her vision.
Grey pressed his massive weight against her, his muscled arm on her chest, his face close to hers. “Who the hell are you?” His voice was low, a hiss that wouldn’t carry.
She struggled to breathe. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not Hunter.”
CHAPTER 11
Hunter felt Anaea freeze, a deer caught in headlights. He couldn’t let her reveal herself. That would endangered both her and Grey and he needed to keep them safe.
Don’t let him know you’re not me. But as soon as he told her that, he knew Grey would have figured everything out during the fight. They’d fought side by side for hundreds of years. Hunter should have finished off Welkin without a scratch. The fact that he had to impale himself on Welkin’s sword was a sure giveaway. Hunter could only hope no one else, particularly Regis, had noticed.
“What are you talking about?” Anaea asked.
Good. Now shove him aside.
How am I supposed to manage that? He’s twice my size.
Before he could answer, she rammed her heel onto Grey’s foot and shoved him back. Grey stumbled but regained his balance. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to his chest.
“I know you’re not Hunter. That was the most pathetic fight I’ve ever seen.” Grey grasped her chin with his free hand and forced her to look at him. “Is he in there?”
Anaea’s heart pounded and Hunter could feel her struggling with her answer.
Don’t say it. Please don’t say it.
Suddenly she deflated and nodded.
Shit.
Grey released her and crossed his arms. He glanced at the arches to the arena and over at the stairwell. “Let me talk to him.”
“If I could do that do you think I would have dueled some guy to the death?”
What the hell are you doing?
You know he wouldn’t believe me, so I’m just cutting to the chase.
You don’t know how dangerous this is. It was bad enough he had put Anaea at risk, but now Grey could be accused of being an accomplice.
“This is one big mess,” Grey said.
She snorted. “You’re telling me.”
“But Hunter is in there? It’s the only way you’re managing to pull off his aura.”
“Yeah.”
It bothered Hunter that she didn’t sound happy at the thought. Of course, would he be happy if he had to share his body with some strange man?
Tell him it’s temporary.
“Hunter says it’s temporary,” Anaea said.
“I see. Why don’t you just let him out for a minute and we’ll fix things.”
She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. Hunter was sure she looked the warrior that he thought she was: proud, strong, and covered in blood.
Grey ran a hand over his head. “Right. Yeah. What’s the exact problem with that?”
“I don’t know. We tried to switch earlier and couldn’t.”
Grey hissed a curse. Yep, he’d figured it out. Anaea had a stronger will than Hunter, which was almost unheard of in the dragon world. It meant it wasn’t just Anaea who would fall to the soul sickness, but Hunter as well, and, according to all he’d heard, her strength of will was terrifyingly similar to the Greek sorcerers who’d used Egyptian magic to cast the Great Scourge. The only thing he could do was hope that when her soul and earth magics fully awakened they would be at the usual human level. Regardless, any dragon who remembered that terrible day and discovered her would see her as a threat that had to be eliminated.
“This is not a problem,” Grey said, although Hunter could tell from the subtle undertones in his voice that he thought it was a disaster.
“Tell me another lie. Hunter knows you know something, I just haven’t figured out what that is.”
“Excuse me?”
There’s nothing wrong, Hunter said.
Bullshit. You were just thinking this was a disaster.
Aside from the fact that it is.
“All right. We have to get you out of Court.” Grey grabbed her wrist.
Not until after the rebirthing ceremony.
She jerked free from his grip. “Not until after some ceremony.”
“Damn. I’d forgotten about
Grey pressed his massive weight against her, his muscled arm on her chest, his face close to hers. “Who the hell are you?” His voice was low, a hiss that wouldn’t carry.
She struggled to breathe. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not Hunter.”
CHAPTER 11
Hunter felt Anaea freeze, a deer caught in headlights. He couldn’t let her reveal herself. That would endangered both her and Grey and he needed to keep them safe.
Don’t let him know you’re not me. But as soon as he told her that, he knew Grey would have figured everything out during the fight. They’d fought side by side for hundreds of years. Hunter should have finished off Welkin without a scratch. The fact that he had to impale himself on Welkin’s sword was a sure giveaway. Hunter could only hope no one else, particularly Regis, had noticed.
“What are you talking about?” Anaea asked.
Good. Now shove him aside.
How am I supposed to manage that? He’s twice my size.
Before he could answer, she rammed her heel onto Grey’s foot and shoved him back. Grey stumbled but regained his balance. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to his chest.
“I know you’re not Hunter. That was the most pathetic fight I’ve ever seen.” Grey grasped her chin with his free hand and forced her to look at him. “Is he in there?”
Anaea’s heart pounded and Hunter could feel her struggling with her answer.
Don’t say it. Please don’t say it.
Suddenly she deflated and nodded.
Shit.
Grey released her and crossed his arms. He glanced at the arches to the arena and over at the stairwell. “Let me talk to him.”
“If I could do that do you think I would have dueled some guy to the death?”
What the hell are you doing?
You know he wouldn’t believe me, so I’m just cutting to the chase.
You don’t know how dangerous this is. It was bad enough he had put Anaea at risk, but now Grey could be accused of being an accomplice.
“This is one big mess,” Grey said.
She snorted. “You’re telling me.”
“But Hunter is in there? It’s the only way you’re managing to pull off his aura.”
“Yeah.”
It bothered Hunter that she didn’t sound happy at the thought. Of course, would he be happy if he had to share his body with some strange man?
Tell him it’s temporary.
“Hunter says it’s temporary,” Anaea said.
“I see. Why don’t you just let him out for a minute and we’ll fix things.”
She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. Hunter was sure she looked the warrior that he thought she was: proud, strong, and covered in blood.
Grey ran a hand over his head. “Right. Yeah. What’s the exact problem with that?”
“I don’t know. We tried to switch earlier and couldn’t.”
Grey hissed a curse. Yep, he’d figured it out. Anaea had a stronger will than Hunter, which was almost unheard of in the dragon world. It meant it wasn’t just Anaea who would fall to the soul sickness, but Hunter as well, and, according to all he’d heard, her strength of will was terrifyingly similar to the Greek sorcerers who’d used Egyptian magic to cast the Great Scourge. The only thing he could do was hope that when her soul and earth magics fully awakened they would be at the usual human level. Regardless, any dragon who remembered that terrible day and discovered her would see her as a threat that had to be eliminated.
“This is not a problem,” Grey said, although Hunter could tell from the subtle undertones in his voice that he thought it was a disaster.
“Tell me another lie. Hunter knows you know something, I just haven’t figured out what that is.”
“Excuse me?”
There’s nothing wrong, Hunter said.
Bullshit. You were just thinking this was a disaster.
Aside from the fact that it is.
“All right. We have to get you out of Court.” Grey grabbed her wrist.
Not until after the rebirthing ceremony.
She jerked free from his grip. “Not until after some ceremony.”
“Damn. I’d forgotten about
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