Page 87 of Poisoned Heart
On our way downstairs, I briefly carry one of Alexandra’s kids on my shoulders, but the children have their own entertainment (far away from the hunt), so I soon wave them goodbye and follow Corvus outside, where all those participating, and their cheerleaders, are already waiting.
The frosty air pinches my skin, so I pull up my scarf a little bit higher as we wait, offering the prey a chance to hide before the Van der Horns start their pursuit.
“Do you have the head bag?” Killian asks Damen, double-checking the strap of his husband’s crossbow. He usually has his head in the clouds, and he’s nowhere as involved in the family business as me, but looks like he’s in a hunting frenzy too. He’s even forgotten his hat, and if he was a target, his green hair would have made him easy prey.
“I have everything I need,mon chéri,” Damen says and mounts his horse, looking like a modern-day prince charming.
Roger bursts out of the mansion, red-faced and huffing as though he’s been running. Aspen’s following him like a puppy.
“But dad! You said I could be a helper, like last year.”
Roger shakes his head. “And what did you do last year? I told you not to shoot!”
I try not to get involved, because picking sides is how you get in trouble, so instead I turn all my attention to Corvus, who’s already on horseback. He plans to scout ahead and use his superior speed to drive our mark toward me, so we can finish the bastard together. I suspect this might give us an edge, since everyone else is hunting solo.
“Before we start,” Corvus says, loudly enough for everyone to hear him despite the wind blowing the loose snow in our direction. “Leave Kemper to Dalton and me.”
Damen chuckles, and his smile turns smug. “This is a competition. Hunt him down, and he’s yours. Only courtesy I’m offering is that I won’t specifically target him.”
I roll my eyes. That guy isobsessedwith winning.
I turn to Corvus. “Hear that? A competition. Let’s show him what we’ve got.”
He hesitates, but his handsome smile soon answers my offer. Corvus nudges the horse with his heels, and we move forward together, ready to look for the imprints of Kemper’s shoes. Nobody is taking this revenge away from us.
“Hey, the hunt starts in ten minutes!” Damen calls out, soon followed by his father, who doesn’t seem particularly invested in keeping us back.
“You break the rules, you will be disqualified from the contest.”
Corvus grins at me, and I reach up to squeeze his thigh. We’re a perfect team.
“I’m not participating inthe contest. Have fun!” he shouts back before leaning down to meet my gaze. “All is fair in love and war.”
The End
