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“I’m sorry,” he said softly, running the pad of his thumb over the rise of Hunter’s left cheek, “did I tie it too tight earlier? It’s going to leave a mark if we leave it like that. That wouldn’t be good. Can’t have anything ruining my favorite face, now can we?”
In reality, he’d just wanted Isa to get a good look at him, to see what he was missing.
Moon really had done a spectacular job. Hunter’s skin practically glowed, and for a second, Odin forgot all about what he was doing and stared at him for real, taking in the sharp rise of his cheeks and the straight slope of his nose. The pointed, dark brows and the curve of his jawline.
Hunter Thorn was gorgeous.
But then, if Odin was being honest with himself, that wasn’t new.
Before he knew what he was doing, he’d moved to trace the rounded top of Hunter’s ear.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Isa’s voice cut through the spell, and Odin dropped his hand as if burned. When he looked over, it was to find his stepbrother openly glaring at the two of them. “If you need anything while you’re here, you can ask any of my people. They’ve been instructed to give you anything you’d like.”
Odin would like to murder him. Somehow, he didn’t think that was going to fly, however.
He shook the rest of his daze off and grinned at Isa, easily slipping back into the part of the debauched party boy. His arm returned to Hunter’s waist. “I’ve got everything I need, but thanks. Enjoy the rest of the party, brother.”
Knowing that Isa had been about to be the first to walk away made Odin doing so instead all the sweeter.
Swiveling on his heels, he leaned into Hunter and led the two of them deeper into the crowd, whispering whatever came to mind as he did, just so Isa could see them being intimate as he left him behind.
Chapter 13:
Hunter was doing everything he could to hide the fact that he was terrified.
And a little pissed off, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
It’d been over an hour since their encounter with Isa, and he swore he felt a chill race down his spine every few minutes. Whenever he looked around, however, there was nothing, no one was paying him any mind, and yet…
He knew Isa was watching him.
Whether that awareness stemmed from having grown up around the man or because he was a Whisper, Hunter didn’t know. It didn’t matter either way. Right now, being a Whisper wouldn’t mean anything to either Dominus in attendance.
It wasn’t enough to convince Isa not to kill him—which it was abundantly clear he wanted to do.
And it wasn’t enough to convince Odin to release him.
Probably the opposite, where Snow was concerned. Which was why Hunter had planned on taking that secret to his grave from the very beginning. He’d gain nothing by that tidbit getting out, except for more hardship. Being a Whisper in a world where those were rare and thought nearly extinct? While caught in the crossfire of not one, but two Shouts?
No, thank you.
“What’s going through that pretty little head of yours,” Odin asked as soon as the small group of people he’d been speaking to finally moved off to mingle elsewhere. He’d circled the room three times already and had finally brought them to a stop at one of the tall round tables near the back corner.
Hunter was relieved for the rest. This was the most activity he’d had in over a month, and his thighs were burning. He’d been parched for a while but hadn’t had the chance to interrupt Odin and his postulating to ask for a drink. All the bubbling concoctions in glass flutes being passed around on silver trays seemed like a terrible idea, so he’d avoided them. Getting drunk wouldn’t be in his best interests, either.
“I’m wondering how you plan on keeping me safe when you’ve hardly paid any attention all night,” he exclaimed before he could think better of it, inwardly cursing himself for the way that sounded.
Sure enough, Odin grinned down at him. “What’s this? Are you pouting because I’m not giving you attention, Huntsman?” He reached to take Hunter’s chin, but he pulled away and glared.
“No, I’m worried that I’m going to get an icicle to the back with you none the wiser because you still don’t seem to have processed the actual threat to my person.”
He sighed. “Isa?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “The man who looked like he was going to turn me into a frozen statue on the spot earlier.”
“Relax. Isa was angry, but not at you. He was mad at me.”
Hunter stared at him. “You are many things, Snow, but stupid isn’t one of them.”
