Uncharted Territory (The Compass Series Book 3) by Tamsen Parker Page B

you know that?”
    “Yes, sir.” I did know that. I’ve heard them all. This one in particular trips my fight-or-flight reflex. Despite my efforts, my breath is coming hard, and it’s not because I’m turned on.
    “I’d never believed that before now.”
    I’m not sure how to respond to that so I stay silent, on high alert, my muscles tensed until my brain makes the call. I don’t like where this is heading and I’m right to be suspicious.
    “Are you a witch, baby?”
    “Hunter!”
    I’d forgotten Rey was here, and now I’m glad I asked him to stay. Tears are pooling in my eyes. My insides are being crushed by panic. I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not that this never happens—it happens more often than you might think and I’ve learned how to laugh it off while screaming inside—but I’m nearly naked and I’m overwhelmed.
    “Red.”
    *
    Several things happen in quick succession when I safeword. Hunter yanks his hand away like he’s been burned, and his face falls into baffled alarm. Rey appears from the back wall he’s been leaning against, taking his jacket off as he hurries toward me. In seconds, he’s by my side, laying his coat over my shoulders. I start to cry.
    “Get out.”
    “Rey, I—”
    “I said get out.”
    “I’m sorry, Kit.”
    “Hunter, please,” Rey says more mildly, holding me tight and starting to stroke my hair.
    “Of course. Take as long as you like, no one will bother you. I—” he starts, but thinks better of it. Instead, he leaves, shutting the heavy door behind him.
    “You’re all right, kitten. He wasn’t going to hurt you.”
    Now that Hunter is gone, I’m covered up, and Rey is holding me, murmuring comforting words into my hair, I know that’s true. Nothing other than Hunter’s words had set off alarm bells, and there’s no way Rey would ever let anyone harm a hair on my head. But it didn’t feel that way a minute ago.
    “I should’ve stopped him sooner, I’m sorry.” Rey continues his soothing prattle until I’ve stopped sobbing. “Do you want to go home?”
    “Yes.” I’m too raw to go back out to the party, and my private audience with Hunter is clearly over. Not that I could look him in the face right now. Or ever again.
    “Will you be okay if I get your coat? There’s a door in the back we can leave through so we don’t have to walk through the main room.”
    “Yes, that’s fine.” I pull away from him to see that I’ve made a mess of his white shirt. It’s streaked with eye makeup, lipstick, and tears. “Oh, jeez, Rey, I’m sorry.”
    “No worries.” His tone is casual, but I know people will be staring when he goes out. He always looks flawless and having bawling wannabe submissive smeared all over his pristine shirt doesn’t make the grade.
    He stands up and offers me a hand. Rey gives me one last hug and, when he lets go, smooths some hair out of my face and kisses my forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
    I collect my dress, slipping Rey’s coat off and tugging the scrap of fabric over my head. To my surprise, he’s back in a minute flat. There’s no way he had enough time to get my coat, but there it is in his hands along with what looks like a white dress shirt.
    “Hunter is the consummate host.” Rey unbuttons his soiled shirt and slips into the crisp clean one. It’s the slightest bit too small for him, but it’ll do. He holds my coat out for me to shrug into. When I’ve cinched the belt tight around me, he takes my hand.
    The driveway seems longer than it did on the way in. It takes forever to get back to the car. Humiliation has a way of stretching out distances, and I’m glad that at least my walk of shame gets to be played out in private. The debauchery in the house is still in full force, and I doubt anyone will be leaving for hours.
    When we’re on our way back to school, I say, “Well, that was an unqualified disaster.”
    “I wouldn’t say that. I thought you did beautifully for your first