“Sometimes for punishment. Sometimes just because.” Harley pulled his arms tighter around her middle. “My brothers didn’t have to stay inside it, only me, but Ian always kept me company when I had to go in there.”
He’d seen the pictures in the living room of her family. She’d had three brothers—Ian and twins who might’ve been nine when they died. “You were closer to Ian, weren’t you?”
She nodded. “Ian was always there for me. He was my link to the outside world. I wasn’t allowed off the estate, nor was I permitted outside after dark. The twins and Ian could go, though. They went to the local school, were involved in sports, and had sleepovers with their friends.” She motioned to the door. “While I stayed here.”
Harley snuggled closer, burrowing into his embrace. “Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t abused. Physically, anyway. Mom and Dad homeschooled me, and I learned to play the piano. I just had to follow a different set of rules. Dad insisted it was because I was a girl, and Mom was overly protective of me.” She snorted. “That wasn’t what she’d said, though.”
“What was her reason for locking you away?”
Harley turned the dead bolt and pushed the door open. A child’s playroom greeted them. There were bins of stuffed animals, books, blocks, and a play kitchen. What struck him as odd, however, were the paintings of angels and crosses on the walls.
Her weary sigh cut through him. “She said I was a little monster, but she wanted me to learn to be a good monster, not a bad one. Every time she left me here, she asked me one question.”
“And that was?”
“‘You need to be a good girl, Harley. Can you do that? Be a good girl?’” Her voice cracked on a sob. “And every single time, I answered, ‘I’ll try.’”
He turned her in his arms. She gripped his shirt and buried her face against his chest.
“She knew what I was. She knew. Why didn’t she tell me?”
He pressed his lips to her hair. “I don’t know, but I’m sorry for the loneliness you experienced and the confusion. It must’ve been difficult growing up the way you did, knowing you were different but not why.”
“She protected me and made sure I lived long enough to meet you. I just hate knowing they died because of my ignorance. If Ian hadn’t been away at college, he would’ve been killed too, and then I would’ve been all alone. I hate to think of what my life would’ve been like without him.”
“Let’s just be grateful that you never found out.” And hearing her confession made his choice to join Ian to the Hunt simpler. Tied to Arawn through the power of the Hunt, Ian would be immortal. He wouldn’t heal as easily as the Huntsmen did, but he would recover from any wound eventually, even if he lost his head.
Calan tipped up her chin. “I will make sure you never lose—”
The phone’s shrill ringing stopped his words.
“Ian.” She shoved out of his arms and ran for the stairs.
He reached for Riesa’s mind. She shared an image of Ian pacing, phone at his ear and Trevor scowling in the background. They were safe. Physically, at least.
He chased after Harley, using his powers to bypass her, and grabbed the phone. If there was any bad news, he wanted to hear it first. “Hello?”
“Calan?” Ian’s questioning voice filled the line. He didn’t give Calan the chance to answer. In the next breath, Ian demanded, “Get your ass down here.”
“We can’t hunt until nightfall.”
“Don’t care. We need to act. Raul walked into the police station and left with Cynthia’s little sister, Allie.” Ian cursed. “She went willingly, crying on his fucking shoulder, according to the cops. They thought he was her boyfriend or something.”
Harley’s eyes widened. Calan turned away from the panic in them. “The female that walked away last night? She looks like Harley, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah.” Ian muttered more vivid expletives. “Pale blonde, not platinum, but she has the same deep blue eyes.”
“Come to the estate. I’ll send my hounds to the storage building in case Raul decides to lure her into the ring. They’ll keep watch over it.” He glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “Have your decision made before you arrive. We don’t have much time.”
“It’s made. I’m in.”
“Good.” Calan was grateful too. He’d need a Huntsman to guard his mate. The sluaghs’ souls he collected tonight would need to be transported to their resting place in Hell. It was his duty to give them peace. “When you arrive, we’ll ride.”
Calan ended the call and faced Harley. It was time to show her his darker side. “Are you ready to meet your Huntsman?”
“I’ve already seen your other form.”
He frowned.
She offered him a small smile. “I saw it in your memories.”
