I clear my throat, not wanting to believe that she's kind and innocent after being attacked by her magic. Looking forward and keeping my eyes on the path ahead, we continue walking.
“You attacked us in the forest in Oakland. Why?” I ask again, more sternly this time.
“I was defending myself,” she whispers fearfully. “You were hunting me. You followed me out there.”
“How did you know we were hunting you?” I ask skeptically, and the woman hangs her head as if she's ashamed of herself.
“I—I had a vision,” she admits. “I had a vision that I was being hunted, so I ran from my cottage in the woods.”
Realizing that the gentle approach is the only way to get answers out of the woman, I decide to give her something that'll make her feel less ashamed.
“I'm a witch, too, you know?” I chuckle lightly.
“Yeah, that's how you stopped me from defending myself,” the woman adds.
“Aha…but you shouldn't have run. It makes you look guilty.”
“Guilty of what?” she asks with confusion etched on her face.
“We'll see….”
“I—I don't wanna be burned,” she murmurs fearfully, and I touch her arm warmly.
“No one's gonna burn you at the stake, I'll make sure of that.”
“Your friends…are they witches, too?”
I shake my head. “Wolf shifters.”
“I see,” she whispers. “Is that where we're going? A wolf pack?”
“Yes,” I reveal. “But you're gonna have to promise to be honest about everything. They're a feisty bunch, no-nonsense.”
Another bout of fear makes the woman gulp, so I decide to be gentle again.
“What's your name? I'm Delilah.”
“Gwendoline, but you can call me Gwen.”
“Do you have any family, Gwen?” I ask, probing into something subtler, when suddenly, Hunter grabs my arm and holds me back.
Gwen glances over her shoulder but continues walking behind Tyler and Nicholas, with Emily following close behind her.
“What is it now, Hunter?” I grate out through gritted teeth.
“She can't be trusted, Delilah. She attacked us.”
“I know, but I'm trying to get info out of her. Ifshetrustsme,she'll open up, and we might extract the info we need that way.”
“Yeah, you could have fooled me. I know you, Delilah. You trust people too quickly.”
I bat my eyelids at him as that last statement lingers, reminding me of a time when I trusted him, and he broke my trust. As I purse my lips, Hunter continues, “You know what happened to Arianna when she trusted someone she shouldn't have. He turned out to be a mutated rogue, working for the warlock. For all we know, that witch could be doing the same thing,” he argues. “Toying with your sympathy, while she's working for the enemy.”
“She's just a young girl, Hunter.”
“And until we've questioned her, we don't know if she's innocent. You saw how she attacked us in the woods.”
I hate to admit it, but Hunter has a point, but I can't say that out loud. My ego won't allow it. Groaning instead, I turn back to the group and continue to follow them, noticing that Hunter doesn't leave my side. I force my eyes ahead of me, but through my periphery, I sneak a look at the way his thick arm bulges with muscle, sheathed in dark, honey-tanned skin like silk whispering over the prominent veins mapping his arm. A quick flit to his face makes me lose my breath for a split second, his ruggedly handsome features too stunning to ignore.
