“Yeah, I knew her. Loved her too. I sought her out lifetime after lifetime.” He snorted. “She was my soulmate.”
His soulmate? She didn’t know whether to call him crazy or ask how he’d known they were connected. A more important question demanded an answer, though.
“But you killed her.” A lump lodged in her throat. “Why?”
“A thousand years ago, she refused me. It broke her connection to me, but it didn’t sever mine.” He balled his hands until white knuckles showed. “She left me in fucking limbo where I yearned for her. Every goddamn minute of my many lives.” He focused enraged eyes on her. “I was never at peace. Could never love anyone else. She did, though. She married other men, loved them, had their damn babies.”
“And she deserved to die for that?”
“She had to in order to free me. Now, I can move on”—he swept his gaze over her once more—“with you.”
“Me?” Her voice cracked.
He gave a single dip to his chin. “Yes. You’re going to be my new soulmate, but we won’t have to worry about death separating us. We’ll have eternity together.”
“Like hell. I’ll never claim you.”
A grin spread over his face. “It’s getting harder to resist, isn’t it?”
The change in topic caught her off-guard. She took a step back. “I refuse to be a replacement for my mom.”
“It’s getting harder to resist, isn’t it?” He repeated.
Obviously he wasn’t going to reveal anything else about her mother tonight. She took another retreating step. He followed her, keeping the distance between them the same. She froze.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” With Calan’s help, anyway.
“Dar doesn’t think you’ll last the week.”
Hearing her father’s name set her heart to racing. “He knows about me?”
“Oh yeah, he knows about you. He’ll be coming for you soon. You are his favorite child.” Raul grinned. “And he’s giving you to me.”
A shudder ran through her. “How did you find me?”
“I’ve taken your blood. My tie to you has strengthened as you’ve grown, and now that you’ve reached fairy adulthood, I feel you here.” He thumped his chest. “There will never be a place you can hide from me. It’s why Dar has handed you over to me, and why I’ve kept the others from killing you or your brother and his friend.”
She had her answer to why the redcaps and sluaghs never engaged Ian or Trevor. It didn’t comfort her, though. Raul had played her. Why?
“You stopped the other redcaps?”
He cringed as if he didn’t like the term. She filed the information away to dissect later. “And their slaves. I’m the strongest.” He flashed her a smile that showed off his pointy teeth. “You’ve made me the most powerful. I rarely even have to kill now.”
He moved so fast, she didn’t have time to react. He grasped the wrist of her hand holding the blade and wrapped his other around her throat.
“For you, I only killed the ones already dying, and I made sure they didn’t feel a thing.” He leaned close enough to kiss her. Hot, minty breath bathed her face. Her stomach churned. “But that can easily change.”
She pushed against his chest with her free, gloveless hand. She’d forgotten to cover Calan’s mark. Curses danced through her mind. Thoughts of what she and Calan would share once she released him had messed with her head. Regret left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She did the only thing she could. She dropped her hand to her side and curled it into a fist.
“You can’t force me.” Because if he could’ve, they wouldn’t be talking. He’d be raping her. Unless she was lucky and caught him with her blade, she had no hope of fighting him off. Raul had a good hundred pounds of muscle on her.
“Come to me before the sun rises, Harley.” He slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her. She refused to open. He pulled back with a chuckle. “If you don’t, you’ll learn just how cruel my sluaghs can be.”
He slid a keycard down the front of her shirt, then stepped back.
“Touch those I love, and you die. Understand me?”
He nodded. “Why do you think they’re still alive? Think of it as my mating gift to you.”
Gaze on hers, he backed up until he disappeared around the edge of the building.
She dug the offending hotel key from between her breasts and ran for the SUV. A click, and she locked the doors. She dug out her phone and dialed Ian.
“Raul’s in town.” She pressed the button to start the vehicle. It roared to life in a deep grumble. “Get to Cynthia now. Trevor was right.”
“Fuck, are you sure?” Ian’s panicked voice made her anxiety and anger worse.
“I just had a nice little chat with him. I’m sure. Now go. Warn Trevor too. I’m going to free Calan.”
More curses filled the line. “Be safe, Sis.”
“You too, Ian.”
After what she’d just learned, she didn’t know if she ever would be.
Chapter Ten
A shiver of awareness danced down Calan’s spine with the approach of his fairy visitor. Lust tightened his body. His cock lengthened, and a guttural groan rumbled in his chest.
Harley.
He wanted her. He had for years, and her confirmation that she felt the same only made his needs grow. She was the right choice for him, tainted or not. He couldn’t imagine spending eternity with any other woman.
Her scent reached him first. He took deep, slow breaths, drugging himself on her fragrance. His lust grew impossibly more. He embraced the feeling and let the desire he held for her consume him. Tonight he would worship his woman, because tomorrow evening, he’d ride and leave her behind, temporarily at least.
He dragged in more citrus-scented air, but her rapid heartbeat sped his. As he’d done before, he opened himself to her. Her fear rushed over him. He choked on the terror swamping her. Anger and anxiety added to it.
