Page 58 of Hunt Me

His brow furrows as he thinks it over, and I can tell he’s not totally on board, but he nods anyway. ‘I go with you. Your house,’ he signs. ‘Get your things. Go with you to work. Keep watch.’

My breath leaves my lungs. ‘Like a bodyguard?’

I can feel the rumble of his laugh, and he rolls his eyes like I’m being a total dumbass. ‘Yes.’

Oh god. How is that going to look? Everyone will definitely have questions then. But also, the thought of going back to campus on my own without him is terrifying. I nearly died, and if it weren’t for Percy getting my message before everything went wrong, I wouldn’t be here right now.

So fuck it. If people have questions, so be it.

Archie is offering to be my hero once again, and I have no plans to have him anywhere other than at arm’s length.

15

ARCHIE

I’m still completely shakenby the sight of Denver walking through my front door, face covered in blood, throat a myriad of purple and black bruising. The message Percy left for me before he got Denver to the house had me in a murderous rage.

Now that I know he’s safe, I feel something else. Animalistic. Feral. More dangerous than I’ve ever been. I’ve maimed and killed before on the orders of my father and my brother. That had been a simple act of obedience.

I have never wanted to draw blood and pain the way I want to now, knowing that someone touched Denver and I wasn’t there to stop them.

I hate the fact that I didn’t take this fucker out that first night in the alley. It’s not like me to let someone get away like that. When it was Nico, I didn’t stop until the man was no longer breathing, but with Denver, I’d been distracted.

He’d looked so pretty out there under the dim, yellow lamplight. His eyes were wide, and he wasn’t staring at me with fear or disgust. He was looking at me like I was someone. Like I was worthy to stand in front of him and gently wipe the blood from his face.

And in that distraction, I let the man go, and now he’s hurt again.

Percy did his job last night, of course. When Denver called, he went running, and for that, I will love my brother even more.

But I can taste revenge, coppery and sweet, on the sides of my tongue. And I will have it.

Denver’s in the shower, getting ready so we can go to his place. He finally agreed to skip his classes today, and he let me help him send a message to his colleague since his eyes were still too unfocused to use screens.

He hasn’t agreed to live with me, and I wasn’t sure if it was miscommunication—like maybe I was using the wrong sign. But he’s agreed to stay for now. And until there’s a body burned or buried nine feet beneath the ground, he won’t be leaving my sight.

And after, I will figure out a way to make him understand that he is mine and that I don’t want him going anywhere. I don’t care if it’s weird. I don’t care if that’s not how things are usually done. Denver is perfect, and I will never let anyone else touch him.

Ever again.

While Denver’s finishing up getting washed, I find Percy in his workshop, carving intricate swirls on the leg of the chair he’s been making. He looks up when I enter and lifts a brow at me. “You’d better not be here to bitch at me about last night.”

I can’t seem to unstick my tongue for the moment, so I walk over and yank him to his feet, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He’s always been shorter than me, but he’s always made me feel small and safe.

He’s strong, and his arms go limp for a second before winding around me and holding me tight, the way I like to be hugged.

“Thank you,” I rasp against the side of his head.

He takes a step back and gives my neck a firm pat before letting me go. “He’s different, isn’t he?”

“Like Nico,” I say. “But not the same as him either.”

Percy laughs and sits back down to pick up his gouge, though he leaves the leg on the table. “Milo and I kind of figured.” His face turns serious. “Do you think he’ll be able to handle us?”

Normally, I struggle if people don’t paint a broader picture with their words and say exactly what they mean, but in this case, I know exactly what “us” means. Our family. Who we are.

What we have done.

And what we might do, even after we leave the business.