#snippetSaturday again already?!
I've been hard at work creating something really cool for my birthday (I promise I'll tell you about it *very* soon) but I can't forget #snippetSaturday! I love writing Snow and Hunter. Their back and forth just amuses me so much :D
****************
"Who are you?" she asked Hunter, watching his face for any of the tell-tale signs of dishonesty.
He tilted his head to the side, his brow arched in a question. "I believe I've already introduced myself, Princess. Name's Hunter."
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Princesses did not roll their eyes. "Yes, but that's only your name. Who are you? What do you do? Why were you on Zomer watching my fire and invading my privacy?"
A slow smile spread Hunter's lips and Snow wanted to scowl at it until it disappeared. Instead, she kept her face as neutral as she could, focusing on keeping her breaths steady. "Is there some expectation of privacy in a public forest I'm unaware of?" he asked.
This time Snow did roll her eyes. She couldn't even help it. "You know what I meant," she said, her molars gnashing together.
Hunter shrugged, still grinning. "I'm just a merchant. Was leaving Zomer after a shipment and saw the blaze. Have to admit, I'm a sucker for a pretty fire," he said, his eyes glittering even with the distance between them.
There was nothing in his body language to suggest he was lying, but that wasn't enough evidence for her. She'd spent her whole life learning to master her emotions, what was to say he hadn't done the same? That was precisely the kind of thing a spy would do.
"Awfully small ship for a merchant," she said, looking around the tiny space for effect.
Hunter didn't even pause a moment before shrugging again, that smile never faltering. "Luxury goods don't take up much cargo space."
"Your clothes are rather plain for a luxury merchant," she said, barreling right into the next question. She couldn't pause or give him a moment to cultivate a new story. She had to keep pressing to see if she could find a crack in his armor.
Her eyes roved over his form, clad in all black, a form-fitting style that showed off his physique without flaunting it. It was the kind of outfit that afforded free and easy movement, lightweight and silent. Most merchants were far more... ostentatious. They displayed their wealth as a testament to the quality of their goods and service, for anyone that had accumulated so much couldn't possibly be selling sub-par products or charging exorbitant prices or he'd go out of business in the blink of an eye.
"My clients appreciate a measure of discretion," Hunter said, his eyes twinkling with unreleased laughter. Snow remembered him traipsing through the woods, making an awful racket, accusing him of not knowing the meaning of the word.
She felt her face warm with the memory, the hot flush of outrage pushing through her walls. He was mocking her — again!