He gave a tug on her riotous feelings, and they slammed into him. He shook under the force of them. The fear gripping her lessened under his influence. The angst that caused it didn’t. She ran down the stairs before he could ask her why.
She settled her desperate gaze on him. “Calan.”
The urge to protect her flared with his name spoken in her panicked voice. He wanted to gather her close and ease all her sorrows while snapping and snarling at whoever hurt her.
“What’s wrong?”
She slipped the torch into the hook on the wall and hurried across the room. The rugs scattered over the floor silenced the thump of her boots.
“There’s a redcap in town. He…” She shuddered. “He wants me to claim him. Bind us together. He’s threatening my family if I don’t.”
Her words sparked the anger he’d taken from Harley and awakened the wrath he kept contained except for when the Hunt seized him. Claws burst from his fingers. A growl rumbled in his chest. His jaw ached, and his spine arched.
No, dammit, no. He snapped his teeth together and fought the rest of the changes the Hunt induced. He couldn’t risk frightening Harley with his Huntsman form.
She shoved away his shirt and skimmed soft, trembling hands over his heaving chest. “Calm down. You’re hurting yourself.”
Harley pushed his shirt higher and pressed her lips to his skin. She kissed him, caressed him, and her gentle touch calmed the remaining fury turning him into a beast from hell. The edges of his teeth flattened, the sharp talons receded, and his body returned to his normal size.
His breath escaped in a rush. “Harley.”
“I’m sorry.” More kisses, more featherlight strokes. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Her words infused him with soothing warmth as easily as her rage had smothered him.
“More, Harley.” The rough bite to his tone spoke of the line he walked betwee
n beast and man. He was a monster in a way too, only he utilized the horrific power for good—hunting the creatures who killed for pleasure.
“Kiss me.” He used his free hand to lift her. She automatically linked her ankles around his waist and dug the hard edges of her boots into his ass.
“Yes.” A hiccupped groan fell from her lips. She grabbed the short strands of his hair and used her hold to guide his head to hers for the rough, desperate kiss he craved.
Her sweet taste invaded his senses along with her fresh scent. He could get drunk on her. He moaned his pleasure into her mouth. The sound ignited her passion. She clung to him and kissed him harder as if she wanted to crawl inside him.
“I need you.”
The groaned words against his lips were ones he’d heard from women many times. None had left him in a state of desperation. He had to sink his dick into Harley, had to fill her with his seed, had to finish his half of the bond.
Might die if he didn’t.
He slanted his lips over hers and took her mouth with the same fervor she’d shown him. She tasted of heaven. He nipped her lip, and the pure chaotic taint lacing her blood flooded his senses. The evidence of the battle going on in her body and soul didn’t bother him as it had the last time. It reminded him of her endurance and the strength of will she possessed. She’d lived and remained honorable for him.
The tang became a badge of honor and gave a wild flare to their kiss. Loving Harley promised uncontained passion as wicked as the chaos that had left its mark on her. She couldn’t escape her father’s sin, but he would harness the natural element and tame it, along with the woman. He’d own both. He wouldn’t stand for anything less.
He massaged her ass cheeks, enjoying the lushness of them, and teased the crack with his thumb. The thick, rough material of her jeans stopped him from exploring and learning every inch of her beautiful body. He gripped the waistband and resisted the urge to rip them off her. For all his many powers, he couldn’t create clothes nor could he give her the illusion of them. Magic was a fairy’s gift. Only a god could steal it.
The effort it took to tear his mouth from Harley’s surprised him. He could’ve kissed her all night and not tired of her tempting lips. “Release me.”
“Yes, yes.” A hard kiss punctuated each word.
She unhooked her legs and slid down his chest in a full-body caress. Plump breasts, her firm stomach and the heat of her arousal skimmed a path to his aching cock. She ran her fingertips over the length and turned away. Unwilling to lose her touch so soon even though it was necessary, he grasped her wrist. He opened his mouth to speak, but words were beyond him. The heated stare was all he could manage.
A small smile spread over her swollen lips. She tugged her hand free and hurried to the bed, where the key lay on his pillow. The sway of her ass tore a groan from his throat. Hand on the skeleton key, she glanced over her shoulder and peered at him from behind the strands of her hair. Her gaze dropped to his groin. She parted her lips on a sigh.
“Hurry, woman, I want you.”
“And I need you.” She picked up the key and returned to his side, then dropped to her knees. “But I need to deal with Raul first.”
“The redcap?” A red haze slipped over his vision, along with an unreasonable surge of jealousy. “You know his name?”
She paused with her hand on the manacles binding his ankles and flicked her gaze to his. “He’s the one who’s hunted me for years.”
She danced her fingertips up his leg. At the crease where thigh met groin, she stroked from top to bottom, reaching between his legs to complete the explorative path. She leaned closer, and her breasts pillowed against him. Head tipped back, the full force of her siren eyes pierced him.
“He almost got me a couple of times. The knowledge you pushed into my mind saved me.” She lowered her gaze to focus on his rigid cock hidden behind his pants. A slow swipe of her tongue accompanied the hungry, low groan she made. “I’m going to thank you properly for saving my life and giving me a reason to fight.”
