“But you’ll admit you’re an alphahole?”
His fingers dug into her hips, tugging her back against him. The hardness there. “You want to fuck it out, then?”
“Are you still mad at me?”
He sighed, his breath hot against her neck. “Bryce, I needed to process everything.”
She didn’t turn around. “And?”
He kissed under her ear. “And I’m sorry. For how I acted earlier.”
She didn’t know why her eyes stung. “I wanted to tell you, I really did.”
His hands began to rove up her torso, loving and gentle. She arched against him, exposing her neck. “I understand why you didn’t.” He dragged his tongue up her throat. “I was … I was upset that you didn’t trust me. I thought we were a team. It rattled me.”
She made to turn around at that, but his hands tightened, holding her in place. So she said, “We are a team. But I wasn’t sure if you’d agree with me. That an ordinary human boy was worth the risk.”
He let her twist in his arms this time. And—shit. His eyes were wounded.
His voice hoarsened. “Of course I would have thought a human was worth the risk. I was too wrapped up in other shit to see the whole picture.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t give you enough credit.” She cupped his face. “Hunt, I’m really sorry.”
Maybe she’d fucked up by not telling him, not trusting him. She regretted that the Viper Queen had killed those people, but she’d be damned if she felt bad about how things had ended up …
Hunt turned his head, kissing her palm. “I still don’t understand how you pieced it all together. Not just Sofie lying about Emile’s powers, but how you knew the Viper Queen would be able to find him.”
“She’s got an arsenal of spies and trackers—I figured she was one of the few people in this city who could do it. Especially if she was motivated enough by the idea that Emile had powers that could be useful to her. And especially when his trail was picked up in the marshes.”
He shook his head. “Why?”
“She’s a queen of snakes—and reptiles. I know she can communicate with them on some freaky psychic level. And guess what the marshes are full of?”
Hunt swallowed hard. “Sobeks?”
Bryce nodded.
He hooked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Kissed its pointy tip. Forgiveness that she hadn’t realized she needed filled the gesture.
Hunt asked softly, “What about the others? Are you going to tell them?”
She slowly shook her head. “No. You and Fury and Juniper are the only ones who will ever know.” Not even Ruhn.
“And your parents.”
“I meant the other people in this city, currently doing shady shit.”
He kissed her temple. “I can’t believe your mom didn’t freak out and drag you home.”
“Oh, she wanted to. I think Randall had to stage an intervention.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but … why Nidaros?”
“It’s the safest and best place I can think of. He’ll be protected there. Hidden. The local sun-priest owes Randall a favor and is having all the relevant documents forged. My parents … They weren’t able to have a kid of their own. I mean, other than me. So even though my mom was freaked as fuck about the whole rebel thing, she’s already gone crazy decorating a room for Emile.”
“Emile-who-is-not-Emile anymore.” His smile lit something iridescent in her chest.
“Yeah,” she said, unable to stop her answering smile. “Cooper Silago. My half brother.”
He studied her, though. “How’d you manage to communicate about it?” There was no way she or her parents would have ever risked discussing this over email or phone.
She smiled slightly. “Postcards.”
Hunt choked on a laugh. “That was all a lie?”
“No. I mean, my mom sent me the postcard after our fight, but when I wrote back, I used a code that Randall taught me in case of … emergencies.”
“The joys of a warrior for a parent.”
She chuckled. “Yeah. So we’ve been swapping postcards about this for the past two weeks. To anyone else, it would have seemed like we were talking about sports and the weather and my mom’s weird baby sculptures. But that’s why Emile stayed at the Viper Queen’s for so long. Sending postcards back and forth isn’t the fastest method of communication.”
“But it’s one of the more brilliant ones.” Hunt kissed her brow, wings curling around them. “I love you. You’re crazy and shady as all Hel, but I love you. I love that you did this for that kid.”