Episode 8

"You're not telling the truth," he said, narrowing his eyes.

My hands were shaking even more and I clamped them between my thighs. "No sir," I admitted sadly.

The Hunter said nothing for a while and kept staring at me with his bright eyes, which almost drove me crazy. What was going on inside him? Was he already thinking of a punishment?

"I can read your face, Riley," he began again. “And it tells me that you're hiding something. How so?"

I was trapped. Like a trapped animal in a cage, I let my gaze circled restlessly through the surroundings, looking for an escape route. But how should I escape a hunter trained in combat and pursuit? I didn't stand a chance.

"What scares you so much that you are shaking all over?" He continued, frowning. "Who did you run away from?"

"I ... didn't ... run away," I stammered on, stuttering my falsehood, even though I knew he didn't believe a word. Sighing, I dropped my head on my chest and closed my eyes. "It was self-defense," I whispered in a low voice, thinking back to what had happened the night before. Suddenly I was back in the bar and asked Baris to leave me alone just before the misfortune took its course. “My boss, he ... he was pushing me. I was scared and resisted. I smashed a bottle on his head. And ... ”I nervously licked my dry lips. “And rammed it in his chest. Then I just started walking. I don't know how badly I hurt him. ” Or killed him.

"It's okay, don't get upset." I felt a warm hand touch my uninjured shoulder and opened my eyes.

"I didn't mean to kill him," I said, straightening up a little more, ignoring the pain that raged in my body.

"I believe you," said the Hunter with a slight nod, and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "But you'll have to tell me the name of your boss so we can find out how badly he is injured."

I passed everything I knew about Baris on to the warrior and was amazed at how relieved I felt after this confession. The burden of guilt no longer rested too heavily on me. And the Hunter really seemed to believe that I hadn't wanted to kill Baris, I had just resisted.

"We're almost there," he said at last, and put the device on which he had just noted his name and address back into his pocket. "Just a few more questions, then you can rest further."

But we didn't get to that, because the next moment the tent entrance was opened and a figure I knew all too well stuck his head through the crack.

"Nikk?" I said in surprise. He glanced at me, stepped in, and saluted the Hunter who was sitting next to me. "Boss, please allow me to take care of the woman."

Boss? The man who spoke so kindly and sympathetically to me was the leader of the most dangerous men in the whole country? And he didn't seem much older than Nikk himself. I had always imagined the leader of the Hunter to be different. Harder, more dangerous, scary.

"Revera, what are you doing here?" Replied the senior Hunter and stood up. The gentleness had disappeared from his gaze and his demeanor also testified to harshness and superiority. Yes, he came closer to my imagination. "You're assigned to the outpost, if I'm not mistaken?" The look on his face made it clear that he was never wrong.

“Montana recognized Riley and notified me. He stood in for me at the outpost, boss, ”Nikk explained.

"And who gave this order?"

Nikk looked embarrassed for a moment, but then he lifted his chin, almost defiantly. “Riley's my mistress, boss. I am here to take care of them. So I gave this order myself. "

I beg your pardon?

Both pairs of eyes were now fixed on me, and I had a hard time not throwing insults at Nikk. He couldn't just control something over my head and thus make my decision for me!

"You are a hunter's lover?" The leader wanted to know from me.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," I replied with a controlled effort and struggled out of the sleeping bag, making sure not to allow too many views of my half-naked body.

"Do I have to understand this?" The leader, whose name I didn't know, fixed his stern gaze on Nikk. “We don't have time for games. You will not take her to your lover if she does not want to. "

“I asked her and she wanted to think about it,” Nikk said, his prominent jaw tensing.

“It looks like she hasn't done it yet. And now get back to your post. Should you get the idea again to defy my instructions, it will have consequences. "

"Got it, boss," Nikk forced out, saluted and left the tent.

I stared at the leader's broad back and didn't know how to behave now. Why did Nikk come and claim me? I was ashamed of it, even though I couldn't even say why.

"You need to rest," said the Hunter leader at last, gently pushed me back onto the bunk and went out.

Groaning in pain, I found a more comfortable lying position and closed my eyes. The exhaustion after my fights yesterday still held me tight and I welcomed the healing blackness of sleep.