“That’s impossible.” He’d been so careful to block them whenever he’d touched her mind.
“You shared them with me when you slept.” Harley took his hand. “But I’d like to see that side of you in person.”
He rubbed her knuckles. “And you’re not afraid? I look like a monster.”
“And I am one.” Her grin drooped. “Show me, please. Then, you’ll see for yourself that I’m not afraid.”
He led her outside and opened himself, body and soul, to the Hunt. Power rushed into him. He slowed the transformation to his Huntsman’s form for Harley’s benefit. He wanted her to see each step.
His nails grew into sharpened talons. The ridges of his spine extended. Deadly teeth slipped into place, and the bones in his face rearranged to allow his muzzle to take shape. Not ready for her reaction to his other form, he squeezed his eyes shut before he caught Harley’s gaze. Blood oozed from the corner of his eyelids. He didn’t wipe it away. He stood there, utterly exposed, and let his mate see with her own eyes what loving him entailed.
The monstrous body that labeled him as a beast from Hell had terrified all the humans who’d seen him the last time he’d walked the earth, but he couldn’t hide it from his mate. It belonged to her as much as his human side did. He wanted her to accept both.
Minutes passed in silence. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, he opened his eyes and surveyed the woods to seek out her angelic face. She stood several feet away, devilish black hounds encircling her. Saliva dripped from their mouths, bloody pools had replaced their eyes, and three-inch nails tipped their paws. Their bulky bodies brought them to her chest. Next to the animals bred to rip the fairies and their creatures apart, she appeared tiny. Delicate. Beautiful.
A flower in the midst of death.
Unfazed by his growling hounds and his Huntsman form, she approached in a slow glide, proving her statement correct. She wasn’t afraid of him.
She stopped a hairbreadth away. On her tiptoes, she slid her fingers into his hair and dragged his head to hers. She rained kisses over his ghastly features, licked the blood away and moaned.
Lust surged. The pointy teeth he couldn’t retain if he meant to part her legs and feast retreated. His nails dulled into the blunt tips he’d need to dip into her core and his snout shortened to kiss her lips. The last of his beastly side slipped away, leaving the man behind.
Hands at her waist, he lifted her and deepened the kiss. Her sweet flavor invaded his senses. He worshipped her mouth until his only thought centered on getting her naked. Duty stopped him from doing so. He pulled back.
She trailed her fingertips over his jaw. “See, my wicked Huntsman. I’m not afraid.”
He grinned. She lightened the weight he carried. How had he survived the ages without her? He kissed her once more even as he opened the portal to the Underworld, calling forth his stallion. A yank on his chest tore a groan from him. He staggered back.
She reached for him. “What’s wrong?”
He clamped his jaw and locked his muscles. The summons from his father tugged on his very being. Calan closed his eyes and fought his sire. He refused to leave Harley without a Huntsman’s protection. The urgency in t
he call reverberated through him, however. Arawn was angry but more than that, he was anxious. Something had happened, but he couldn’t force his will on his children. He’d given his Huntsmen too much power.
For a second time, Calan blocked his sire’s order and sent his response: he’d return home after Ian joined the Hunt. Calan refused to leave Harley unguarded again.
He focused on her tight features. “Nothing. My father wants me to come to him.”
“The devil?”
He flashed her a smile. “Arawn or Lord of the Underworld. I don’t like him being called the devil. My father isn’t inherently bad nor is he evil. He’s simply the god chosen to rule over Hell’s realms and its inhabitants.”
“What does he want from you?”
The squealing tires of a black SUV stopped him from answering, not that he had an answer to give. He wouldn’t know what Arawn wanted until he spoke to him.
The driver’s door opened. Ian jumped out. He approached in long strides. Rage contorted his features and flared his nostrils. The other male, Trevor, trailed behind, cautiously watching the crouched and silent hounds spread out around them. Ian paid them no mind, however. He stepped around the ones in his way.
Gaze locked on Calan’s, Ian scowled. “Raul burned the fucking ring.”
“What?” Harley straightened and pushed out of the loose circle of Calan’s arms. “But how?”
