Hunted: A Haven Realm Novel

by Young, Mila

  He laughed.

  I grunted and paced across the kitchen. “Blue skies, birds, herbs. Arrowroot, chamomile, feverfew, lavender, marigold.” I chanted them in my head.

  When the outside door slapped open, I jumped, and my breaths wedged in my throat.

  Nero and Oryn poured inside and kicked the door closed after them. A new scratch ran down Oryn’s arm, and a few marred Nero’s chest, but the blood had already coagulated.

  “What happened? Where did you go? Dagen is insane, and he could have killed me.” My words merged into one huge sentence as my breaths sped.

  “Dagen’s awake?” Oryn asked as he rushed out into the hall.

  Nero’s gaze followed him, but he approached me and guided a lock behind my ears. “Did he hurt you, little lamb?”

  I shook my head. “But he wanted to.”

  “He never would. That’s just how he is. Growl first, then get to know someone.”

  Nero pulled me into his arms, and I molded against his chest. “We scoured fifty acres around the house in every direction to see how many of Oryn’s wolves were near. Close to twenty. We frightened a few off.”

  That simple notion had me pressing closer, and yet my focus persisted on my earlier encounter in the bedroom. “Dagen hates humans, doesn’t he?” I glanced up to Nero. “And why are there so many wolves so close to cabin? If they broke in, they’d easily overpower the three of you.”

  “You worry too much. This cabin is strong and no wolf is getting inside. With regards to Dagen, he’s had unfortunate run-ins with humans, and it left him jarred toward your kind.”

  I chewed on my cheek. Wonderful. No matter what my hormones insisted, I would keep my distance from him. And maybe my ability had impacted this whole mating thing, otherwise why else would I consider Dagen anything but an enemy? Oh, crap! No more thinking like that while he tapped into my thoughts. Basil, rosemary, chicken soup.

  My stomach rumbled.

  “You hungry?” Nero asked.

  “I could eat a horse right now.”

  He smirked. “I can’t offer you that, but how does rabbit stew sound? I caught one earlier this morning while searching for you.”

  “Yes, and I’ll help.” Anything to get my mind off how everything seemed to get worse the longer I stayed in the Den.

  When Dagen and Oryn appeared in the kitchen, Nero laughed and strode over to his friend. Both thumped fists and gave each other a man hug, pounding once on each other’s backs.

  “Dagen, never been happier to see you,” Nero began. “Even more than the time that fox-shifter gang kidnapped you.”

  Oryn burst out laughing and caught Dagen in a headlock, rubbing his head. “You made up that shit so you could have a raunchy night with that redhead fox, didn’t ya?”

  Okay, so maybe Dagen had a niceness in him if the guys were roughhousing and joking with him. I returned to chopping up wild spinach and mushrooms on a plate on the table, listening to the chuckles and jokes about some sexy fox-shifter woman. What was so great about her anyway? She must have been amazing if Dagen had followed her, and I glanced at the long strands of hair over my shoulders, knotted and messed up. Heavens, I must have resembled a porcupine.

  “I didn’t follow her, Sharlot,” Dagen responded. “She kidnapped me.”

  With a quick glance up, all three shifters stared my way.

  “It’s none of my business anyway, I said.

  “What are you talking about?” Oryn asked, closing the distance between us, placing a hand on my back. He kissed the top of my head.

  Dagen growled, glaring at us. “Can’t you see she has a spell on you?”

  I gripped my blade and backed away.

  But Oryn plucked the weapon from my grip and placed it on the table before cupping the side of my face. “Remember, you are always safe when I’m near. Never be afraid.”

  He straightened his posture and faced Dagen, who stormed closer, his fists curled.

  “Back down,” Oryn growled as he pushed me behind him.

  “Please don’t fight over me,” I said, but my words fell beneath growls.

  “She’s ours,” Nero said. “Oryn’s and my wolves have mated with her. And we love you like a brother, but we won’t let you harm her.”

  Dagen paced to the fireplace and back, shadows crowded beneath his eyes. “What the hell? Has the world gone insane while I lay knocked out? She’s using magic and hypnotized you. I mean, fuck, she did the same to me when I woke up, and now I can hear snippets of her thoughts.”

