Chapter 56

KATHERINE.

“That must hurt,” Hunter said, his brows creased, as he stared at the deep scratch marks Everhart had left on my side. It looked like I’d been attacked by Wolverine instead.

“It does.”

He lifted his eyes to mine and gave me a sympathetic look. We hadn’t had time to talk when we saw each other in Renfield Hall but a shocked expression had crossed his face so now that we were back in the clubhouse, I kinda expected him to say something about it. Especially since I was injured – the scratch from Everhart and glass from when I almost fell out of the fourth floor – and he hadn’t wanted me to go into the hall in the first place because he didn’t want me to get hurt.

“Sorry,” he said before opening the first aid kit on the table and sorting through the supplies, picking out what he needed with dexterous fingers. When he was done, he held out a hand. “Let me see your arm.”

I placed mine in it, letting him turn it this way and that to get a good look at the cut the fourth floor’s window before he began to work on it.

“Blake will heal you when he gets back so you should manage this for now.”

“Okay,” I muttered before his fingers brushed over my skin, sending electricity slithering out from the spot he touched and running all over my body. I stiffened.

Since the scratch marks were on my side, I had to lift my shirt a bit so he could see and treat the wound but I hadn’t really thought of the fact that he’d have to ‘touch’ me to treat me. His fingers skimmed over my skin again and I began to take in slow deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

“Why did you go in?” he asked when he moved to the wound on my arm and I slightly raised my brows. “Renfield Hall.”

“I heard someone scream.”

“Oh,” he muttered before I remembered the second scream I’d heard.

“I thought you got hurt,” I muttered and his attention moved from my arm to my face as the corner of his mouth turned up.

“You heard me scream?”

“That was you?” I hadn’t been sure of who it was between him and Keith.

“Yeah. I stepped into a hunting trap.”

“Oh my God!” I blurted out while my eyes rounded. That must have hurt like hell. “Why was that in the hall?”

He shrugged and a small frown made its way onto his face. “I have no clue. Someone must have gone there and thought it’d be a bright idea to set it up in the hallway. My torch began to act up then so I didn’t see it,” he replied and I also frowned before glancing at his legs. The end of his trousers were torn and stained red along with the top of his shoes.

“It has healed,” he added as if he could hear my wondering thoughts and I nodded, feeling relieved at that information. His healing rate is quite fast.

“Sorry,” I said because of how badly it must have hurt when it happened and he smiled.

“Thank you.”

After a couple of minutes that felt like an eternity, he was finally done and his eyes roved over me before he suddenly placed his hand on my neck, surprising me. ‘What–’

“There’s a bruise there,” he said, his eyes fixed on my neck while he tilted my head up before brushing his thumb over my skin with the gentlest of touches and I sucked in a breath. His eyes darted to mine when I did that, his warm breath dancing on my skin, and heat rushed to my cheeks as I wondered if he knew he caused that reaction. “It’s healing. It’ll be gone in a couple of minutes so I don’t need to apply anything there.”

“Okay.” My voice came out strained and I immediately cleared my throat while he pulled his hand away and leaned back, eyes roving over me one more time. Then he moved away from me and I couldn’t tell if I was disappointed or relieved as he started to pack up.

“Do you want to go back to your dorm now?” he asked and I cleared my throat again, my cheeks still hot from what just happened, before shaking my head sideways. Lenore and Josie were still here – they were upstairs – and Priyanka was on her way back here. I would be leaving with them.

Everyone else had left for one reason or another so Hunter and I were alone in the main room because I was the only one that needed first aid treatment.

The front door opened and we both glanced at it as Priyanka walked in, carrying an insulated bag. Relief washed over her face when she saw me before she paused to take in my appearance and a line appeared between her brows.

“Sheesh. The ghosts put you through the wringer, huh?” she asked and I couldn’t help but snort while Hunter faced me.

“She wants to say ‘I told you so’.”

Priyanka narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not ‘that’ cruel… But I did tell you the club activities were awful. Someone might very well end up dying doing this and Bryman’s going to catch shit from The Administration if that happens,” she said before the corner of her mouth twitched. “I’d love to see that.”

Mr brows lifted at that and when she saw the expression on my face, she gave me a dismissive wave as she walked over to us.

“Not the someone dying part.” She set the bag on the table and opened it, pulling out a container filled with food and a brown bag, and my mouth watered instantly. I was starving. “I got you dinner.”

“God, I love you.” I quickly collected them from her along with the utensils before I began to stuff my face.

“You didn’t get anything for me?” Hunter asked and Priyanka raised a brow.

“Do I look like your errand girl?” she replied while pulling out another container and brown bag before stretching them out to him and the way he beamed made me smile too.

“Please accept my deepest gratitude.”

“I don’t want it.”

“That’s cold,” I muttered. I’d noticed that the way she talked to Hunter was contrary to how she treated him and I assumed it had something to do with what was happening to their friend group.

“Thank you,” Hunter said in a rather loud voice as if he’d been waiting for someone to call her out, and she shot him a dirty look.

“Shut up. Is Theo back?”

At the mention of Theo, I paused as what happened after he saved me from falling came to mind. It was one of two things I’d kept thinking about on the way back to the clubhouse and the second one was ‘he couldn’t be my mate, could he?’ Apart from his thing with Lenore, we had nothing in common. My mate was who my heart aligned with so it couldn’t be him.

Yet whenever I thought of his kindness when he saw me crying in the forest and the ballroom’s balcony, and him saving my life – for the second time – this night, my heart fluttered… The same went for Hunter… and Blake.

‘Good God.’ I was getting nowhere on this. I needed to speak to my pack’s seer.