“So the Hunt has a proposal for us?” Marin finally said, shattering the tension with those simple words. Seamus shifted from one foot to the other, nodding slowly.
“They do,” he said. “It’s hard to fathom, but they’re tired. They want a home.”
The words were met by a few minutes of stunned silence before Kellin cleared her throat. “A home,” she echoed. “Are we to assume that they want that home to be here?”
Seamus grimaced , though he met her gaze head-on. “That was their hope, anyway.”
“All of them?” Davon asked. “There’s three dozen of them.”
“Not all of them,” Seamus said. “And not all at once. But there are some that I’ve—that I’ve ridden with for a very long time and they’re tired of being rootless, of having nowhere to stop and lay their heads and be safe for a time. They’re not asking for us—for you—to welcome them with open arms. They just don’t want to be turned away.”
“Their presence could put us in danger,” Kellin said quietly.
Seamus nodded. “I won’t deny that.”
“Would they?” she asked.
Seamus shook his head. “They know it. They would more than willing to aid in any defense needed.” He swallowed hard, voice cracking. “This would be their home, too.”
Neve bit her lip. “Tell them why the Hunt asked, Seamus. Tell them what they offered in return.”
“That’s not important.”
J.T. tilted his head, arm tightening around Carolyn. “Are you sure, Seamus?”
“It shouldn’t make a difference,” Seamus said.
“Lay all the cards on the table, Seamus,” Thom said, his voice quietly commanding. “Let us decide if what they’re offering in exchange matters or not.”
Seamus shook his head again. “I can’t.”
“Then I will,” Leinth’s voice said from behind him. “They offered us Seamus—his freedom. He wouldn’t be bound to the Hunt any longer. All you have to do is give them a soft place to fall and a place to lay their heads when the fancy strikes.
“A small price to pay, if you ask me, for a man’s freedom.”
wow… talk about being put on the spot. Seamus didn’t want that known so it wouldn’t influence their decision. Good trade but is the price going to be too high?
Thanks for another chapter. I do so like this story.