He would like to know also. His hounds hadn’t seen anyone who met Raul’s description there.
“My men saw a police van enter the building. A half hour later, it leaves, but nobody closes the overhead door.” Ian took a threatening step forward. “My guys got curious and investigated.”
“And they found the ring burned?” Harley asked.
“Yeah. They didn’t know what it was, but they described a black scorched circle in the center of the building. The cops who’d been inside were knocked out, but one came around pretty quickly.” Ian shifted his gaze from Harley to him. “He said a guy who looked a hell of a lot like Raul got out of the van with Allie. The cop didn’t remember much else, only that Allie wasn’t struggling or crying.”
Harley sucked in a rough breath. “If Raul lured her into the ring, he has to call her forth after dark in order to turn her into a sluagh.” She turned and met Calan’s gaze. “Right?”
“Yes, but”—he worked his jaw back and forth—“we don’t know if Raul did lure her for certain. The redcap isn’t typical. He’s too patient and clever for us to assume anything.”
She shook her head. “Raul’s a serial killer who—”
“Who has had the foresight to hide his fairy ring.” Calan took Harley’s hand. Her guilt over the redcap beat at him. “I wouldn’t put it past him to use the female to try to coerce you into doing his bidding.”
“Never. He’s a fool to think I’d save the man who killed my family.” Her eyes widened. “But if he’s tricked Allie into entering the ring, what will happen to her now that it’s gone?”
He held his mate’s gaze and told her the harsh truth. “Unless he creates another ring and calls her forth, she’ll be trapped in the fairy realm.”
“With the sluaghs?”
Calan brushed a wisp of blonde hair from her cheek. “They are mere shells in the fairy realm. The human puppets will not be a problem.”
“What will?” Ian asked.
Calan glanced at the male who’d soon become his brother in the Hunt. “Time moves slower there, but she’ll grow hungry. Once she consumes anything from the realm, she won’t ever be able to leave. If she keeps eating the magically laced food, she’ll eventually lose her mind.”
Trevor stepped closer. “Somebody needs to go after her and bring her home.”
“Only fairies can come and go there as they please.” Calan sighed. “If he indeed tricked her into the circle, the best we can hope for is if Raul brings her back as a sluagh. At least then we can kill her and free her soul.”
Trevor pointed. “Send Harley. She’s half-fairy. She can—”
Calan moved with inhuman speed and wrapped his hand around the male’s throat. He dragged him closer until they were eye to eye. A low growl crawled up Calan’s throat. “Nobody will ever endanger my mate. Harley is mine to protect and cherish. She will not risk herself for a female who may or may not be in danger.”
Harley stroked his forearm. “Let him go. He’s only worried about Allie. Let’s see what we can find out first. Maybe she’s safe.”
Calan released Trevor. “Agreed. We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s hunt.”
With a thought, he stirred his hounds and sent them out in all directions, then he called forth another stallion from Hell. A shimmering wall appeared several feet away. The glimmer faded. A wash of hot sulfur-tainted air swept out along with a black steed. Each step the horse took from the portal leeched color from its hair and dimension from its body. Its red eyes turned into endless portals that could bestow visions or absorb the lost souls of the sluagh.
Only once had Calan witnessed a joining between human and horse. Tegan had fallen in love with a human but hadn’t wanted to mate him. She’d thought turning him into a Huntsman was the perfect solution. He took his own life afterward. His heart hadn’t been pure enough to withstand the heavy weight of responsibility the Huntsmen bore.
Calan hesitated. He had been the one to extend the offer to ride to Tegan’s betrothed all those years ago. He’d doubted his choice then.
Now? He glanced between Harley and her brother. No, this time I’m right.
He met Ian’s eyes. Eagerness widened them and quickened his breaths. No fear showed in them. Calan had explained everything to him, along with what the next step would entail when he’d given him half of the Huntsman’s mark—the hound. He used his tie to Ian to draw his mind close.
“Are you ready?”
