Contents
Chapter 40: The Hunter
Overview
Kharon wakes with Alexis and Augustus entwined, savoring rare peace after a night of intimacy. Seeing Augustus’s tattoo of Alexis’s name and recalling their vows, Kharon reflects on their promise to win her back. Confronted by Alexis’s many scars, he is shaken and recommits to protecting and cherishing her.
Summary
Kharon wakes before dawn with intoxicating warmth, Alexis draped across his chest and Augustus’s leg over them both. He remembers pulling Alexis onto him in the night, reveling in the ordinary closeness he has long craved but rarely known.
Kharon notices Augustus’s thigh tattoo bearing Alexis’s name, recalling they inked themselves the day after their wedding, when Alexis vanished. The tattoo symbolizes their pledge to earn her back by any means—blood or tenderness—and now, with Alexis sleeping trustingly in his arms, that promise feels within reach.
Tracing marks on Alexis’s skin, Kharon catalogs the scars of her survival: burns, a dagger wound, and blunt-force notches. Overcome, he buries his face in her neck, grieving what she endured and marveling at her enduring goodness. He reaffirms his love and identity bound to her, quietly declaring he has found her again.
Who Appears
- KharonPOV; wakes holding Alexis and Augustus, reflects on their tattooed vow, sees Alexis’s scars, and emotionally recommits to protecting her.
- AlexisAsleep on Kharon’s chest, trusting and vulnerable; her scars reveal past abuse, deepening the husbands’ resolve and tenderness.
- AugustusAsleep beside them with his thigh over both; bears Alexis’s name tattoo, symbolizing their shared vow to win her back.