Hunting the Fairy Tale

Chapter 43 - Taking the Sky

Willow

Hunter is holding Paisley in the kind of embrace that would cause all my senses to melt down due to an overload of excitement, but she doesn't look excited; she simply looks somewhat content and a little bit lost. 

I can truly feel her pain. I've never been able to feel other people's emotions before, perhaps because I didn't even dare to feel my own. Lately, I often find myself astonished by the flood of varying emotions taking me by storm. I'm not always able to tell which are mine and which aren't.

"I'll never ghost you, Bubbles, no matter how nasty you get," Hunter says, pulling away from her enough to look down into her upturned face. He removes one arm from around her and uses his hand to push her messy hair out of her eyes. "Please don't look at me like that. I'm still here now. I'm going to be here for months. Are we going to fight all the time?"

Paisley sighs and, turning her face away, her eyes meet mine. I am slightly disconcerted to see a somewhat evil-looking smile on her lips. She tilts her head to look up at Hunter again, offering him a much more radiant version of the smile. 

"It's all good, Hunny. I'll definitely not fight with you anymore. Not about this."

What is she planning now?

"What are you planning?" Hunter must've read my mind.

"Nothing," Paisley says innocently, snuggling back into his arms. "I realised," she finally lets him go and is now mischievously grinning up at him, "that you and Alice are here all alone tonight. Please tell me you're not going to behave. If I hear tomorrow that you guys behaved, I will be very disappointed in both of you." She narrows her eyes at me, and I shake my head, giving a nervous laugh.

"What?" I whimper.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hunter growls, taking her helmet from Asher and pushing it onto her head.

We say goodbye to the pair and watch Asher's motorcycle carry them out of the gate and down the road. We're about to turn back to the house when Hunter suddenly stops and uses his remote to prevent the gate from closing. 

I'm about to ask him if he's planning on leaving for the swamp right now when I hear the sound of an approaching motorcycle, and a few seconds later, Dex is parking in the spot Asher just vacated. Hunter has good hearing.

Is Dex coming with us?

"Are you ready to go, Missy or..." Hunter's grin is setting off many alarms in my head, "would you rather stay and watch Dex's form again while he swims?"

"Oh, do be quiet," I huff, blushing all the shades of red possible for human skin to accomplish. Hunter just laughs at me.

"Howya!" Dex says, and carrying a bag on his back, he joins us at the bottom of the patio steps. He is looking from my red face to Hunter's grin with a suspicious frown.

"Hello, Dex," I try to smile, hoping Hunter is not going to say any more on that subject.

"How was it?" Hunter asks him, putting an end to my misery.

"Ah, ye got it sorted, Boyo. Cheers for that! Brakes are brilliant now."

"Glad to hear that," Hunter grins. "Well, enjoy your swim, Dex; Missy and I are going to play with my bird now."

I see the startled look on Declan's face, and then he is grinning, nodding his head as if he completely understands. "Should I maybe come back another time then?" He pulls a face, shrugging as if he's feeling a little awkward, but the sparkle in his eyes makes a liar of him.