Page 35

“I was worried you and Conall had left,” I admit. “After what I said this morning. And the way I’ve been avoiding you both today.”

His low chuckle jostles his chest against my cheek as his hand strokes over my still messy hair. “Oh, you know I won’t give up so easily, Little Red,” he murmurs. “I would have come looking for you eventually.”

The cottage door bursts open, drawing a short scream from my lips. Conall stomps through the opening, his eyes red and streaming with tears and his lip curled back into a snarl. He’s clutching my abandoned basket in his hand.

I leap out of Hunter’s hold and hurry toward him. “Are you hurt?”

He drops the basket and holds his hands out to me, gesturing for me to stay back. “I’m covered in wolfsbane. Let me wash, and we’ll talk.”

I rock to a halt, watching as Conall disappears down the hall into the bathing chamber, stripping his shirt off as he goes. I turn to Hunter in confusion.

“Wolfsbane?” I ask.

He nods. “It can be toxic to wolves, both natural and shifter, if too much is ingested.”

“Oh, my goddess. Does he need an antidote? Is there something I can give him to help?”

Hunter shakes his head. “It looks like he ran through a cloud of it. It’s more irritating on the skin than dangerous. Once he washes it all away, he should be fine in an hour or two.”

I clench my hands together in front of me, looking down the hall. I hate that he was harmed while trying to protect me.

“Come sit down and drink your whiskey, Scarlett,” Hunter insists. “He’ll have to dunk himself in water and scrub several times to get it out of his hair and off his skin.”

I sigh but do as he says. By the time Conall returns to the parlor, I’ve finished the glass of apple whiskey and the warmth in my belly is spreading throughout my limbs.

He’s rubbing a towel over his hair as water droplets run down his bare chest and torso. I try not to stare at the expanse of muscle and flesh, but I’m failing miserably. He sinks into a chair facing the sofa and swipes the cloth over his upper body, drying off the water still clinging to his skin.

“What happened?” Hunter asks.

The question breaks through my haze. He sounds almost amused. I turn to glare at him and find him studying me with twinkling green eyes. It seems he noticed my ogling. His mouth curves into a small, secret smile as he returns my stare without blinking.

“I smelled a male in the trees and followed his trail. He must have emptied an entire pouch of wolfsbane as he was running because it was everywhere. I was able to track him to the river before the powder deadened my ability to scent him.”

“So, he got away?” Hunter asks, no longer sounding amused.

Conall sighs and nods. “He did. He had to have known I’m a shifter because he came prepared. Not only did he have a great deal of wolfsbane, but it is also potent. Some of the strongest I’ve ever come across.”

“We’re dealing with someone who knows enough about Lycans to realize how to cover their tracks, then.”

“Yes. He not only knew that wolfsbane would help hide his trail, but he used it in the most effective way, waiting until he reached the stream to scatter it over everything around the edge of the water.”

Hunter turns to me with a tight expression. “Can you think of anyone who would have a grudge against you?” he asks. “Because this male was clearly more interested in you than us.”

I shake my head. “Not really. The only people I’ve had disagreements with in the past week are my mother and stepfather.”

“What about Victor?” he asks.

Conall straightens, his attention focused intently on me.

I can’t prevent my laugh. “If Victor cared that much about me marrying him, he would have been there when my parents sat me down to talk to me about the arrangement. I think he doesn’t much care who he marries as long as she’s young, biddable enough to spread her legs when he wants, and interested in raising his half-wild children while popping out a few more.”

“What about you?” Hunter asks Conall. “Any disagreements with anyone lately?”

The Lycan snorts and shakes his head. “You’re the only other person I see, Hunter. No one in town knows me other than the Youngblood witch nearby. What about you?”

Hunter sighs. “No. I’ve not had a problem with anyone in town since I moved here.”

Both males look toward me, and I can see exactly what they’re thinking.