Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(40)

Remy strained in Aeric’s grasp, snarling as the musky whiff of werewolf magic shimmered around her—she was going to shift if she didn’t get herself under control, soon.

I glanced at Aeric to see if he could help her, but his gaze was deadly as he stared at Amos.

This is bad, I realized. Amos went too far. Even Aeric and Wyatt won’t hold back much longer. If one of them attacks Amos…no committee would find what he said a just reason for attacking him. They’ll bill it as a wolf attacking a hunter—or a human attacking a supernatural if Jack jumps in.

The political ramifications would be disastrous.

But I didn’t have werewolf strength. I couldn’t hold back Jack and Amelia.

How, then, was I supposed to get everyone out of this?

Amelia shouted, and as Jack made a grab for Amos, Radcliff and Scarlett flicked out daggers.

That’s it.

Faster than a human, I zipped past Jack, closing in on Amos before he even realized I was there.

“Amos,” I said.

He blinked in surprise at my abrupt appearance. “What? Aren’t you going to try to stop your little friends?”

“No,” I said. “I wanted to know, have you ever had your nose broken before?”

Amos stared at me in his disbelief, looking down his very obviously crooked nose as he did so. “Yes.”

“Good. That’ll make this easier.” Arranging my fingers so I wouldn’t break my thumb, I pulled back, then punched Amos in the face, hearing the satisfying crunch as his nose broke.





Chapter 11





Pip





Amos toppled, falling to a heap on the ground as blood trickled from his nose while his niece and nephew stared at me in shock.

My fist throbbed like crazy, but I smirked down at Amos, who groaned as he held his hands to his nose, fighting the tears that clogged his eyes.

Young Jack and Amelia gawked at me with wide eyes—Teresa cheered—and Remy and Forrest stopped fighting Aeric and Wyatt so they could gawk at Amos in shock.

Even Amos’s hunter family didn’t quite know how to react. The ones that had been on the fringe and fast approaching us when it looked like a wolf or human was going to attack Amos were frozen with visible confusion.

Amos called me a few things that Mama Dulce would have grounded me for repeating as he rolled around. I picked my way around him, ignoring Radcliff and Scarlett, who went back and forth between raising their daggers at me and starting to put them away.

“You’re going to regret that,” Amos growled as I squatted down next to him.

“Oh come off it, Fletching.” I rolled my eyes. “We both know you were trying to wind us up.”

Amos tried to smile at me, but it looked pretty gruesome since his nose was still bleeding and blood was smeared on his teeth. “Maybe so, but you hit me. Do you have any idea of the laws that are going to get thrown at you?”

“Oh, I have a rough idea.” I casually rested my arms on my legs and smiled down at him. “But I also know that there are very, very few penalties for hunter on hunter violence. Just a few fines, in fact.”

Amos’s smile faded, and he swore at me again as he unsuccessfully tried to rock to his feet.

“I can live with a fine,” I continued, “knowing you were hoping for a much bigger target.” I gave Amos my most perfect Timber Ridge Welcome Center Smile. “So go ahead. File a complaint. Try to go after Greyson. Just remember, I’m here…and I’m just like you.”

I patted Amos on the hand, stood up, walked back to my waiting backpack and scooped it up.

“You’ll be hearing from the Curia Cloisters,” Amos snarled.

I winked. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. It was nice to meet you, Radcliff, Scarlett!” I waved to the younger hunters, shouldered my bag, and tried to beat a hasty retreat.

Not because I thought the hunters were going to react poorly—I’d effectively de-escalated the situation. The wolves and humans wouldn’t react no matter what Amos said, now, since I’d broken his nose.

But I had to get outta there because—

“Why do I smell blood?”

Too slow—again!

I hastily slapped a smile on and hid my hand behind my back. “Greyson. Hello. There might have been a small accident. You should check with Aeric and Wyatt for the details.”

I tried to side shuffle away, but Greyson draped an arm over my shoulders and towed me with him.

He walked more slowly than usual so I could keep up with him without having to jog. “And would this accident involve your fists and Amos Fletching’s face?”

“Maybe,” I said. “It depends what the Curia Cloisters find.”

We stopped a short distance away from everyone to enjoy the show.

Young Jack had recovered enough that he was laughing so hard he had sat down on the lawn. Amelia was still watching me with surprise as Teresa tugged on her arm.

The wolves were in a huddle as Aeric and Wyatt lectured Forrest and Remy, who were looking properly shamed.

The hunters were crowded around Amos, trying to help him stand and offering tissues to staunch the flow of his nose.

Amos growled at his family and waved them off as he staggered.

“This seems like a good time to tell you the Fletching hunters discovered wolfsbane in the Low Marsh wolf’s system,” I said.