AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ridge noticed my reaction and followed my gaze. He reached for my hand and slipped his fingers between mine. “Don’t mind him. That’s just how the man looks whenever I’m in the room.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I’ve even been told it looks like that when I’m not in the room.”
I lifted my gaze to Ridge and relaxed at his genuine smile and smooth wink.
“He was one of the first people in the bar after Audrey screamed, so he had to have been nearby,” I said.
“He was, and I spoke to Clawson. He thoroughly questioned him, and his alibi for the time of death checked out.”
Ridge stroked my skin with his palm to help soothe me. He must’ve seen how nervous I was to be here with everybody watching us. Luckily, we were sequestered in the back at a private table where people couldn’t hear what we were saying.
Ridge leaned toward me and quieted his voice. “The autopsy showed that the deputy was killed at least two hours before the body was discovered, Tori. I’m pretty sure you would’ve still been running back to Blackwood Creek during that time.”
Shaking my head, I released my hand from his and grabbed the menu to look it over. “You’re very optimistic, but ‘pretty sure’ won’t cut it for me. I’m going to figure out for certain if I’m guilty sooner or later.”
I caught Ridge’s frown out of the corner of my eye, but I pretended not to see it as I studied the menu. Annoyed, I huffed under my breath. They seriously couldn’t have listed the prices?
Ridge must have heard me as he gave another of his low, panty-melting chuckles.
“It’s not funny. How will I know what to pay you back?” I frowned at him.
He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his mouth for a kiss. “This is part of the deal, so you don’t pay me back.”
The server arrived before I could argue my point further, so I let it go, deciding I’d bring it up later at the manor when we were alone. I knew if I carried on here, my voice would rise, which wouldn’t exactly portray the happily engaged couple act.
We placed our order and sipped at the delicious wine poured for us. I was surprised to find I actually enjoyed it. I didn’t know anything about wine and wasn’t much of a drinker, but I figured when playing the part, I had to act the part. I relaxed back into my seat.
“So, what do you know about hunters?” Ridge asked.
Okay, so no prelude, then. Straight to the main event.
I gripped my glass and took another sip, desperately trying to hide my shaking hands. I’d never talked about the hunters pursuing me to anyone before. I didn’t talk about this part of my life, period. Not that I’d had anyone to talk to, but this was the deal I’d made.
If I did anything, I kept my word. It was all I had left.
“In the late 1800s, humans turned to witches for help hunting down all kinds of paranormal creatures, and over time, they split up into their own separate factions to hunt for specific things. For example, the different versions of shifters? They all have their own specialty class of hunters.”
Ridge leaned forward and held my hand again. With the other, he gently reached up and caressed my cheek. I figured he was playing the part of the lovestruck, smitten fiancé. I fought my wolf to not lean into the touch.
“I know that,” he said. “There are a lot of historical roots of those witches in this area of Pennsylvania, though I’m pretty sure their magic that helped the original hunters faded a long time ago.”
I jerked my head toward him. “I didn’t realize they originated in this area, but you’re mistaken. The magic didn’t fade.”
“What do you mean?”
“The hunters who are after me take an oath when they join their respective faction, then once they’re sworn in as hunters, they go through an induction ritual that gives them increased speed and strength—similar to that of a shifter. Their reflexes are also heightened, so they’ll be a fair match in a fight.”
Ridge’s eyes narrowed.
“The hunters also take advantage of wolf shifter weaknesses like wolfsbane and silver, but their weapons today are a lot more modern and high-tech. There aren’t a ton of wolf shifter hunters, but their operation runs just as smoothly as the FBI while being about a hundred percent more secretive. They’re a well-oiled organization that functions like a special black ops team.”
Ridge’s jaw started ticking as he controlled his anger, but his hold on me didn’t waver. It was still just as soothing and gentle.
“How do you know so much if they have never harmed you?” As soon as the words left his mouth, his calm expression vanished. “Did they hurt you? Were you captured?” His nostrils flared as his face reddened.
My heart leaped at his concern, and I reached over and placed my palm on his cheek. “No, I was never captured. I’ve had a lot of run-ins and close calls, but they’ve never officially caught me, which is a really good thing. They typically torture any lone shifter they catch to get information out of them—information on shifter locations, when they were last with other shifters. They torture until they get what they need, then they give their captive a merciful death.”
I inwardly scoffed at the words “merciful death.” When was death ever merciful?
Ridge’s eyes dilated so fast, I could no longer see the beautiful gray that always made me picture a rainstorm and curling up by a fire. Now, they were black pools. He struggled to control his breathing.
