I blinked. “Panting? I’m not a dog. I do not pant.”
“Yeah. Panting,” Ace said. “Gawking at him as if he hangs the stars in the sky and shits roses.”
I rocked back on my heels, stunned. “I can assure you, I’m not phaaning panting after him or anyone else.”
“You’re not objective when it comes to him.” He lowered his voice. “You’ve slept together.”
The words fell between us like a blade, sharp and final.
I stared at the hard line of his jaw, the fury in his gaze, and something else underneath it all. Something raw.
“Is that what this is really about?” I asked.
He looked away, pressing his lips tightly together like he wanted to say more but couldn’t. Or wouldn’t. Outside, a hawk screeched in the distance, high and sharp across the cliffs. The wind teased the branches of the tall trees. But inside, silence settled over us like a lead blanket.
“Last time I checked sleeping with someone is not a crime,” I said quietly. “You left and you have no claim on me. Not then and not now. You certainly don’t have the right to tell me who I can sleep with. Nor can you make me feel like shit about it. Orion and I were two consenting adults.”
“Phaaning Onion might not be a crime, but it means your history with him is clouding your judgement. You can’t fathom the idea of a man fawning over you while phaaning you over.”
Anger swelled inside me. He thought I was so simple I couldn’t see the signs of betrayal? That was rich coming from him. “Oh, I’m aware of the difference. You taught me that lesson long ago.”
“I never—” He made a sound halfway between a grunt and a growl before looking away, his expression pinched with annoyance.
“I can assure you that my weak, pathetic little girl brain is capable of handling these big boy topics and concepts,” I said. “If anything is clouding my judgement, it’s our shared past hunting. He’s patched me up and has had my back. My disbelief has nothing to do with one drunken night.”
Ace shrugged, his gaze still not meeting mine. “If you say so.”
Seriously? I wished I’d never slept with Orion. It made things awkward and our friendship messy. But I never thought I’d regret it because I’d have to defend my actions and opinions with Ace.
I set the coffee mug down and grabbed my bow and quiver.
“Where are you going?”
“Hunting.”
“The forest is probably still swarming with hunters.”
I stalked to the door and paused to answer. “I’ll take my chances.”
Nala lifted her head from Ace’s lap and whined.
“You stay here, girl.” I flung open the door and stepped outside, the old wood groaning on its rusty hinges as it swung wide. Fresh, dewy morning air rushed up to greet me. It had rained last night, and the cool air was laced with the scent of rain-drenched earth and damp moss. The smell wrapped around me in silent comfort.
The path leading to the dense forest shimmered with puddles that mirrored the brooding sky. Looming dark clouds hung low and heavy overhead and promised stormier weather to come.
For now, though, the sun had clawed its way through a ragged break in the gray clouds, cascading light over the forest. Weak golden beams caught on the edges of leaves, turning droplets into trembling jewels.
I pulled on the straps and secured my quiver along my spine, then looped my bow over my shoulder. I needed to hunt to clear my mind and avoid throttling Ace, but we also needed food. Nala needed a good meal and rest. I wasn’t leaving in a huff for the sake of being dramatic—that was just a bonus.
Peering around the side of the cabin, I spotted a deer path leading into the bushes. I pulled back my shoulders and set out to follow the trail. My boots pressed into the wet dirt, churning up more earthy scents, and my breath condensed in the cold air as little puffs of white. Following the tracks of the deer let my mind wonder, and the tension in my shoulders eased away with each step.
Could Orion be a part of this? Was Ace right and my relationship with the healer blinded me to his involvement?
But if Orion was involved, why did he heal me? Why did he heal Nala? The hunters tried to kill me and Orion’s actions contradicted what little we knew about the people hunting us.
But why did he return to town? Was he truly going back to heal others and grab the healing balm despite my clear communication of not needing any? Did he have something else he needed or wanted to protect from the hunters or the king’s men? His healing balm was sensational but as far as I knew, no one else knew about it. Was that what he wanted to protect?
And where was my brother? Did the same people who killed the coroner attack him? Was he okay? If he was in hiding, he should’ve been able to sneak away by now, surely. And why did he have the stolen supplies in his cabin? Logic suggested he was supplying the rogue hunters with food and clothing, but my heart couldn’t accept my brother being involved with the same group who’d tried to kill me multiple times. With the same group who hurt Nala.
