Oath of the Hunter

26 - Deal With The Devil

Ivar strides down the familiar hallway, taking all the air with him. The house is the exact same— open, modern, airy, clinical. Everything about it seeps with contemporary comfort, save for the wall displays of katanas, scimitars, crossbows and assortments of ritualistic daggers; all of them silver, all of them carrying stories of the werewolves they've killed at the hands of Ferreus hunters.

Rowan and Lachlan study them all as we walk past. Though, to their credit, they keep their expressions strictly neutral.

"Cassian, would you fetch the others from the map room?" Ivar orders over his shoulder as he leads us through an archway into the lounge. "Tell them we have unexpected company."

As Cassian obediently strides further down the hall, Ivar settles down in an armchair by the hearth and opens the book I offered once more, his silver eyes scanning the pages thoroughly. I take Ro and Lach to the furthest point in the room where a window seat looks out over the trails. I know how to unlatch and open it in moments, should the need arise. We're tucked in a corner like prey seeking solace in a dead-end— a foolish position, but I trust Ivar's truce about as much as I trust a butter knife to make a killing blow, and all I want is to keep Rowan and Lach as far away from him as possible.

Lachlan drops the rest of the books onto the cushions, but none of us settle down on the seat. I expect the others are following my lead and I'm too jittery to feign comfort. So instead we cross our arms, lean against the wall, and return our focus to Ivar.

He's been watching us from his seat, his eyes gleaming, his lips twitching with a little smile, as though he finds our discomfort vaguely amusing. My answering stare is sharp.

Silence descends between us for a moment that stretches on and on.

That is until Cassian appears in the archway, silent as death, and shadowed by four others; Elias and Constance, and his parents, Vera and Louis. They catch sight of me and their features twist with disbelief. Shock sparks in their eyes; confusion curls their lips; dread snatches the warmth from me.

I straighten beneath their scrutiny, the figures and lichtenberg figures on my arms shimmering as my Haze stirs at their proximity and their sheer number. Six Ferreus hunters against us three. We won't stand a chance if they act.

"Now isn't that interesting?" Ivar breaks the silence, his silver eyes piercing as he studies me closely. "I'm not sure whether to offer you my congratulations or my condolences, River. You've got your Haze, but it seems to be faulty."

I somehow manage to bite back the urge to sneer at him.

"How— I don't understand," Vera manages. Her brows furrow as she stares me down, and I watch the cogs turning behind her eyes as her focus flickers to Lachlan and Rowan.

"You dare to come back here with vermin after what you did?" Elias spits out, fury sharpening his tone and his expression. He swipes a throwing blade from a belt around his waist; within the instant, my own knife is clutched in my fist as I step forwards to better cover my family. My Haze tugs at my focus but I urge it back.

Ivar raises his hand with a weary sigh. "That's quite enough, Elias. Put it down."

"He killed Myles. He led the others to that pack and those beasts killed them. He's responsible for their deaths," Elias retorts, his markings flickering beneath his skin as his Haze prowls. At his side, his wife Constance narrows her eyes at me, scrutinising.

I'm frozen in a defensive stance, my knife aimed before me. I stare at the Ferreus hunters, my attention darting from one to the other as I attempt to determine who will act first.

"I said enough," Ivar hisses, the command trembling through the room like thunder.

The effect is immediate. Elias stows his weapon with a sharp sigh and their razor-edged stances wilt a little.