Let's Hunt Her (Book #2)

₵Ⱨ₳₱₮ɆⱤ ₮₩Ɇ₦₮Ɏ-₦ł₦Ɇ (𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁)

Appa sits on the end of my four-poster bed. The room is decorated in pastel blues, mauves, and whites, with a large fireplace and a chaise lounge. The cheery decor feels out of place with the ominous events that just transpired here, but right now I couldn't be more grateful for it. If this room wer drab and cold I would feel even more disorientated than I already do. Not to mention, now that it's bedtime, I'm fairly convinced someone is going to spring out a secret door and cut me open.

"It's going to take some time to find our rhythm in this new world," appa says, clearly recognizing my hesitancy. "And it's going to be challenging. But I will be here with you every step of the way."

"And you're absolutely positive that Taemin isn't going to come after me with a knife while I'm sleeping?" I say.

Appa smiles. "Taeyeon took him away for a few days. It's going to be a hard adjustment for him-of all of us, really-but one that is worth making."

I laugh. I remember provoking Taemin at the Academy, asking him if the fact that we're cousins meant I'm also a contender for the throne. But when I said those words, I wouldn't have guessed in my wildest dreams that I would have to live with him, much less lead a Family with him. I never wanted to lead a Family in the first place.

"I know your introduction into Strategia hasn't been an easy one, and I know Taemin has made it harder than it needed to be," appa says like he can read my thoughts. "But I assure you, there is a great deal of good here, even if it's not immediately obvious. And given some time and space away from Taecyeon, Taemin will have an opportunity to make choices that are his own. I know too well what it means to be raised by that man."

I frown, frustrated by the possible truth of that answer. "Fine," I say.

"Fine?" appa repeats, and the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly.

I fidget with the edge of the white comforter. "As much as I hate to admit it, I saw what Yoo did to good people like Sehun. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Taemin with Taecyeon."

Now appa does smile. "I truly wish your mother was here to see the amazing person you've become." His voice softens.

"Appa . . .," I begin, not sure what I want to say.

He watches me and waits, his expression relaxed and open, inviting my questions.

I sigh, letting my worries go for right now. There's been enough turmoil for one day and I'm utterly exhausted by it. "Tell me about Eomma."

He gets the faraway look he's adopted over the years whenever he talks about her. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. All of it," I say.

He laughs. "That could take a while. How about I just start at the beginning, and eventually, sometime over the next couple of years, I will finish telling you what a remarkable woman she was."

I smile. "Deal."

He sighs, looking up briefly. "Your eomma was the most brilliant strategiz student at the Academy had ever seen, that I had ever seen. The first time we spoke, we'd only been there a week and she walked right up to me in the dining hall and said 'I don't hate people because of their Family. I certainly have a few members in my own that I would rather not claim. I hate them because of their character. Let's hop yours doesn't suck.' And as much as I wanted to convince myself that I didn't like her and that her opinion didn't matter to me, it was impossible. Everyone cared what she thought; she was one of the those magnetic people who smiled and turned perfectly composed assassins into babbling mush. So course I tried to impress her." He winks at me.