Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Twenty Seven

Just to clear up since a few of you expressed confusion over who Ari was. She first appeared in the final chapters of Bound By Honour as Wolfe (Lord Usani's) bride and future wife. She was the one who asked for Sparrow's help in cancelling the wedding. She was adamant enough that Sparrow decided to help her and found her own happily ever after through ruining the wedding. I hope that obliterates any confusion. If you have any questions please do ask... On to the rest of the story then...

"Lady Arisxandre Tikva..." Hunter drawls with humour. She simply raises an eyebrow at him as he deftly guides her across the dance floor. "I did not expect to ever see you again."

"Oh come on, Hunter, we were almost family; I think that you can call me Ari when we are just us." Ari teases with a giggle that brings a smile to his face. "Although I now recall that I never thanked you." His forehead creases a little.

"What do you think you need to thank me for?" He asks. Ari grins.

"If it was not for you and your plan I would actually be married to your brother right now. You saved us both from a loveless marriage and that deserves much appreciation." Ari replies honestly, a little out of breath as the music comes to an end. Hunter escorts her off the dance floor, aware enough to head in the opposite direction that his brother takes Arabella. He looks around and sees a balcony with its doors open to the gardens. He inclines his head that way. Ari tilts her head to the side before nodding.

They adeptly dart in and out of the many bodies until the fresh evening air swirls around them and they step outside. Hunter inhales deeply as he leans against the balustrade. "You do not need to thank me that." Ari tilts her head as she looks at him, her lips pursed to disagree. "You played your part well. The grass stains were a nice added touch."

"I had to look desperate otherwise she may not have thought it necessary to rescue me." Ari says with a shrug of her slight shoulders. "I am just relieved she agreed to help me, but then again you did say she would. How could you have been so sure?"

"She was running away when she left. It did not take long to figure out why." Hunter says casually as if it was an easy mystery to solve. Ari shakes her head with a quick roll of her eyes.

"I did not expect her speech to be quite as harsh as it was. I could see my mother fainting from where I stood at the common situation. She still has not quite gotten over it you know? She cannot understand how Lord Usani decided to marry a girl dressed like a warrior with such a loose tongue over her own precious daughter." Ari voice takes on a sarcastic drawl in the final words, tugging a smile back onto Hunter's lips. "I am sure she would drop to the floor in a dead faint if she ever found out I had a hand in the events that occurred."

Hunter smirks and turns to her with a wicked glint in his eyes. Ari reads it immediately and shakes her head. She points a finger at him as she warns, "Do not even think about it!"

"I do not know what you think I could possibly be considering doing." Hunter drawls lowly.

Ari narrows her eyes at him. "You are not as difficult to read as you think you are."

They hold eye contact for a while before the wicked glint flickers away and a more genuine look replaces it. "In all seriousness, I appreciate that you went along with my plan within days of meeting me." He pauses before asking, "Did you ever think about actually marrying him?"

Ari coughs and blinks quickly, "I was trying to think of every possible way of getting out of such a wedding. Your brother is a great man but he is not someone I could imagine living the rest of my life with. It was a relief when Sparrow turned up like you said." She leans against the railings now too and sighs. Hunter looks out across the garden with her.