Page 90 of Hunting for her Heart
“Our allies told us, before you slaughtered them,” the man in front says in anger. I take a second to look at him and his friends. They look far too old to be participating in the Mating Hunt. They must be in their sixties. A lightbulb goes off in my head in realization.
I know who they are.
I unhook my legs from Hawk, and he takes the hint and lowers me to my feet. I step around Ronan, but he immediately wraps an arm around my shoulders, holding me against his front as I stare at the old men.
“Youare the cheaters,” I say, pointing a finger at them. Their heads reel back a little in shock as several people in the crowd gasp. “You hired trackers to capture me since you knew you couldn’t do it yourselves.”
“Is that true?” the man organizing the Mating Hunt asks from his platform.
The old man sputters for a second, giving himself away before he tries to deny it. “Of course not! I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
“It shouldn’t matter if they told me I’m their fated mate or not,” I tell them, wanting this matter put to rest so we can get the hell out of here. “They won, and they did it without breaking any rules.”
“I have to agree with her,” the organizer says. “They haven’t done anything wrong. You four, however, we’ll be having a discussion about your future involvement in any Mating Hunts.”
The older man’s face pales and relief starts to fill me.
“I can’t believe she’d willingly want to go with them. They’re barbarians,” someone whispers from the crowd, loud enough for me to hear. I turn my head that way as Ronan’s hold tightens on me.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” I say loudly, eyeing the crowd as the anger starts to build again. “These three have treated me with far more kindness than anyone else I’ve met. They are kind, caring, protective, and generous, and I know thatIam the lucky one in this relationship. No man on earth could live up to any of them. And if you truly believe them tobe cannibals, then maybe you better shut the hell up before they decide to eat you just for spite.”
I tilt my head back to look up at Ronan, and I can see the pride shining in his eyes. “Can we go home now?” I ask him. He nods then scoops me up in his arms and marches forward.
“Oh, by the way,” Bo says, turning to walk backward as he calls to the organizer on his platform. “There are around thirty bodies out there you might want to deal with, unless the grimclaws have already gotten to them.”
The man’s eyes widen and his jaw drops open in shock as a pleased Bo turns back to us and jogs closer to catch up. He winks at me and lets out a deep breath.
“Let’s go home.”
Stepping into the cave,my eyes widen as I take in all the giant birds. They look like eagles, onlymuchlarger.
“They’re so big!” I say in awe as we move closer.
“They have to be, to take our weight,” Bo explains as he starts to look around, as if looking for a particular bird. “I don’t think ours are in here,” he says with a frown.
“We knew they’d probably find somewhere higher on the mountain while they waited,” Ronan reminds him.
I notice several men and a woman tending to a couple of the birds, and as Bo starts to move past me, out of the cave, I step toward the group of people, something about them captures my attention.
It could be that they are the first group I’ve actually seenof a woman and multiple men, but somehow I don’t think that’s what’s piqued my interest.
The woman is beautiful with wavy red hair and a huge smile on her face as she talks to what must be her mates. The blond man beside her reminds me of Bo, a permanent smile on his face. And the way he looks down at her, you can tell he cares for her. The man at her back reminds me of Hawk, silent and large and holding her with an arm around her waist, not joining in the conversation but seeming content just to be there with her.
“What is it?” Ronan asks quietly as he steps up beside me.
“I think they’re fated mates,” I say, the thought suddenly coming to me.
He looks at them a moment before speaking. “Perhaps.”
The woman glances our way, and when she sees me staring, she stands up straight and looks back at me. We stare at each other in silence for a second before she approaches, her men right beside her.
“Hi, I’m Penny,” she says with a smile and wave, coming to a stop about ten feet away with three men surrounding her.
“Willow,” I say, feeling weird. I’m not even sure why I’m still standing here.
“Do I know you?” she asks, tilting her head.
“No, I don’t think so,” I say, shaking my head. “I just arrived here when the Mating Hunt started.”
