Page 76 of Haunting the Hunter

“And what do we have here, little witch?” he purrs in that silky way of his, leaning over my shoulder.

“Cade is walking into a trap,” I say softly, worry clear in my voice.

“These are far too vague,” he hums, eyeing the runes. “This could also mean an internal struggle.”

I huff, my eyes still locked on the runes. “I don’t like this. I’m going to talk to Jack.”

I get to my feet and turn, only to see Alabaster fade into my shadow on the ground. He’s been hiding out in my shadow since this morning when he kissed me, giving me the illusion of privacy. At this point, I honestly don’t care. His energy—though overwhelming—is a welcome buffer for my anxiety.

I hurry to Jack’s office. I can hear him talking to Cade through the door and pause before knocking.

“Can I come in?” I call, wringing my hands nervously.

I hear his muffled voice on the other side of the door, tone low and ominous.

“Enter… if you dare.”

I walk in with a raised eyebrow.

He swivels his chair toward me slowly, a shit-eating grin on his face. I roll my eyes at him.

“How is he?” I ask calmly, but the worry is clear in my voice.

“He just left, Calli.” He sighs, rubbing his eyes. “We can’t do this all night, you know.”

“Okay… How are you?” I ask him, almost afraid of his answer.

“It’s Halloween. Why don’t you get out of the house? There’s a festival downtown. Go.” He shoos his fingers at me, grinning again.

“Wow.” I shake my head, walking further into the room. “Deflectionandtrying to get rid of me? Nice, Jack, but I’m not going anywhere.”

I stand my ground, hands on hips—when I notice my shadow vibrating. Something shifts from it, moving too fast for my eyes to process.

“It’s not that, Calli…” He sighs. “I just think there’s nothing either of us can do at this rate. I see no proof that this is a setup. I get thatyou’re worried, I really do, but it does nothing for you right now. Go—meet people. Have some fun for once.” His voice has softened, eyes pleading with me.

“You want me to ignore my instincts?” I cross my arms over my chest and he groans.

“No. I’m just suggesting that nothing you say is going to make him turn around. I’ll do everything I can to make sure he’s safe on my end. Just… trust him, like he trusted you.”

Jack still has no idea Cade believes now, but he’s right. Cade gave me the benefit of the doubt in the only way he knew how. And while I don’t like this… trying to convince him out of it is useless. I gave him the pendulum. He still wears it every day. All I can do is pray it’s enough.

Before I’m able to respond, the landline rings. Jack’s eyes bolt to me—concern flashing in them as he picks up the phone, a muffled voice speaking on the other end.

“Uh, who is this?” he asks, voice tinged with suspicion and confusion.

More muffled speech. Jack makes a few unreadable expressions then hands me the phone.

“It’s the guy from the corner store. He wants to know if you’ll go with him to the festival,” he says, wiggling his brows up and down in mock flirtation.

I take the phone and press it to my ear hesitantly.

“I’m taking you out, pretty girl. Get your ass ready,” Alabaster’s smooth voice purrs through the receiver.

I try to hide my face, my eyes widening.

“Sorry, I’m kind of busy ton—”

Jack swipes the phone from my hand and answers for me, standing to hold it above my head…