Hunter chuckles as a warm furry head nudges my calf, making me stiffen. Charlie’s fur is like silk, but that doesn’t mean I want it anywhere near me. “What do you want?”
“He’s seeking a treat.”
“Can dogs eat pizza?”
Hunter laughs. “No.” He slides a sealed jar in my direction. “You can give him one of these, and he should settle.” I twist the lid to find some curled sticks that smell minty. “Tell him to sit. He doesn’t get rewarded for looking cute.”
“He’s a thief. He shouldn’t get rewarded at all.”
Hunter sighs. “I’ll buy you some new panties, but those are a lost cause. Do you really want them back with fang holes in the lace?”
“It’s the principal of the matter.”
“He was trying to engage. He doesn’t always get the social norms since he’s a dog, and our life is too complex for him to understand.”
That, I can relate to. “He’s trying to figure out how to get to know me?”
“Yes, and his stubbornness is both a blessing and a curse. He will pester you until you give him attention, but he is also the most loving and loyal dog I’ve ever known. Tell me if you’ve ever met a dog that smiles and is so desperate for your attention he steals your underwear.”
I sigh as I look into Charlie’s grass green eyes. “The only dogs I’ve ever known have been trained to hunt, maim, and kill.”
Silence stretches between us as I realize I said too much. I rush to tug my hair over my ear. Hunter stays frozen for a moment, then his hand inches toward me, and he lifts myhair away, revealing the old injury. His fingers ghost over the indentations, sending a shiver all the way to my toes.
“A dog did this?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I grab one of the minty sticks and shake my head, dislodging Hunter from my ear and covering the injury once more. “Sit, Charlie.”
Charlie’s eyes go wide in anticipation, and he drops his ass on the floor immediately. I hold my breath as I offer him the treat, half expecting him to take my hand along with it. He leans forward and gently clamps his teeth around his prize before tugging it out of my hand and running to the couch where he covets both my panties and the chew stick like he’s the richest dog on the planet. I squeeze my eyes closed. I wish life was that simple.
“Ellie?” Hunter prompts again.
“No, Hunter, I don’t. Talking about the past doesn’t change the future. I’m not there anymore. I’m not in danger. I don’t need saving.”
“You put yourself in the firing line by pursuing Jonathan.”
“Because even though he was in my past, he is still affecting… no. He’sstealingthe future of bright young women across the globe. He needs to be stopped.”
“I see.”
“Which is why me being here is dangerous. You don’t need to be drawn into this. I have places I can go.” I try again to shake Hunter loose, even knowing my chances are slim to none.
“You promised Honor and Fox you would stay with me, at least while we shake Christopher and ensure he’s lost interest in you.”
A long, hard sigh escapes me. This is why I don’t have friends. Friends can manipulate you. They can guilt you intodoing things against your better judgment. They can alter your course, change your future, and disrupt your plans, even if those plans only extend to destroying your enemy at the cost of destroying yourself at the same time. Having friends means having responsibilities for more than your own life. I have accepted the reality that annihilating Jonathan will likely mean having to blow up my own life. I’m okay with that. What I am not okay with, is it costing any more innocent lives.
“Hey, whatever is going on in that magnificent brain of yours, share it with me. A problem shared is a problem halved.”
I snort. “That makes zero sense. Telling you my problems doesn’t halve the reality. If I tell you, it won’t result in him destroying half as many lives.”
“No, but we can work it through together. I’m betting your current plan is to gather as much evidence as you can and deposit it in front of a trusted judge before you launch an attack to murder Jonathan, removing the head of the beast and letting the legal system clean up the guts.”
The way he’s dissected my life and made accurate deductions in such a short space of time is a little concerning, but not altogether surprising. “What’s wrong with that plan?”
“That plan has you sacrificing yourself written all over it.”
