The Hunter Beside Me

16: Planning

Bash

When I woke, the room was still and quiet. Enough light shone through the window for me to see Lilla sleeping in the other bed.

A few times last night, I heard her crying. When I got up to check on her, she was dreaming. She'd thrashed so much that her dark hair was a wild tangle framing her face.

Even asleep, she couldn't rest. I tried to soothe her without waking her, so she wouldn't be embarrassed or angry—I never knew how she might react. So, I ran my fingers over her hair and whispered meaningless things until she calmed.

Once, when I turned to get back in bed, Owen gave me a nod. His anger toward her seemed to be lessening, which was good. I understood it, but I was glad he wasn't wasting time with it.

He had something new to focus on. I smiled when I remembered his bewildered expression as he watched Becks' every move last night. She was beautiful and badass; no one could blame him for being interested, but I'd still be messing with him at the first opportunity. He gave me enough crap, it was only fair.

Rolling over, I saw him staring out the window with a spaced-out look. The sky was the pale blue of the very early morning, and my truck was the only other thing to see. His thoughts must've been somewhere else.

"Counting the seconds until Becks gets here?"

My voice made him jump. "What? No. I was thinking. Planning our next move." He cringed and rubbed his face. "Shut up."

I snickered. "Your next move with Becks?"

"Our next move with the mimics. Don't be a dumbass."

"No need to get defensive. I'm just saying if you've got the tingles and want to talk about it—"

"Nothing's tingling. She's a hunter, that's all."

"Then why are you blushing?"

He squinted. "I'm not."

I cracked up, and the sheets rustled behind me. Turning, I saw Lilla was awake. "Sorry!" I winced. I'd definitely been too loud.

"That's alright." She reached over her head in a stretch. "I'm going to take a shower."

As soon as the bathroom door closed, I turned to Owen. His face was tense as he gazed out the window.

Teasing him was fun, but I started feeling guilty. "I was joking. You weren't blushing... much."

He chuckled. "Whatever."

"Seriously, Becks' pretty cool, right?"

He took a deep breath, and his head fell back on the couch as he mumbled, "Holy hell, man. That chick is perfect."

"That's great! Why not do something about it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? What would I do?"

"Well, for starters, probably don't call her a chick."

"Yeah, that's my biggest problem." He scoffed. "Should I ask her to dinner before we go to find Catriona, kill her, and I disappear?"

My stomach sank. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just got excited about you being into someone."

He exhaled loudly and turned back to the window. "It's okay. I was excited for a minute, too," he murmured.

His sadness made everything too real. I didn't want to think about them being gone. Becks and Emory should be here in two hours, and I couldn't stay in this room that much longer. "Want to go for a run?"