“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.”
With 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.” Calan 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 and killed, he’d be dragged down with her, exactly as Rhys had warned. Calan wouldn’t allow it to happen.
He eased back. “The second I sense a redcap or a sluagh, I will hunt it down.”
A long moment passed where she searched his gaze before finally nodding. The sign of her trust brought a smile to his lips. Unable to resist her sweetness, he brushed his mouth against hers. He eased back and swept his hand to the entryway. Eagerness rushed up. He hadn’t been able to connect with his animals while chained. “But first, greet my loyal companions.”
His three favored hounds trotted into the room on silent paws. As tall as his waist, the white animals with red ears and eyes looked exactly as they had the last time he’d seen them. When the Hunt rode, they turned as black as night, but this was their true form.
He dropped to his knees and welcomed the ferocious creatures to him. Licks to his face and nuzzles from the female mutt to his chin showed him their affection. He returned it, rubbing their sides and petting their heads.
As one, they backed up, sat on their haunches, and turned their intelligent and insightful eyes to Harley. Their noses twitched, their ears lowered, and a low growl crawled in unison from their throats. Although they wouldn’t smell the chaos she carried because of his partial tie to her, they’d see the evidence of it on her aura, the same as he could.
She was damaged.
Their snarls confirmed his guess that the conflicting clues concerning Harley’s true nature had left his hounds distrustful, not a state he wanted the deadly beasts to be immersed in. They were animals, after all. No matter how much they obeyed his command, their instincts could still be triggered. He needed to make sure they understood without a doubt what role she played and how very important she was to him.
“Harley?” He cut a quick peek over his shoulder and found her staring at the dogs with wide eyes. “Slowly lower your hand and allow them to sniff you. No matter what, don’t jerk away.”
She did, palm out and fingers loose. The incomplete mate symbol stood out starkly on her pale skin. The dogs would know the significance of it. His protective stance in front of her along with his scent clinging to her skin would tell the hounds all they needed to know—Harley was his, fairy or not. The alpha male hound approached first, sniffed, and gave her hand a small lick. The others followed suit. Calan’s pent-up breath escaped in a rush.
They’d accepted her and offered her the same loyalty they’d given him.
As one unit, they turned and trotted across the room, fading before they reached the stairs.
“Beautiful. They’re beautiful.”
He glanced at her. “Yes, but not nearly as lovely as you.”
Calan lifted Harley into his arms and strode for the bed. The time had come to claim his mate. He swept the thick quilts to the side and laid Harley in the center of the massive bed. The feather mattress dipped slightly under her. Her eyes fluttered closed on a sigh. The small sign of her comfort pleased him.
“I have never taken a female in a bed, Harley.” He leaned over her, one knee next to her hip and his palm splayed over the soft sheets by her head. “Nor will I take another female anywhere after you.”
The words weren’t necessary, but he wanted her to feel the significance of what they’d do here, even if the room they stood in wasn’t his home.
She blew out a shaky breath. “I don’t know what to say.”
He kissed her, slowly and tenderly, when all he wanted to do was strip her out of her clothes and fuck her as she’d asked him to do earlier in the day.
Lips a hairbreadth away, he whispered, “Nothing. Say nothing. Remember, I’m not asking for anything in return beyond your passion.” But he wanted more.
All of her.
For an eternity.
“Oh, okay.”
The confused lilt to her words would’ve torn a chuckle from him if he hadn’t been so aroused. The years without a female had heightened the need riding him, but it was the act itself that tightened his groin and left him desperate for Harley.
He could take only one mate.
Calan had made his choice and couldn’t wait to complete his half of the bond.
He gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it over his head. Her gaze dropped to his stomach. He waited for her to meet his eyes. “And now I’m going to get drunk on you. Your passion and your body will be mine tonight.”
“Yes, Calan. Please.”
He undid the knot on the tie holding his pants up but held the material over his cock. “Do you accept me?”
“Yes.”
No uncertainty, no doubt, only eagerness. He held the knowledge close and pushed for more. Not her devotion—that had to be freely given—but her acknowledgment of exactly what she was allowing into her body. It’d be the first step in gaining her love.
“All of me, Harley. My wildness, the rage that comes from the Hunt, and my need to protect the humans. You cannot have only my cock.”
Rough breaths heaved her chest. “Yes, yes, all of you.”
He let his pants d
rop, and his erection pointed toward her. “Then you can have me, my mate. I am yours. Forever.”