  I leaned out from behind Oryn. “Technically, I saved you, remember.”

  “What do you mean, you can read her mind?” Nero stepped in between the two shifters facing off.

  Dagen smacked a palm against his own head. “Don’t know, but I can’t get her out of my head. Like right now, she’s admiring the dimples above your ass, Oryn.”

  Fire scorched my insides, and I hugged myself. “Shut up. If you’re in my head, don’t blurt out everything to the entire world. Crap. Have you ever heard of privacy?”

  His nose wrinkled, while Oryn offered me a sexy wink.

  “All right,” Nero started. “Let’s all sit down and take this from the top. I’m confused.”

  We all crashed around the table. Me wrapped in a blanket, and three naked men. Nero and Oryn flanked my sides, while Dagen remained across from me, eying me with a strange look of suspicion and curiosity. There was no time like the present, so I jumped right in, explaining how I’d brought back Dagen and how unappreciative he’d been, which gained me a glare from him. Even how he’d read my mind. I left out the part about him calling me “vile,” as it made me cringe just remembering his hatred, and I wanted to believe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Yet it lingered in my head… What made him hate humans so much?

  He huffed and drew my attention, staring at me as if he readied to retaliate. Right, he had a direct line into my mind. Son of a goat. Told you before, stop listening. Can’t you try blocking me?

  “Trust me,” he replied. “I would if I could.”

  I shifted in my seat, and Oryn reached an arm across my back, drawing me closer to his side. His comfort kept me grounded when I wanted to throw a chair at Dagen.

  “That means you two are connected,” Oryn said.

  On my other side, Nero casually took my hand in his. “I’ve never read about anyone hearing someone else’s thoughts.”

  “Neither have I,” I piped in, wondering if that was how I’d woken him up, by driving so much of my energy into him, that it had linked us.

  “So, we going to bunk out here while you all make googly eyes at each other?” Dagen asked. “Oryn, your pack is still out there attacking each other, dying.”

  “You think I don’t know that? I’ve been out there, facing them, while you’ve been lying around.”

  The tension in the room smothered me. “There’s got to be something that triggered the change. Oryn,”—I turned to him—“you were stuck in your wolf form, just like your pack, and it’s only affecting those in your territory, right?”

  He nodded. “Mainly those who hunt near the Terra border, and it all happened on one day last week when we all changed.”

  “Then it has to be something…” I lost my train of thought because I bet my life the pack’s problems were connected to the priestess. Her replanting wolfsbane a week ago was also when Nero had said everyone had started acting strange in the Den.

  “Your priestess is claiming our land?” Dagen slammed a fist onto the table, and I flinched.

  “I saw her a couple of days ago. That’s why she’s after me.” With a fast rundown of my encounter, I gnawed on my lower lip. I should have noticed earlier and I would have if I hadn’t been drowning in lust, running for my life, or trying to make sense of what was going on with me.

  “Okay, so let’s rethink this,” I said. “Wolfsbane kills wolves. Look how it knocked out Dagen with a smidgen of spray. But your wolves, Oryn, have turned feral. If wolfsbane was used, it would hav
e killed your pack. So it’s not that.” Unless the priestess had used magic?

  Oryn said, “So it’s something else. A poison. Maybe something in the air.”

  “Or the water,” Dagen added.

  “There’s a river that runs through this land,” Nero contributed, “and it passes along the Terra border.”

  “We start there then.” I’d test the water to determine if poison was the culprit. Back when I’d fallen into the river from the cliff, I’d swallowed a mouthful. An electric shock had claimed me and almost caused me to drown. I’d suspected it was just me, but what if it wasn’t?

  So was Dagen right about the water?

  When he cleared his throat, I looked over, and he offered me a smug expression.

  Whatever. You may not be right.

  He snorted a laugh.

  I shot to my feet. “Let’s do this. I need a bucket of water from the river and vinegar. Also crystalweed. I saw it growing in the forest. It’s a vine that climbs trees and has tiny flowers with petals that are almost translucent. I need those. We’ll do some experimenting.”

  Nero and Oryn nodded and without a word, headed outside.

  “So you think this’ll work?” Dagen asked, his voice hopeful. I wanted more than anything to say “definitely.”

