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“Is it just me, or is it a little morbid that they already opened this room so soon after the murders?” Jackson muses lazily, sprawling on the bed as if he owns the place. “I heard that they completely redecorated. Probably because of all the blood.” He shudders dramatically.
Lily doesn’t even spare him a glance as she pulls out an honest-to-God crossbow from the bag. She checks to make sure a bolt is loaded before moving to the bed and hiding it between the mattress and headboard.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one of us gaping. Lily used to be on the archery team at school, but that was because she was obsessed with the elves inLord of the Rings. Now she has acrossbow?
Jackson’s jaw practically unhinges. “Um…”
Lily ignores him and begins strapping tiny blades onto her body—a dagger in the sleeve of her shirt, another in a thigh holster, a third in her boot. They look to be charmed with various runes and crystals. She does all of this mechanically, almost robotically, as if this is an everyday occurrence.
What the hell happened to turn my sweet, pink-loving, giggling Lily Dean into this…knife-wielding badass?
And why does the sight of her decked out in blades turn me on so much?
“Um, Daisy?” Jackson tries again, but she continues to ignore him as she pulls out a video camera and positions it on the fireplace mantel, facing the bed.
Jackson practically chokes on his own spit, and Orion’s face drains of color.
That finally elicits a reaction from Lily, and she rolls her eyes dramatically.
“It’s an infrared camera,” she explains, her tone suggesting we’re imbeciles for not understanding that sooner.
I have the irresistible urge to smack my hand down on her plump ass for acting like such a brat. It takes all of my ironclad self-control not to bend her over my knee and—
“What are those?” Orion asks softly, pulling me out of my lust-filled fantasies.
I shake my head once to clear it—cursing myself and my dick—before focusing back on Lily.
She holds two objects in her hands and passes one to Orion, who takes it gingerly. It’s a monitor, but instead of a screen, it’s inlaid with a bright-blue crystal and covered in more runes and magic notations.
“Have you never seen an EMP reader before?” One of her brows quirks in amusement, and a blush paints Orion’s cheeks.
“Of course we have,” he mumbles, lowering his head so his dark hair obscures his features from view. “Just not…any that look like these.”
“Oh, you hunters. So obsessed with the old ways.” She shakes her head in mock disappointment as I gape at her.
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” I demand, feeling slightly indignant, a little turned on, and a whole lot of pissed the fuck off.
She arches a brow. “What do you think I mean?”
The retort I want to make dies on my lips when Jackson finally moves off the bed to stand between us. He gives me an imploring look, one that has me physically biting my lower lip to keep the impending insult at bay, before turning towards Lily.
“Sorry about Brooks. You know how he can be.” He tries for a cheeky smile.
She scoffs. “A condescending asshole?”
Jackson doesn’t even blink. “Yup.”
“Jackass,” I mumble, but my temper has finally settled, and I’m able to relax against the wall, my arms crossed over my chest.
“Everybody calm?” Jackson glances between me and Lily before furtively shifting his gaze to Orion, who still looks dejectedly at the ground. Seeing that we’re not in danger of stabbing one another, Jackson heaves out a breath and says to me, “Good. What’s the plan now?”
I open my mouth to respond when Lily once a-fucking-gain talks over me.
“He’s not the boss of me.” She points an accusatory finger in my direction. “This is my hunt, not yours. You guys insist on being here, fine. But don’t get in my way.”
“And just how many years of experience do you have, baby?” I ask in the most condescending tone I can muster.
I know it hits the mark when her cheeks pinken with anger.
