Bedmate.
* * *
When I wake,the first thing I’m aware of is the heat. I open my eyes and find myself surrounded by flames. Red flames. Pink flames. I shutter my eyes against the blinding light of the inferno, but I find it isn’t a fire that surrounds me at all. It’s sunlight.
Morning heat and sunshine stream in through the open windows, setting the pink and red decor in the room glowing. I sit up in a rush and look over at the Huntsman.
His side of the bed is empty.
Then I realize my wrist is no longer cuffed. I’m alone in the room, alone in the bed, and the day is well past sunrise. A slight throbbing pulses in my temple, and I bring a hand to the side of my head. I don’t remember a single thing after my last dose of my tincture, which means it must have sent me into a deep sleep.
But…where is the Huntsman?
I leave the bed and scan the room. It’s my first time seeing it in the daylight, so I have to scan my surroundings a few times before I notice the open door to a modest washroom, the pile of clothing at the foot of the bed, and the piece of parchment sitting on top of the stack.
I go to it and lift the paper, finding a short note scrawled over it.
Miss Snow,
Do not run away or our deal is off. Bathe and dress. I’ll return later.
—T
I do a double take at the letterTin place of a signature. What does theTstand for? He told me to call him Huntsman. I turn my attention to the stack of clothes, finding a lightweight cotton skirt and blouse, similar to the one I’m wearing now. Well, similar to how it was before it was torn and bloodied. My gaze wanders to the washroom, where I see a porcelain tub, already filled with steaming water. I release a sigh, my muscles uncoiling at the thought of a bath. Just looking at it makes me want to linger in the tub all day.
But I won’t.
I’ll bathe and dress as the Huntsman requested in his note, but I’ll make it quick. If he isn’t back by the time I’m finished, I’m not sitting in this room waiting for him all day.
I have very important things to do.
12
THE HUNTSMAN
Of course Astrid Snow is gone. Of course she fled at her first chance to get away from me. She didn’t even make it through a single night without trying to steal my key. Although I remained half asleep during last night’s attempt, I vaguely recall the feeling of her hand dipping into my pocket, the startling realization that the girl was almost on top of me. I managed to turn the tables and frighten her from any further attempts, but there was a moment where—even in my half-asleep state—where Astrid’s scent shifted into something that was almost…dare I say desire?
No, I dare not.Astridanddesireare two words I should go to great lengths to separate. In fact, desire is the last thing I need right now. The last thing this mission needs. I know just how detrimental such feelings can be. Romance, lust, love—even the platonic kind—blinds me. Clouds my senses, my thoughts, my ability to see and smell the truth. I learned that the hard way. With Father. With the woman I so stupidly thought I loved five years ago.
Besides, just because Astrid has filled my head with doubts over her guilt doesn’t mean I don’t still have a bargain to fulfill. If she isn’t responsible for her father’s murder, then I need to find out who is. It’s the only way I can save both my life and Astrid’s. Proof of the real killer is the only sure way to convince Tris to release me from my bargain—and clear Astrid of the charges against her.
However, if Miss Snow is guilty, I need to be able to perform my duties with a clear head.
There are only two ways this can end.
I either present the queen with the real killer or I deliver her stepdaughter into her custody.
Since Astrid has run away again, I suspect it will be the latter.
With my jaw clenched tight, I follow her scent trail from our bedroom at Lust, down to the first floor of the building, and out the front doors. From there I follow it along the walking paths to Department Gluttony. I enter the building, finding indoor storefronts to a grocer, a butcher, and other markets on the first floor. Astrid’s scent leads me to the butcher, then right back out to the walking paths. I’m surprised when her scent trail has me doubling back toward Lust. I expected to find her beyond the hotel grounds, in the process of making her escape.
I pass the front of the brothel and enter the alley between Lust and the perimeter wall. It’s the same location I first saw her and the site of the ogre’s bloody demise. I already inspected the alley at first light, so I know all traces of the attack have been cleaned up.
I slow my pace, hearing the first strains of a soft, cooing voice that dissolves into a giggle. Astrid’s scent grows sharper and softer at the same time, evoking aromas of morning dew on fresh grass and apple blossoms unfurling in a sunlit grove.
Then I see her.
She rises to her feet from behind the largest waste bin, a wide smile playing over her lips—small lips the color of coral. Her heart-shaped face emanates joy in everything from her smile to the blushing apples of her cheeks, to her petite nose that wrinkles with laughter, to her gray eyes glittering with mirth. Dark lashes flutter closed as she brings an orange kitten to her cheek and nuzzles it.
