Hunting Her

Chapter 36

As I woke up, the weight of exhaustion was still heavy on my limbs. The room was dim, bathed in the soft glow of early morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I didn't move, trying to piece together when I had fallen asleep. Then I felt it—a steady, rhythmic rise and fall beneath my head, the warmth of another body pressed close to mine. I realized with a jolt that my head was resting on Hunter's chest, his arm securely around me, holding me close. 

I knew I needed to move, without waking him. Slowly, I began to shift, trying to lift my head and untangle myself from his arm. But as soon as I started to move, Hunter stirred, his arm tightening around me for a moment before his eyes fluttered open. "Lexa?" His voice was groggy, laced with sleep. He blinked a few times, confusion giving way to realisation.

"Sorry," I mumbled, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. I tried to sit up, but his arm was still around me, and the movement brought our faces closer together. For a moment, we just stared at each other. "I... I should get up," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Hunter nodded, finally releasing his hold on me. As I pulled away, I could see a faint blush colouring his cheeks too. "Yeah, me too. We've got a lot to figure out."

I sat up and ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep and the lingering sense of his warmth. "How are you feeling?" I asked, glancing at his injuries, which were now neatly stitched and bandaged.

"I'll be fine," he replied, sitting up as well and wincing slightly. "Thanks to you."

We both sat there for a moment, the awkwardness settling between us. "We should probably go over everything." I stated, changing the topic. 

Hunter nodded, his face growing more serious. "Dominic said he knew I wasn't alone," I stated, recalling the smug look on Dominic's face as he revealed this. "He mentioned Jack and Aaron, and then the bomb went off."

"Hercules was ambushed. He managed to escape but took a few injuries. He told us they'd taken the bomb." Hunter rested his back against the bedframe. "We felt the bomb too, we—"

I scowled, waiting for him to finish.

Hunter's eyes flickered up and down my body. "What are you wearing?" he asked, curiosity and something else in his gaze.

"Oh." I pinched the shirt between two fingers, pulling it slightly away from my body. "I needed new clothes and found it in the wardrobe."

Hunter nodded slowly. "That's my shirt."

"Your shirt?" I repeated, not understanding. "Where are we?"

Hunter's eyes lingered on the shirt. "A cabin. My cabin. My family used to come here on holiday." Finally, his gaze met mine.

"Do you want me to take the shirt off?" I asked, confused by the intensity of the moment.

Hunter shook his head, swallowing deeply. "No, it's fine, English."

I shoved his shoulder playfully. "Then stop being weird, you freak." I laughed. I took a glance around the small room, the wooden beams and mass of blankets. It was sweet. "It's a nice little cabin Hunter, but why'd you take us here?"

Hunter shrugged. "It was the closest safe house I could think of. I told the rest of the guys to meet us here when they could. I'm hoping they'll be here soon."

"So...you felt the bomb too?" I pressed, wanting to get back on track.

Hunter nodded. "It went off right next to us. I could barely hear anything as we tried to gather ourselves. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt." His eyes grew distant, recalling the chaos. "Then Dominic's men came in. There were so many that I truly thought we were done for. But they weren't aiming to kill; they wanted us subdued."