Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) by Nancy Corrigan Page A

house. Please, Trevor. I need to talk to her. Warn her of the danger she might be in. I can’t do that over the phone. She’ll think I’m crazy.”
    “You might bring more danger if you go to her.”
    “I won’t. I’ll be careful. Trust me.” Her words rushed out in a breath of sound he barely heard.
    He met her panicked gaze and considered his choices, but he could only come up with one. If he refused her, she’d go on her own. The determination was stamped on her face. He cut a quick look at Rowan and Rhys. They were almost upon them. Decision time. He squeezed Allie’s hand. “Okay. We’ll find a way.”
    “Find a way to do what?” Rowan stepped next to them.
    “To convince Rhys to smile,” Allie announced with a grin on her face.
    Rowan snorted. “Good luck with that.”
    Rhys glared at Allie. “I smile.”
    “Yeah?” Allie cocked a brow. “When? Because I’ve never seen it.”
    “You should pay better attention to me, then, because I do smile.”
    “I watch you, Rhys. You don’t smile.”
    Rhys crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t watch me or listen to me. The only thing you’re concerned about is that phone of yours. Put it away, and—”
    “Zip it, brother. Allie is trying to cover up something with a topic she knows will get you fired up. It’s called diversion.”
    “Allie?” Rhys spoke her name as if shocked she’d do such a thing.
    “What?” Allie shrugged. “It was working.”
    Trevor looked from Rhys’s disbelieving face to Allie’s shit-eating grin and barely stifled a chuckle. Allie was sweet and caring. She wasn’t innocent. If anything, she was devious. She knew how to manipulate people. The agreement she’d coerced out of him proved it.
    Rowan stepped closer, forcing Allie to either move or press their bodies together. Allie stepped back. “What were you really discussing?”
    Trevor settled his hands on Rowan’s waist. Her breath hitched, and he inwardly berated himself for the automatic reaction. Memories of the previous night tugged at him. The moment she’d stepped into his personal space, he’d acted on his subconscious need for her. He craved her. Simple as that.
    “Don’t worry about it.” He lifted Rowan and set her away from him. “It doesn’t concern you or the Huntsmen. It’s a private project for Allie.”
    Rowan looked over her shoulder at Allie. The move caused Rowan’s top to gape, offering a teasing glimpse of her breast, the one marked by her Huntsman’s mark. The hound’s eye showed from behind the edge of her shirt. “Another environmental cause, huh?”
    Allie gave a small half shrug in answer.
    Rowan shook her head, her exasperation easy to see, then faced Trevor. “I need to talk to you.”
    The serious expression she wore didn’t bode well for him. No doubt she wanted to talk about the previous night. He’d hoped to avoid the topic. Best they got it over with, though. The hours he’d spent contemplating his words hadn’t helped. He was going to end up hurting her. That was a given. His goal of becoming a Hunter had to come before anything he might want with Rowan.
    Only one question remained—how was he going to salvage things after he became a rider? Being with her last night had convinced him of the truth. He wanted her in his life, in his bed.
    He motioned toward the path leading into the woods. “Sure. Let’s walk. I want to show you something anyway. I think you’ll like it.”
    “What is it?”
    He skimmed his gaze over her. A mistake. He should’ve waited until they were alone to drink in the sight of her. The loose top barely reached the waistband of the short skirt. Her hair hung freely over her shoulders, and a pair of heeled sandals added inches to her already tall frame, bringing her eye level but also drawing attention to her leanly muscled legs.
    The sight of her sculpted thighs stirred more memories of the previous night. They’d felt good wrapped around his waist. He bet they’d feel equally as