Chapter 7
seven
I couldn’t believe how long I’d stayed at Magic there’s no sense denying it. I know what I am.”
“Why would you think learning to hunt would help me access my powers, anyway?”
“Being a Hunter means tapping into something primal, an ancient instinct. Instincts you don’t use in your day-to-day life,” Silas said. “It is technically a life-or-death situation, just hopefully not yours.”
“Hopefully.”
“There’s still danger,” Silas admitted. “But a more calculated form of danger. When you enter into a hunting situation—whether you’re predator or prey—there’s no guaranteed outcome.”
I hesitated, then said, “I suppose that makes sense. But the nature of being a Fae Queen is about healing and protecting. The last thing I want to do is kill anything. That is not in my nature.”
“I’m not the sort of Hunter who hunts for pleasure. I have Hunter blood in my veins, but I’ve spent decades working to control that. When I hunt, I have a purpose.” He glanced at me. “You eat meat, don’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. “I understand where meat and fish come from. I just don’t think I could be the one to pull the trigger, especially since that’s the exact opposite of everything I’m trying to achieve here on the island.”
“The part I want you to access is the anticipation. The preparation. The intense focus that comes with the chase.”
“But we’ll actually be hunting, right? I don’t know if I can agree to that. Unless we could use fake targets or something?”
Silas met my gaze with an uneasy stillness. “Without the true nature of hunting, the life-or-death situation, you won’t tap into the sort of powers you want to access. Without fear, adrenaline, and anticipation, I anticipate it will be a futile exercise.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. I don’t want to do it, Silas.”
He paused, considering. “I understand it’s a sacrifice, that it’s not something you want to do, but I think you should consider it. You can always decide not to pull the trigger in the moment. I would never force you to do anything. But it might help to get into the headspace of a Hunter.”