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In the middle of the woods, with a gun in your hand, you’re face to face with somebody you wished you didn’t know.
You should’ve known better than to take on a mission in the dead of night, and you should’ve known not to split up from the group of hunters who’d made the same stupid decision you did. Now, beneath the mercy of moonlight, you’re alone with him.
What was his name again?
“Valko,” he answers, like he’d just read your mind. He leans back against a tree, defenseless and bloodied, although if the Hunter’s Association hadn’t tasked you to take care of him, you would’ve been fooled by his appearance.
“Valko,” you repeat. “And what are you doing out of confinement?”
“Seeing you.”
Goodness, his mouth is something else.
Your grip on the gun tightens. How foolish of you to bring one of the Association’s flimsy weapons instead of the one Sylus had offered to you.
“Funny, but this isn’t a great first date option. Running away from me isn’t so…”
“Romantic?” he finishes. “And here I thought you didn’t like me.”
You don’t, but playing cats and dogs to keep him disarmed is nice. Taking a careful step forward, the end of your gun brushes against his chest, but you don’t shoot. You don’t do anything except freeze when his hand touches your hair, when his gaze burns you from head to toe.
The moonlight knows just how to soften even the wildest of men, huh?
“Would I have chased you here if I didn’t like you?”
“Would you have kept me confined if you did?”
You huff. “You’re not answering my question.”
But he only smiles, those fangs of his settling on his lip for a mere second. Blood drops from his hair to his chin, and he pants like there isn’t air between you both.
In a world where you aren’t completely hypnotized by the sight, the end of your gun would have been in his mouth.
“Speechless?” Valko teases. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
“I didn’t think I could corner you, but here we are.”
His little pout does nothing to ease your nerves, or the butterflies that flutter carelessly in your body. If he wasn’t the Association’s target or EVER’s associate, you would think he was endearing.
“Arrest me then, Miss Hunter.” He makes a show of placing his arms in front of you. “Since you’re being so good.”
Good? Is there anything good about the way you’re hesitating?
“Go on. You can do it.”
You scoff, reaching for the cuffs that hang onto the belt loops of your pants. Or, at least, they’re supposed to be there. Panic wells up in your chest when you realize your handcuffs aren’t where they’re supposed to be.
“You! Give me back my cuffs!”
He raises his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t take them.”
“Where else would they have gone?” With one hand on your gun, your other does a hasty inspection on him. Your hand brushes his face, his arms, his legs…
“Goodness, Miss Hunter. Do you caress your lovers on your first dates?”
“Do you ever shut your mouth?” you remark, standing back up with no cuffs in hand. “Ugh. I must’ve dropped them while chasing you.”
“How convenient,” Valko murmurs dryly. “I didn’t make that patdown worthy for you.”
With how much of him you’ve seen just by doing so, your newfound intrigue certainly makes it worth it. But even in this world where you are hypnotized, you know when to bite your tongue.
When the other hunters come to find him, the sight they are to see is the fury in your eyes and the softness of his smile. Nobody would expect Valko to soften, but the only woman who could make him do so is in front of him, falling in love.