Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Thirty Three

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"I am starving!" Orion exclaims as he strides into his house as the darkness is gathering outside. Hunter moves his hands under the table as he clenches them, hiding them from Khiara. Bear breaks his conversation with Khiara at the rude intrusion of another voice. He eyes his little brother and notes the tense jaw and dark glint in the eyes. "Mother, do you have any idea how difficult it is to watch Ladies taking small proper bites and taking forever to finish their meal when you are starving yourself. And then they have to hold conversation with one another. Why can they not just stuff their mouths and be done with it?"

The sound of a coat being slung onto a hook on the wall in the hallway declares Orion's entrance into the kitchen. He strides in and stumbles slightly, recovering quickly. Hunter forces a natural looking smile onto his face but Orion knows it is anything but genuine. "Good evening Orion." Hunter greets him.

"Hunter." Orion acknowledges. "What are you doing here?"

"Orion!" Khiara snaps. He has the good grace to look chastened.

"I simply did not expect to see him here, mother." Orion crosses the room to press a kiss to his mother's forehead. "Did you find something to occupy your day, boy?" Orion asks. He still has not noticed an extra presence around the table since his attention is solely focused on Hunter.

"After being refused entrance through the gates? How did you explain away my absence today? Another carefully worded lie I suppose." Hunter drawls conversationally.

"I told the truth, you were not able to be there." Orion smirks. Hunter's nails dig into his palms as his fists tighten further. "I hope today gave you time to clear your mind, tomorrow you will be shadowing me again...silently and never leaving my side."

Khiara awkwardly stands up and leaves the room. She does not want to get caught up between her sons' quarrels. They are grown men. She will not play peacemaker, not now and not when there is nothing she can say that will help.

"Whatever you may think, you are wrong." Hunter expresses calmly.

Orion pauses and turns, crossing his arms against his chest. "I warned her to stay away from you but you already know that because you went and asked her. That already displays a familiarity that should not exist between the two of you. When I told her to do that she did not immediately refute it, her shock was so great at being caught out. She then went straight on the defensive when a simple laugh would have convinced me that I was mistaken."

Hunter swallows roughly.

"Then she disappeared just before midnight. Miss Litt, Miss Frith and our sister Alice were still at the ball. She had left unescorted and alone. Then guess who else was missing..." Orion looks pointedly down at Hunter.

"Hunter." Orion jumps as he finally notices Bear's presence. Bear leans back in his chair and clasps his hands loosely on his lap. "We have yet to be introduced, would you do the honours?" He continues. Orion warily regards this man who had sat so effectively still and quiet that he melted into the background.

"Orion North meet Lord Bear Usani, my other older brother." Hunter gives the introduction as requested. "I was missing." He returns to the earlier conversation, "I was sick of the music and the dancing and I wanted some peace and quiet. I never saw Lady Arabella." Orion watches him carefully but he does not know him well enough yet to see those tells of his. Bear, however, does and his eyes narrow.

"You promise me?"

"I told you that you were wrong." Hunter replies. Orion slowly nods having to accept his brother's words as truth until he has proof otherwise. He turns his attention to Bear who has lost his easy smile.