Ian gave a single nod, then turned and straddled the horse in one fluid movement. He fell forward on a groan and wrapped his arms around its ghostly neck. Raucous pants fell from his parted lips, and a violent tremor shook his body. His mouth moved, yet no words came out—the vow of the Hunt given to his horse and, in turn, Arawn.
Harley gasped. “What’s happening to him?”
Calan took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her white knuckles. “He’s bonding to his horse.”
“You’re…” She looked between him and Ian. “You’re making him into a Huntsman? He’s not just going to help look for Cynthia tonight?”
“Becoming a Huntsman is the only way to join the Hunt. Ian wanted this.” Calan tipped his head in Ian’s direction. A soft white light encompassed both rider and horse, bonding them. In Ian’s hand, an obsidian sword appeared. Calan breathed a sigh. “It’s done.”
“Son of a bitch,” Ian rasped. He pushed up and swayed on his mount. A deep laugh rumbled in his chest. He raised his sword. A faint glow emanated from it for a moment before it burst into flames. “It’s real.”
Calan nodded. “Yes, we’re real, and so is the oath you’ve taken. Betray it, and you will suffer in the lowest levels of Hell.” He willed his steed closer, hating that he had to toss Ian into the fury so soon. “Ready?”
“Fuck, yeah.” Ian lowered his arm, the sword disappearing in a puff of sulfur-scented smoke. He grabbed his mount’s mane. “Hope this horse doesn’t need me to direct it. I don’t know how to ride.”
“It doesn’t, and you’ll learn.” The bump of his horse’s head to his arm reminded Calan of the time they’d wasted. “Follow my lead, Ian. Always.”
“Hey, what about me? Don’t I get a horse?” Trevor asked.
Calan glanced at the other human. For a moment, he considered extending an offer to ride to the male. Without his siblings, he was at a disadvantage. He could use the bodies, inexperienced or not. He dismissed the urge in the next breath. Ian had shown his dedication by doing all he could to protect his fellow humans and Harley. Calan knew little about Trevor other than that he was a friend to Ian.
“Not tonigh
t. You’ll have to sit this one out. Go home and lock yourself in your house, human. It’s safer for you to stay indoors.”
“But—”
“Enough. Push me again, and you’ll regret it. Now go. It’s not wise to get caught in the way of the Hunt.” Calan waited until the pissed-off human stormed away before he shifted his attention to Ian. “Let’s ride.”
Ian grabbed Calan’s arm, stopping him from striding past him to get to Harley who stood, silently watching the exchange with assessing eyes. “Trevor’s a bit crude, but he’s a good man. I vouch for his honor. Can’t I invite him to ride?”
Yes, but Calan didn’t want the newly bound male to make such decisions. He sidestepped Ian. Guilt could be damning to a Huntsman. If Ian chose poorly by inviting Trevor, Ian would be saddled with the remorse.
Calan shook his head. “We don’t have time to join another rider with his horse. We’ve wasted enough.”
With his hands at Harley’s waist, he lifted her onto Death’s back and joined her a moment later. He locked his arm around her, then unleashed his tight control. The power of the Hunt rushed out.
He kept his tie to Ian open and shared with the human the glory of the raw, unbridled power. It wrapped around them, reminding them of their purpose and instilling them with its frenzy. Tendrils of energy snaked out in all directions, seeking those who held the taint of pure chaos in their bodies. For miles, it weaved outward. He pushed further but found no trace of Dar.
Calan would bet Raul was close, however. The redcap wanted Harley. In a way, Calan was thankful for Raul’s obsession. If he hadn’t been so focused on coercing Harley into claiming him as her redcap, he probably would’ve goaded her into embracing her Unseelie side. All it would’ve taken was Ian’s death, but with Ian’s tie to the Hunt, dying would no longer be a concern.
Raul had lost. He just didn’t know it yet. He would soon. The time had come to bring retribution to his feet, and Calan knew where to begin his search for Raul: the warehouse where he’d burned his ring.
Calan curled his fingers and recalled his power. He held it close for another heartbeat, then extended his balled fist to the ground. The rush of energy slammed into the earth, and a shock wave shook the world. The wind kicked up, swirling leaves and twigs around them in a cyclone that stretched to the heavens.
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