Page 22 of Hunted Ink

He gave me an awkward smile. “Sorry about that, I probably should’ve asked before marking you.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” I said, my voice dropping, half wolf in its intensity. “It was always going to be you and me. You’re my forever, Kedi. Whether that starts today or next week, I’d rather not wait any longer than I have to. We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” The reason for our separation sat between us like an immovable boulder, but not even some monster’s hateful cult and a lifetime of drugs and brainwashing could keep us apart.

His blue eyes shone in the moonlight as he pulled me close to kiss me, slanting his mouth over mine for a deeper taste, full of so much love that I had to believe would conquer all, just like the songs said. He was through discussing all the reasons why we couldn’t reach for that perfect future together. Yet…

I would’ve been happy to spend eternity here with him, but as the moon arced higher in the sky, a sense of dread began to creep through me, poisoning our post-mating bliss. We both knew I had to get back to the compound, and time was not our friend. My mate, however, seemed to have a better grasp of this reality than I did.

Sighing, Kedi wiggled out of my arms and laughed as he took in just how much of a mess we were. “Looks like we need another bath.”

Laughing, I took his hand and let him pull me back up, longing and regret filling me as we headed back toward the river. I wished for nothing more than a better future for my mate, and I would do whatever it took to get it.

I took a quick dip in the river, frowning the whole time. Washing my mate’s scent off my skin felt wrong. I wanted nothing more than to walk around covered in his cum all day, but I also didn’t want even his lingering scent to be picked up by the other shifters back at the compound. Whether or not they knew they were shifters, I refused to share.

As I redressed in my hunting gear, I stared down at my unmarked chest. “Pater’s going to notice that my runes are gone.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of that.” Kedi was still bare-chested, looking absolutely delicious, but I dragged my hungry gaze to what he had in his hands instead. There was something sludgy cupped in his palm.

My lip curled up at the smell. “What the hell is that?”

“Mostly mud, but I’ve crushed up some leaves and moss to give it a color similar to wolfsbane. Now, I’m no creepy cult leader, but I should be able to do a decent job painting the symbol on your forehead again, and at least these ones won’t burn. Will he take off your shirt to check for those ones?”

“I doubt it. Not if he doesn’t have any reason to suspect they’re gone.”

“Good, cause I wasn’t paying much attention to what they looked like before I washed them off.”

I sat still as he dabbed a finger into the mud and applied it to my forehead, his tongue stuck adorably from between his teeth, playing with his lip ring as he focused. It might not have been wolfsbane, but his touch on me left me tingling all the same.

Even though he took his time recreating the look, there was only so much we could do to delay the inevitable. With a sigh, Kedi got up to wash his hands in the river. His expression was carefully neutral, hiding the devastation he felt at being separated again. I knew the feeling, because it was no doubt a mirror to the same writhing anxiety in my own chest.

Following him, I reached out and hooked a finger around his, squeezing until he looked up at me. “It won’t be long,” I insisted, instilling every ounce of confidence I had into that statement, willing it to be true. “I’m going to talk to the other hunters, see if I can’t figure out a way to get them all out of there safely. And in the meantime, I’ll pick up a burner phone so we can talk.”

Kedi’s lips pressed tight into a firm line. “Be careful. I know you grew up there, and they’re as close to having a family as you’ve known, but… I don’t trust that this Pater of yours loves you like a father would. If he thinks you’re a danger to his plans, there’s no telling what he might do.” Using our hooked fingers, he dragged me in until he could cup my cheeks between his heated palms. “I need you to come back to me, do you hear me? In one piece.”

The fear in his eyes was hard to look at, but I forced myself not to flinch from it. As much as I wanted to see Pater as a father figure, it wasn’t hard to imagine him hurting me to get what he wanted. Punishment was a part of the Order, after all. And after the lengths he’d gone to to get his little band of hunters in the first place, I couldn’t put anything past him. “I’ll be careful,” I promised my mate, and the bond between us sang.

Too soon, the time came to leave, but as we walked away from the clearing, I hesitated at the tree line, looking back at the remains of someone’s home. Closing my eyes, I could almost picture what it used to look like, but when I opened my eyes, there was no A-frame, no crackling fire in a stone hearth, welcoming me into its warm embrace. Just a few rotten beams and a pile of rocks. Next time, I would bring flowers or something here as a token.

“What was my father’s name?” I asked Kedi, the memory of my dad’s face still shrouded in shadows.

“Ward.”

I nodded, turning away and taking my mate’s hand as one more piece of the puzzle slotted into place.

Chapter 15

Kedi

Thanks to my keen hearing, I picked up the tick-tick of Apollo’s truck from two blocks away, and I couldn’t keep the giddy grin off my face.

“What’s got you all sunshine and roses?” my boss, Trey, asked, smiling curiously along with me as he wiped the grease from his hands on a rag tucked into his pocket. “Don’t tell me you get off on oil changes.” There was a dirty joke about lube to be made in there somewhere, and we both laughed without having to say it.

“I was just thinking it’s time for my lunch break. You good here for a bit?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Trey could come across as gruff if you didn’t know him, but he treated his employees like family. He collected strays like trading cards, orphans and misfits like me, and there was always a standing invitation for dinner at his place for anyone who wanted. He was nothing but a big softie.

He waved me off with a mock glare. “You know, I managed this place just fine for forty years before you came along.”

“But then you got old,” I teased, slapping his back on the way to the staff room. “Try not to break a hip while I’m gone.” His raspy laugh followed me to the back.

I changed out of my stained coveralls as quickly as I could and stepped back into the garage just in time to see Apollo pull up. Trey emerged from under the hood of a Camry to give Apollo’s rusty old truck an appraising glance, no doubt judging the mountain of work it needed and seeing dollar signs.