Chapter Twelve
Harley wavered between disbelief and hope. Calan elicited both emotions within her, but in this moment neither could take hold. His scent, his touch, and his words ignited an unquenchable hunger within her, leaving her focused on him alone. And why not fixate on Calan? He’d just promised to not only save her from turning into a monster, but he’d also vowed to protect her family. After years of living in a constant state of looking over her shoulder, what Calan offered was irresistible.
She wanted to get down on her knees and thank him for giving her a chance at life. The look of stark lust on his face let know exactly how he wanted her to express her gratitude.
Harley would deliver it, worshipping him until he felt the depth of her appreciation. First, she wanted to memorize every delicious inch of him so she could deliver it with her eyes closed.
His thick thighs captured her attention. He could probably carry her all night if he wanted. Or stand in one position for a millennium. The thought brought back the cruelty of what her father had done to the amazing man. She let the reminder of the life Calan was saving her from settle over her and accepted the respect and growing affection for him because of it.
Her noble ghost man.
She shifted her focus to his broad chest. Muscle upon muscle betrayed his strength. Never had she seen a more perfect body. Desire flared, flooding her sex with more welcoming arousal. She fisted her hands to stop herself from tugging him down on top of her and continued her visual perusal. A few dark strands marked a path from his bellybutton and lower. Instead of following it, her gaze drifted to the intricate tattoo on his shoulder. Swoops and swirls of black acted as a border for the dual-faced image on his pec.
One half depicted a black hound with a red eye, the other the skeletal face of a horse. Movement caught her attention. She blinked, and the horse’s eye contained a mini-landscape. Another blink showed a dark fortress in the cloudy orb.
She sucked in a breath and pushed to her knees. Her boots dragged over the mattress. She reached down and tugged them off. They landed with a clunk on the ground. Her racing breaths added to the sound, but not a peep came from Calan. He stood completely still. She glanced at him. Patience and heat warred in his expression. He wanted her but made no move to stop her visual exploration.
She wanted to say something. Maybe thank him, she couldn’t be sure. The living symbol stamped on his chest ensnared her. In minuscule detail, her image drew itself exactly as she’d appeared yesterday. The look of slumberous rapture on her expression reflected what she’d felt when she’d first seen Calan’s body.
“What is this?” She ran her fingertips over the mark. Smooth skin met her, no raised edges. “It’s not a tattoo, is it?”
He covered her hand and lifted it, twining their fingers. “It’s the mark of the Hunt. All riders wear it.”
“It’s alive.” She leaned close and examined the hound. Although the red eye focused on her, it didn’t move or show her snippets of images as the stallion had. “Why is the dog different?”
“There’s nothing close it wants to hunt.” He grasped her chin and turned her face toward him. “There’ll be more nights to explore my body. Let me love you. I grow impatient.”
Harley flashed him a smile, one she knew would bring him to his knees. Calan responded to her sultry promise. His breath escaped in a rush, and his fingers fell from where he’d held her. A low groan rumbled from deep inside his chest. She’d seen the reaction often. She knew how to use the body genetics gifted her. The sight of lust, however, had never looked so damn good on another guy.
With his full attention on her, she tossed her hair back so her curls swayed. Intrigued and captivated, the man focused on her. His gaze darted between the mass of white-blonde and her mouth. She painstakingly dragged the tip of her tongue along her lower lip. A husky sound escaped her, one she hadn’t planned on releasing. Damn if she could stop it. She hungered for Calan.
“Not until I’m done with you.” She splayed her palms on his pecs. “I get to love you first.”
A shuddered groan rumbled the chest under her hands. He dug his fingers in her hair and tipped her head back.
“Be careful, my mate. Words are powerful. I told you that.” He bent his head and licked her bottom lip. “If you say those three words humans seem to have no problem tossing around, you’ll complete our circle and find yourself bound to me for all time.”
She repeated his statement in her mind. Realization struck. The symbol—it signified their bond. The knowledge didn’t frighten her, but she wanted to know what to expect.
She put space between them and held up her hand. “What is this exactly?”
He traced the complete design, two overlapping circles. “A mate bond. I’m completing my half tonight.” She opened her mouth, but he pressed a single finger to her lips, stopping her words. “Listen to me. It’s the only way to save you. I give myself to you freely. Do you understand what that means?”
