Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Forty Five

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Morning comes and the light pouring in through the open window wakes Hunter up. His body is stiff as he pushes himself up into a sitting position. The pain nearly has him keeling over but he holds himself straight until the feeling passes. The window had not been open the night before but now fresh air dances in and ruffles his long hair. All traces of blood soaked clothes and dark red string are gone. A clean bowl of water lies on the small dresser at the end of the room. His gaze drops to the head of the girl uncomfortably leant against the bed by his side. Her head lies on her hands. A few strands of hair tickle her cheek. Underneath her eyes is dark and he wonders how much sleep she got.

He feels his forehead beneath his hair and finds it dry. The smell of sweat is not so strong anymore. Unbeknownst to him she applied cool towels to his face and chest area throughout the night to bring down his temperature. She only fell asleep eventually due to exhaustion. His fingers brush across her cheek and she groans softly in her sleep. He would lift her up onto the bed to sleep if he had the strength.

Her eyes flutter open and her forehead creases. She yawns and stretches her arms above her head. Her neck clicks as she twists it around. "Good morning." She mumbles. Hunter's mouth twitches as he waits for her to fully come around. Seconds later and the reaction he expected, appears. Her eyes widen and she leaps to her feet. Then he sees it click and she comes back and checks his wound. She does not look particularly impressed with her handy work.

"You stayed." He points out. She meets his gaze.

"I did." She agrees. "Someone would have had to dispose of your body if you died in the night." She quips.

He rubs his cheek and thoughtfully looks at her. "Do you have a clean knife?" She frowns but hands him a knife. "A mirror?"

"That would be a luxury in a place like this." Ari flatly replies. Hunter grins.

"Then go buy one." He suggests. She places her hands on her hips. "Please." He adds on.

She straightens out her skirts and sorts out her hair before she even considers leaving. As a Lady she still has an image to uphold. No one can come to the conclusion that she has spent the night alone, with a man. Her mother would faint dead away. But then she would wake and be planning the most magnificent wedding because no man would dare to shame her daughter in such a way without marrying her, especially when her mother gets her hands on them.

She unlocks the door and locks it behind her as she skips downstairs. A few minutes later the key turns in the lock, and she appears holding a small mirror. "He looked at me as if he knew all my secrets." She shudders and hands it over. Hunter stands with a grunt and goes to the small dresser. He places the mirror so it is propped up against the wall. He wets the blade and scrapes it across his cheek. The dark hair drops into the bowl. "How am I going to explain that?" Ari voices her thoughts.

Hunter carries on regardless and soon his strong jaw is visible once again. He cuts his hair shorter again and stares into the mirror, clean shaven. He pats his face dry with a cloth and turns to her. "What do you think? Would I be mistaken as Orion?"

"Maybe if you put a shirt on." Ari says with a smile. She glances at the shirt he had been wearing and her eyebrows furrow. It stinks to high heaven and blood has soaked in deep to the fabric. "But not that one." Then she takes full note of his words and her eyes fall on him again. "Why would you want to be mistaken as Orion?"

"If they think I am him then I will not have to skulk around. I can get what I need and go." Hunter states. Ari gulps and nods, the idea of him leaving tugging at her already fragile heart.