Hunter had destroyed my life, and I planned to return the favour. There was no reason to control my anger, but I had to be cautious about how I unleashed it. How many times had I been told this was a game? I assumed I could take to it quickly, but I’d been blindsided. Now I knew exactly what I had to do.
With a final glance in the mirror, I tried to separate myself from the fury that bubbled at the surface as I sat on the edge of the bed and thought about Hunter. There was no doubt that he would be waiting for this. For me to require his presence. Within seconds, there was a booming knock that came from downstairs.
Getting up from my spot, I opened the bedroom door and padded down the hallway. Erik’s voice was clear as he argued with Hunter. His distaste for his older brother ran freely. Even Erik couldn’t be polite when it came to someone messing with his responsibilities.
“You had no right to put her in that position,” Erik hissed.
Hunter had caught sight of me as I came down the stairs and smiled. “Perhaps you should let her talk for herself. After all, she is the one who requested for me to be here.”
Erik turned around, brow furrowing. “Scott?”
“Please, Erik. I have something to discuss with Hunter,” I explained as I came off the last step. “Privately.”
Once upon a time, I looked at Hunter in my kitchen and was struck by how well put together he was. Never a hair out of place or a crease in his shirt. Perfect. He was a caring protector who offered me solace. I considered his marriage to Larkin before she showed me the truth of it, and thought of how lucky she was to be paired with him. But the best monsters were those who knew how to disguise themselves.
“Hunter.” I tried my best to keep my voice level.
“Why don’t we take this to Erik’s study?” he suggested, slipping past his brother into the house.
My eyes flicked towards Erik before I nodded. Hunter led the way through the bottom floor of the house and into a room I’d yet to explore. Erik’s study was the same ivory that the house was predominantly painted in with deep red accents. The upper half of the walls were covered in wallpaper that, on closer inspection, were old wedding invitations. He was a sentimental God. And this was a fitting place for the conversation that was about to be had.
Hunter stopped in front of a bookcase holding large leather-bound tomes and gave me his attention. “What can I do for you?”
I looked at the man in front of me and felt nothing more than the burning desire to ruin his life. I’d make sure he felt regret for meddling in mine.
“I’ve been thinking about your offer.”
“You still wish to keep my brother alive after all he put you through?”
Something in me faltered. Had Gray told Hunter about our visit? He usually opted to keep his personal life a secret from his big brother.
“He has been spitting feathers since your little visit.” Hunter sniffed, clearly unimpressed by Grayson’s outbursts. “He hasn’t exactly filtered his thoughts.”
I swallowed hard. If I told Hunter that he could go ahead and kill Gray, he would oblige quicker than a heartbeat. All Hunter needed was a credible excuse. I would be the next person who was forced to take responsibility for his actions.
It was pointless denying there was a small part of me that wanted to hurt Gray. He used my vulnerability against me. Brought up my lowest points and sharpened them before stabbing at me. Vengeance would be sweet, but not like this. A death sentence was too extreme.
My throat closed up as I reached for the words I’d been rehearsing. “I’ll agree to what you want on the condition that you keep him alive.”
“You really are a merciful one.” The comment was less of a compliment and more of a bored observation.
“I try.” I was seething but pushed down on the feelings, unwilling to risk Hunter catching on to the truth beneath the surface. Not when everything relied on playing the game better than he could.
When Hunter’s hand moved to his pocket, I flinched again, and he clucked his tongue. “You’ll need to trust me.”
He continued to reach into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. When he opened it, a ring was nestled inside and the bile climbed up my throat. I barely had time to get used to Gray’s ring, no longer sitting on my finger, before Hunter insisted on replacing it.
“I’m glad we could come to this arrangement, Scott. It’s the best decision for the two of us.”
Without warning, he grabbed my hand and pushed the ring onto my finger while I suppressed the urge to be sick. A large round stone glistened in the centre of a thin band, flanked by two smaller ones. The weight of my decision currently weighed on my ring finger as I took in the enormity of our agreement.
“We should share the news with the others,” Hunter said.
There was a moment of hesitation. This was not a typical engagement. Not a joyous occasion that you wanted to share with your loved ones, but a yoke around my neck. Eventually, I nodded, numb to the sensation, and followed as he walked out of the room and down the corridor. Everything in Erik’s house felt too bright, and I focused hard to keep my balance as the weight of my decision sunk in. The sound of multiple voices drifted through the house and fear suddenly settled into my bones. Once the news was broken, there would be no way to back out of this. Not with my life intact.
“Quentin!” Erik greeted as Hunter ushered me into the room first. His face fell when he saw his older brother. He had clearly hoped Hunter would have left by now, potentially thanks to my orders.
Erik stood up from the sofa as Hunter put an arm around my shoulders. My body stiffened at his touch, but I forced myself to relax. The dark circles were yet to be wiped from under Erik’s eyes and my heart lurched because this would only add to his pain.