Calan didn’t give her a chance to answer. On a groan, he bent close and kissed her. He kept working her in a gentle, drugging stroke of tongues until the worry faded on a surge of passion. Her knees weakened. He didn’t steady her, however. She linked her arms around his neck and held on. After a long moment, he eased back.
“It means I am yours forever, but”—he closed his eyes on a sigh—“you cannot complete this bond, no matter how much I want you to.”
The words stabbed her open heart. “Why not?”
He pressed kisses to her eyelids, her temples, the tip of her nose. “Because eternity is a long time, and I’m not a simple male. I’m the bastard son of Arawn, Lord of the Underworld.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Here, between us, I am your devoted mate and lover. With you, I will always be gentle. Once I walk out of this prison, however, I will be the male who’s been chosen to lead the greatest, most vicious Hunt of all time.”
His unspoken promise hung between them. She voiced it. “A Hunt that will include all members of the Unseelie Court.” Including her half brothers and half sisters, if they’d survived. “Except me.”
He held her face between his large hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “Yes, and that is the male you must love, not this one.”
He kissed her once more, sharing his devotion with her. She felt it in each thrust and stroke of his tongue with hers. She clutched him tighter even as he broke the kiss. With their breaths mixing, he asked, “Do you understand?”
She nodded, and he moved his fingers to the hem of her shirt. He jerked it up. She automatically raised her hands. Her top fluttered to the floor.
He dropped his gaze to her breasts. The bra she’d worn barely contained them and just covered her nipples. He ran his thumb over one point. It pebbled. A circling pass around her areola hardened it more. She squirmed and would’ve pushed his teasing finger away, but he covered her breast with his mouth a moment later and sucked. The tug connected with her womb. She moaned from the clenching, the rough pulls and her instantaneous response. One touch, and she hovered on the edge of paradise.
He settled his hands on her hips, massaging them, and suckled on her breast as if he had all the time in the world to worship her. He pulled her closer. She cried out with the slam of her body to his, but not in pain. Anticipation and excitement ramped up her desire.
She arched her back and pushed her needy flesh into his mouth. The wet material of her bra sensitized the tip. Each swipe of his tongue skipped electric tingles over her skin. Her other neglected breast begged for the same, but he made no move to release the one he’d latched on to. The ache grew unbearable. She covered her abandoned breast with her hand and squeezed the nipple. The pinch added to the sensations taking over her body.
He brushed her fingers away and kneaded the plump flesh in tandem to the tugging of his mouth.
“Calan.” She shivered. “That feels so good.”
&nb
sp; His rumble of approval ignited the tingles skipping across her skin. A shudder raced down her spine. He switched his attention to her other breast and gave it the same loving kiss as the first. She dug her fingers into his hair and yanked, needing his mouth on hers, needing the passion and the release she knew he’d give her. He growled around her breast and sucked harder, throwing her into paradise.
Waves raced through her body, shocking her. She’d never had this instantaneous reaction to a man’s touch before. No guy she’d slept with had been Calan, however. She moaned his name as her body trembled and shook with the intensity of her orgasm. The gentle motion of his thumb brushing over her wrist added to the experience.
She held on to Calan and let go, reveling in the endless release. Finally, it eased. She grabbed the short locks of his hair and tugged his mouth from her breast, capturing his lips and kissing him.
She nipped him when he tried to take the lead and pulled back when he demanded more. It was his turn. He would feel her passion. If he didn’t want the words that reflected the emotion she felt growing inside her, she’d show him how she felt.
Harley turned her head to the side, breaking the back-and-forth kiss. He refused to give her the control she wanted. He would, though. She knew exactly how to garner it too. Before he could make the next move, she gripped his cock. A squeeze of his thick rod froze him, and with rough tug, and he moaned.
Oh yeah, she’d been right. Calan wanted to be worshipped too. He just thought he had to give it to her first. Well, he’d pulled a mind-blowing orgasm from her. It was his turn, and she knew exactly what they both wanted.
With her hand on his ass and his cock as a handle, she gently guided him onto the bed. He sat, spreading his legs and giving her a perfect spot to kneel.
“Harley—”
She swiped her thumb over the slit already glistening with precum. His warning turned into a moan. Liking the sound, she bent and kissed the swollen head. His flavor hit her, and her shuddered breath escaped. He tasted as smoky and rich as his scent implied. She licked, suckled, and teased more of his essence from him. The moans reaching her ears were hers, but the curses belonged to Calan.
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