunter could tap into him, he would have chosen to go to the hospital and ash his father sooner.
Hunter had called Odin his family and was willing to put his feelings for Meg aside until they’d secured their places as the head of the Brumal and Isa was no longer a threat. Of course Odin should be more than willing to do the same, even when it came down to losing his father.
Truthfully, he’d never intended to leave Ander Snow alive forever anyway. He’d kept him with the purpose of one day using him against Isa, and technically, he’d done that.
As far as sacrifices went, the Huntsman had one-upped him. Odin gave himself a moment to let that settle and see if it eased some of his fury over the whole ordeal, but it didn’t.
He hadn’t forgotten the punishment he’d promised his disobedient mate, and he was more than ready to follow through as soon as they were done here.
Which meant getting them all back on track so he could get his Huntsman back into bed.
“Isa is on the run with nowhere to go,” he said, tapping his fingers against the table. “We no longer need to worry about keeping Altz happy. You can put an end to this farce and stop fucking him if you’d like.”
Wren let out a low growl. “Thank Light. He’s such a whiny little moron, did you know that?”
“Of course,” he chuckled. “Why do you think I was glad it was you he wanted and not me?”
“That better not be the only reason,” Hunter mumbled.
Odin cocked his head, inspecting him, a bit taken aback by the reaction. A warmth spread through him, at first nothing more than a pleasant, pleased feeling, before it reached his groin and morphed into something entirely different.
Interesting that the Huntsman being possessive was such a damn turn-on.
He wondered if that was how Hunter felt whenever he showed his possessiveness toward him.
“Jealousy, Little Whisper?” His hand moved under the table, settling over Hunter’s knee. “That’s a new look on you.”
Wren made a choking sound at the nickname and Vetle appeared as though he wished he could be anywhere else. Their reactions had Hunter’s cheeks turning pink, and he glared as though Odin had just cussed him out.
“If you’re certain we have no more need of him, I’ll proceed with my own agenda,” Wren said, thankfully not asking any questions about the name.
“Are we sure it’s a good idea to cut him loose?” Vetle glanced between them. “What if the Emperor gets angry and decides to reach out to Isa after all?”
“It’s too late even if he wants to,” Odin decided. “The royal army is a joke, their numbers are nothing compared to ours, so even if he lent them out, it wouldn’t make much of a difference other than to prolong bloodshed in the streets. And now that we’ve taken out most of his remaining men…”
“He’s got nothing to fall back on,” Hunter said. “Which means he has nothing left to lose.”
