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“No. We just got a little bit distracted,” I answered quickly.

Phillip brushed silver-encased knuckles over his mouth, smirking. “Yes. Distracted is a good way to put it.”

I palmed my face, pulse thundering. “We’ve been out here for a few hours, so I think maybe we should take a break.”

Nigel nodded his agreement and dragged a hand over the back of his neck. His shirt was doused with sweat, and he looked a little short of breath. He hadn’t looked anything like that before he went to the mountain top, so the sudden moisture interested me.

Then he spoke. “You didn’t fall, then?”

That was when it hit me.

Nigel actually thought I might’ve fallen and probably went looking for me, all while I kissed another guy. Hate wasn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about myself in that moment.

Phillip brushed back his hair, offering me a sideways glance. “Don’t trust that I wouldn’t let her fall?”

Nigel’s entire body stiffened. “You don’t seem like the type to care, no.”

For the first time, I was angry at Nigel. It festered in my throat as I directed a heated sneer the Shifter’s direction. “That’s not fair. Phillip may be a lot of things—an asshole, overly confident, a massive player, a poor example of an adult man, plenty misguided—”

“Don’t hold back on my account,” Phillip snarked with a low chuckle.

I coughed a little and continued, “But he’d never let me get hurt. I know you two have some sort of issue with each other, but it’s not okay to speak as if you have any clue who the other person is when you haven’t bothered to try to get to know one another.”

It was evident in both men’s stares that neither expected me to come to the Hunter’s defense, and even I was a bit surprised by my own actions. But I’d spent a day with both men making assumptions about each other without even bothering to really talk. It felt necessary to say something because both of them were acting like kids.

Nigel appeared genuinely sorry and nodded. “You’re right. I need to go speak with my pack. It may be better to come at night so we can track fresh scents.”

Phillip edged closer to me, fixing his hair. “I hate to agree with you, but it serves us better to work at night in this case.”

The Austrian slid his thumb over his lower lip, our kiss still wreaking havoc on my thoughts, and his light eyes glided over to meet mine. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow night after V and I have been given a little time to talk some things over.”

My heart couldn’t take the heat in his stare, so I looked away and smiled at Nigel. “Thanks for checking around. I know the other two Hunters would appreciate some time to get settled in.”

Nigel nodded and disappeared without another word, and my heart lurched at the memory of how upset he looked when he left.

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