Curse And Craving

57

Before I could process what I’d seen, the light turned green. The line of cars moved forward along with the river of pedestrians, but I stood rooted to the ground watching the white vehicle speed faster and faster down the busy city street. Without warning, the car sideswiped the vehicle next to it, causing a chain-reaction accident that resulted in one car flipping onto its side and a dozen other wrecks. Witnesses shrieked and rushed over to aid the motorists, and within seconds, sirens sounded in the background. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and hesitantly stepped toward the chaos. I walked past car after crumpled car as I neared the cause of the catastrophe. The older woman sat on the curb, sobbing as she explained to another woman that she had no idea what had happened. I can’t claim to know exactly what had happened, but I knew who was responsible. Not far away, huddled beside a postal drop box, were not one but two of the vile creatures cackling with delight. They both glanced my way before darting down a nearby alley, no doubt in search of more trouble. Why were these creatures being unleashed on Earth? What would happen if they infiltrated our cities on a massive scale as Merlin predicted? One of them alone could cause tremendous damage, but hordes of them? The Hunt wouldn’t be able to stop them in time before they devastated city after city. Even if every country banded together in all-out warfare against the Fae invaders, it might take years to gain the upper hand over a magic race of evil creatures. As much as I wanted to focus my efforts on my personal vendetta against Ronan, stopping whoever was opening the portals was of critical importance. They had to be stopped. I couldn’t fathom what role I might play in that, but I wasn’t going to run away from it. If I truly was needed, I’d do my part. Once emergency crews began to arrive, I resumed my walk to the Huntsman with renewed determination. When I entered the building, I held my head high and walked with confidence, but my stomach clenched with nerves. The place was still empty. The only sound was the echoing clacks from my heels resounding throughout the silent lobby. Upstairs, Lochlan stood talking with two other men in the main club. While I had painted on my confidence like a child in a Halloween costume, Lochlan was the real deal. He radiated an air of authority without any effort. A lion at ease in the Serengeti, he had embraced his place at the top of the food chain. I wanted to know that feeling. The prospect alone was intoxicating. Once the men ended their conversation, Lochlan motioned me over. “Did you need something?” “I do, but first, I saw a couple of Unseelie cause a twelve-car pileup on my way over.” He nodded to the two men, who immediately turned for the elevator. “Come to my office. We can talk there.” He held open the office door, closing it behind me and causing us to pass within inches of one another. When his rich masculine scent wrapped itself around me, memories from the night before assaulted me. Ronan’s cologne should have been a dead giveaway, but I’d been too blind to see—both literally and figuratively. Taking a cleansing breath, I squashed my frustrations and self-doubt. Breaking free of my mental shackles, I realized that Lochlan hadn’t moved from his spot near the door. Not only that, but his arms were crossed, and his glacial stare was shredding me to ribbons. What the hell did I do now? The last I had seen him, the real him, we’d been more than civil. He’d even kissed me. Why would he suddenly be upset with me? “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked warily. “I would think it’s obvious I’m not a man who likes to share. The next time you f**k Ronan, don’t come waltzing in here reeking of him.” His voice was deadly calm, and his words were a brutal blow to my gut. Oh, God. He knows. He’d smelled Ronan on me, despite my shower and endless scrubbing. He smelled Ronan and thought I’d intentionally had s*x with him. If I hadn’t felt dirty already from what had happened, my skin positively crawled at that point. Lochlan’s hateful words dug a spike straight into my heart. I’d wanted him to respect me, and now he thought the very worst of me. My downcast eyes blinked rapidly to hold back the moisture quickly threatening to spill over. It’s better this way. I’m better off not developing feelings for him or any of them. If you think this is bad, how much worse would it be if you cared for him? Through sheer force of will, I regained control and masked my features. “I wanted to let you know that Ronan was the leak. He knew about the setup with the Red Caps. He was involved somehow. Their intent was to kill you in the trap.” My voice was firm but hollow. Lochlan’s predatory gaze scrutinized me. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would you f**k him, then rat him out?” “Believe me or don’t. That’s your decision. The only thing I want to ask of you is whether you’d be willing to teach me how to fight. I’ve decided to stay and accept my fate, but I’ll need to arm myself, and my options are limited.” There. I asked. Now he could either tell me yes or no, and I could get the hell out of there. The temperature in the room dropped a solid ten degrees. Lochlan took one small step, then two, until he was a mere breath away. His hand gripped my jaw, forcing my eyes to his before asking in a lethal voice, “Did he hurt you?” My breathing shuddered. “No.” He tilted my head to one side, and his gaze lowered to the base of my neck. The bite mark. I’d been so consumed about what I’d say that I’d forgotten to check if the mark had fully healed. A telltale circular pattern of teeth was easy to recognize, even when only a trace remained. I slapped my hand over the area and pulled from his grip. “What the f**k did he do to you?” Lochlan roared. His fury echoed off the walls. I channeled my own rage, screaming back, “None of your goddamn business!” And it wasn’t. I didn’t want to tell him what had happened, and I wouldn’t. That was my secret to keep as long as I felt like it. His nostrils flared, and jaw flexed so tightly I thought he’d c***k a tooth. I glared back at him, my breath heaving through parted lips, lungs ready for a fight. “Will you teach me or not?” I finally asked, bringing us back to the point. He must have recognized my conviction and realized arguing would be pointless. It took several endless seconds, but he finally gave me a curt nod. “First thing next week. You come by each day after work.” It was my turn to nod. “I’ll kill him for this.” His words were a murmured promise. He was talking about the undisclosed harm Ronan had caused me. Lochlan would kill him for it. Not the betrayal of the Hunt. He’d kill his fellow huntsman for me. “He deserves it. He’s betrayed all of us,” I responded coolly, then redirected our conversation to escape further scrutiny. “Have you made any progress in locating the Sword of Light?” If they could use it on Ronan, maybe they could find out who was behind the portals.