  I shrugged and faced him. “It should tell us if the water’s been poisoned.” My head whirled. But wolves might have encountered other objects or creatures, or eaten effected grass, as I’d been told animals do that to cleanse their stomachs. We were just scratching the surface. What if we didn’t find a solution? Would Oryn’s pack die? And would I ever get home?

  “Don’t worry,” Dagen said, his voice anything but calming. “As soon as you help Oryn, I’ll escort you to the border personally so you can leave.”

  I glared his way, not expecting him to sympathize or understand how I felt toward Nero and Oryn.

  “And I won’t.” He marched into the corridor, leaving me alone with feelings I couldn’t trust, and a trepidation that somehow things were about to get worse.

  Chapter 14

  I tossed another log onto the kitchen fire, embers sparking, and I backed away until it settled, thankful I still wore my blanket. With a kitchen towel in my hand, I lifted the lid off the cauldron and stirred the rabbit stew with a wooden stick. The warming aroma of rosemary and onions left my mouth watering. The red wine didn’t give off a strong smell, but it would add strong flavor. The potatoes were cooking in the simmering sauce.

  Back home, I would make stews at least once a week with mushrooms, and Santos would eat two bowls. What was he doing now? Worrying about me? Or had the priestess taken him? I gripped the utensil and guilt chewed on my insides. Too long I’d lingered here. I had to return home.

  The wind buffeted against the front door, shaking it on its hinges.

  I glanced up, expecting the men to return. But they hadn’t, and they’d been gone for ages. Add to that Dagen remained somewhere in the house. Fine by me that he kept his distance. Why would I want to hang with a human hater?

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed those emotions aside and checked on the bread I’d prepared in the smaller pot after discovering a box of goodies under the table—flour, root veggies, seasoning, and two bottles of wine. The wolves tried different foods, which surprised me. Including a packet of hard-boiled candies I’d found. Did Oryn have a sweet tooth? That made me think about my special chocolate cake with dates I could have baked him if he’d had the ingredients.

  Wait! What was I doing? Settling down and cooking as if this were my home? Sure, Nero insisted his wolf picked me as his mate, but we lived in different realms… worlds apart. I had a business in Terra, and shifters weren’t allowed there.

  The outside door blew open, and I jerked around, grasping the stirring spoon.

  A flurry of wind gushed into the kitchen, ripping the dried herbs off the hooks on the wall and tossing them across the table.

  Oryn stepped inside, nude and carrying a skinned, small boar over his shoulder. He smirked and glanced at his capture and back at me. “We’re feasting tonight.” He dropped the gutted and cleaned carcass on the table.

  “But I just prepared rabbit stew.”

  Oryn made his way to the cauldron and peeked inside. “That’s a snack of me, let alone all of us.”

  Nero marched into the room without a stitch on, not that I expected it since they were always naked. Yet it still caught me off-guard. Nudity might be something Bee was more comfortable with since she talked about guys all the time, but it still made me giddy.

  He kicked the door shut behind him, holding a bucket of water and his other arm cradling a tree’s worth of crystal weed vines bundled into a huge ball.

  “You brought the entire plant? Just a few petals would have sufficed, but thanks,” I said.

  He dropped them on the table near the dead boar and brushed dried leaves stuck in his hair. “There’s a storm coming, and I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t send me back into the woods for more.”

  I approached him and plucked out a twig he’d missed. His hands casually reached for my hips and pulled me against him. “The stew smells divine. We’ll snack on it now, and I’ll set up the pig on a spit on the fire so we can enjoy it later.”

  On my tippy-toes, I stretched up to his lips, brushing mine against his. The coldness outside had left his skin cool, a refreshing change to the heat in the kitchen. I mewled, loving how my body responded to him.

  “You’re adorable, little lamb. One day, I want to show you the Den, the splendors in our world.”

  “I’d love that.”

  When another set of hands found my shoulders from behind, I looked up to Oryn, who smiled his devilish grin. “Missed you.” He bent forward and kissed me with the savagery that was him, leaving me flustered with arousal. My nipples hardened beneath the blanket I wore.

  I came up for air and chased my breath, unable to stop my roaring pulse. Being sandwiched between two hunks didn’t happen often.