She closed her mouth around the length of his dick outlined by his pants and nibbled. A string of curses he’d learned from her spilled out of his mouth. She clamped a little harder, just to the point where he contemplated tugging her off him, but she eased the pressure and rested her cheek over him.
“I’ll make sure you never regret it.” Again she lifted her gaze. “I promise you, but I can’t worship you now.”
He panted but managed a nod. The surge of irrational jealousy snuffed out with her words and touch. The weight of her vow wrapped around him. He held it close.
Eyes locked on his, she turned the key. A shock wave resounded in the room. The walls shook, and energy rushed into him. Without thought, he grabbed Harley’s shoulder and shared the unrestrained power and its accompanying ecstasy with her.
Her cry mirrored his. The rush eased; so did the sound of her pleasure. For the first time in a millennium, he shifted his legs from the widened stance he’d assumed because of the chains.
She wrapped trembling arms around his thighs. “What was that?”
The huskiness of her words brought a smile to his lips. He ran his fingers through the silken strands of her hair. “What has been denied to me. Power. My power.” He tipped up her chin. “Finish it.”
The first hint of caution bled into her eyes. “Promise me you’ll protect my brother, Ian. No matter what. He’s human, innocent in all this.”
He caressed the edge of her mouth with his thumb. “That requires no promise. I will.”
She closed her eyes on a long sigh. “Good.”
“Harley?” He waited until she met his gaze. “Why ask such a thing of me?”
She stood, stretching on the tips of her toes, and fitted the key into the remaining lock. She turned her head to face him. The full, bouncy curls framing her face swayed, tickling his chin. For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. Finally, she pressed her lips to the spot just below his ear. Her heated breath sent shivers racing down his spine.
“In case I’m wrong and releasing you will damn me.”
The click resonated. The manacle opened, and another rush of pure energy bled from the walls, the air and the ground beneath his feet.
Calan banded his arms around Harley and held her tightly against him. Freedom had never felt so good. He wanted to thank her for being his salvation, but first he had to deal with the threat to her family.
Eyes closed, he opened himself to the power of the Hunt, the only way he could connect to those who carried the taint of darkness. The conscious effort took precious time and energy.
He stretched his ever-expanding circle over the countryside. His mental swoop encompassed Harley’s house, out to the sprawling town at the base of the mountain and farther still until he touched the neighboring cities. No evidence of the taint the fairies’ creatures carried reached him. In fact, he didn’t even feel Harley’s, but he wouldn’t. She was partially bound to him, thereby invisible to the Hunt. He pulled back with a frown and faced her.
“There are no redcaps or sluaghs within the reach of my power, not in the town closest or the two farther out.”
An incredulous expression spread over her face. “He’s there, in town. I just left him and came straight here after he threatened my family with his sluaghs.”
“Then most likely he has gone to call them forth from a fairy ring tied to him.” Most redcaps had dozens of such portals to the fairy realm. Their sluaghs could only roam during the nighttime hours. The sunlight turned them into useless husks.
The tension in her limbs eased. She slumped, then immediately straightened her spine. “We need to be ready when he returns.”
He caught her shoulder, stopping her from walking away. She flashed him a narrowed glare. “I will send out my hounds. They are connected to me. They will hunt for him and any of his creatures. The moment
they find one, I will know no matter where I am or what I am doing. I’ll go immediately to them, but you and I have unfinished business.”
Her cheeks took on a faint blush, but lust darkened her eyes. Still, she shook her head. “We can’t take any chances. The trip down the mountain—”
“Will take mere moments on my horse’s back.”
Her gaze on his mouth, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Her slow nibble on the tender flesh dragged a groan from his throat. She let the teased flesh slip free and met his eyes. “And I will be left behind while you hunt them?”
It was voiced as a question, but he saw her knowledge of the truth in her tense expression. Testing him or confirming her suspicions? He didn’t care which drove her inquiry. She’d get the truth as much as he could give it to her.
“Yes, with plenty of my hounds to protect you.” He pressed a finger to her open mouth. “I will shield you from the ugliness of my life as much as possible. You do not need to be anywhere near the redcaps or their puppets, especially without my complete tie to you. I will not have a repeat of today. The hours without knowing your fate were pure hell.”
At her pinched brow, he drew her close. She stepped into the circle of his arms and rested her hands on his chest. He rewarded her with a chaste kiss to her temple.
“I’ve started binding us, but until I complete my half of our union, I’m not one with you. I won’t be able to help you in the way of a mate.” He turned her palm over and traced where his circle would soon be imprinted upon her. “You need this.” He skimmed his parted lips to her ear. “I need this. Okay?”
“But Raul—”
“You must trust in me. I will protect all those you love. No redcap or sluagh will get near them.”
He was asking a lot from her, but he couldn’t let her walk away without his tie to her. Mated to him, he could touch her mind from a distance and take any anger she might experience before she gave in to it. Above all else, she couldn’t act on it. He understood the precariousness of their situation. She was too close to the edge, and if she embraced her darker side, he’d be dragged down with her, exactly as Rhys had warned. Calan wouldn’t allow it to happen.
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