  Nero glanced down at the small boar and sighed. “Be back in a sec. Need to grab a long piece of wood for the spit. Oryn, keep her warm for me.”

  “Don’t be long,” I replied, cold from his leaving my side.

  Oryn held me tight, my back against his chest, both of us watching Nero rush outside. The moment the door shut, Oryn guided the hair off my neck and his lips found the soft spot behind my ear.

  “I meant what I said before. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, how I’d take you into my arms when I returned, and how perfect we feel together.”

  When his hand skipped down my stomach and to my thighs, I chewed on my cheek.

  “I dream of fucking you.” His voice darkened with a sexy growl. “You’re on my mind non-stop.”

  Softening against him, I wrapped my hands behind his neck. “You get me horny with just your words.”

  His fingers grazed the curls between my legs, and my adrenaline hitched into high gear. The wind outside howled, the house rattling, and I wouldn’t be anywhere else but under Oryn’s spell.

  “Sharlot… how much do you want me?” He pried open my lower lips, and a finger glided along my silkiness.

  I trembled, unable to hold myself up without his support.

  “I’ll suck that pussy of yours dry.”

  “Heavens” was all I managed, when a snarl came from behind us.

  We both looked around to find Dagen, fury warping his features.

  “Of all the fucking bullshit in hell, must you do that while you’re in my head?” he bellowed.

  “Nothing’s keeping me away from her,” Oryn replied with his sexy baritone.

  “At least hold off until we find a solution to get us unconnected,” Dagen snapped, and his words hurt me.

  I pulled free from Oryn and readjusted my blanket that had come loose while he smelled his fingers before sticking them into his mouth.

  He might as well have licked me all over because arousal rocked through me.

  “Enou
gh!” Dagen demanded. “I don’t need her getting horny in my mind.”

  “Turning you on too much?” Oryn joked.

  “You know about my past, so I won’t deign to respond to that. Cut it out.” He stormed back into the darkness of the house like a damn sourpuss.

  Well, he’d sure killed the mood. “Why does he hate me?”

  Oryn grasped my shoulders and licked my neck, leaving me quivering with need.

  “It’s complicated,” he said. “I’ll go speak with him.”

  The outside door creaked open and Nero dashed inside with several sticks and his hair soaked, and I felt complete to have him back.

  A crack of thunder boomed overhead.

  “Let’s set up this spit,” Nero said, already collecting the kitchen towel to move the cauldron aside.

  With Oryn joining his friend, I couldn’t get Dagen out of my head, either; I needed to comprehend what someone had done to him. Make him understand not all of us were the monsters he imagined. I strode into the corridor.

  “Man, stay away from me with that boner!” Nero laughed.

  “Sharlot’s got me insane over her,” Oryn said.

  I couldn’t believe he still hadn’t worked out how to pronounce my name correctly. But then again, it was kind of growing on me.

  “I can’t stop thinking about her, fucking her, holding her,” Oryn continued. “Never felt this way before.”

  I halted in the dim hall and leaned against the wall, listening to the men. Curiosity locked my legs in place.

  “Fuck yeah. I’m the same. You think it’s the real thing. Soulmate?”

  Heaviness sunk through my stomach. They had doubts? But then again, so did I. Everything had happened so fast, but to hear their uncertainties crushed my soul.

  “What if Dagen’s right, and we’re all connected by her ability?” Oryn asked. “Shit, I’d tear the world apart if that was the case.”

  “Me too,” Nero’s voice deepened.

  And that same sentiment washed over me, piercing my heart at losing my men. Sure, I’d thought about the whole magic thing too, and maybe our proximity made us lustily crazy. But it was so much more than that—from admiring Nero’s playfulness to his passion for cooking to him always comforting me. And Oryn reminded me of myself in so many ways, as if we’d come from the same world. I understood his mission to take charge, to safeguard those close to him. His love was too big, and I adored that, even if he wouldn’t ever admit he cared for those close to him out loud. I tingled with anticipation at spending more time with them, discovering what they loved to eat for breakfast, teaching Oryn how to stroll without being on guard, and introducing Nero to aromatic spices my friend brought me from the Utaara desert realm.