“Calan won’t go for that.”
“Once he learns of your foolish vow, he might.”
He didn’t want his baby sister tromping around the fairy realm. Who knew what dangers lurked there? Instead of arguing with Tegan, he shrugged, a good noncommittal response. He’d have to be more careful about what he promised.
“Let’s worry about finding a fairy ring first, okay?” He stepped around her.
Once more, she blocked him. “No, let’s worry about you. If you are Minerva’s son and Arawn finds out, he’ll remove your Huntsman’s mark. You’ll revert to the life you led before joining our Teulu.”
“My mortal life, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“But you said I’m a demigod.” He frowned. “Doesn’t that make me immortal?”
She worried her bottom lip and looked at him with fearful eyes. “I don’t know. You still feel human.”
“And demigods feel differently?”
“Yes, there’s a trace of power twined into our bodies. It’s what ensures we regenerate, no matter how badly we’re injured.” An irritated sound escaped her. “Of course. That’s the reason. The bitch told me the truth. I just didn’t understand at the time what she meant.”
He raised a brow.
“She said she saved your soul and ensured it couldn’t be birthed until we could be together.” She looked imploringly at him. “Your soul. Do you understand? Not all of you. Somehow she placed your soul in a human body, one whose only link to immortality is your tie to Arawn.”
Her whispered confession hit him square in the chest. He staggered back.
“I fear if Arawn learns you’re his mate’s bastard child, he’ll remove your mark in a rash act of anger.” Tegan laid a hand on his arm. “And once removed, it cannot be given again.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I can only say with certainty it can’t.” A haunted look settled over her, and the color drained from her face.
He placed the tips of his fingers on her arm. “Tell me.”
She stared at him for an endless moment, then dropped her gaze to the floor. “Arawn’s hounds led each of us to the Underworld on our seventeenth birthday. I was one of the first four born. We received our Huntsman’s mark and began our training together. In those early days, Arawn had grown frustrated with one of my brothers and removed his mark. Once Arawn calmed, he regretted his rash choice and attempted to rejoin him to our Teulu.”
She glanced at him from behind her thick lashes. Sorrow darkened her eyes. “Arawn wasn’t able to do it, and without a tie to him, my brother couldn’t be allowed to roam free. We are too powerful.”
“So Arawn killed him?”
“No. He didn’t die. Our father would never kill one of his children, but I know my brother wishes he’d killed himself before he matured. Because now he can’t die.”
Whatever Arawn had been forced to do would come back and bite him in the ass one day. Ian was sure of it. “What happened to him?”
“My brother lives in the Underworld.” She exhaled roughly. “Confined on a level created specifically for him.”
“He’s imprisoned?”
“Yes, but not in the way you think. He has all the comforts he could want, and anyone in the Underworld can go there. He just can’t leave it.”
“And it’s made him bitter?” He knew he would be. Nothing free was satisfying. It only made you want more. The stuff you invested your blood, sweat, and tears in order to get was what completed a person.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth and gave a single dip of her chin. “He blames us for what happened, saying that Calan, Rhys, and I should’ve extended our unity to him, as we do for all of our other siblings. The truth is, we were shell-shocked during those early days. Living in Hell was not an easy adjustment for any of us. We learned, though. As our other siblings arrived, we were prepared to guide them. Unfortunately, we didn’t gain experience quickly enough to save him.”
Her avoidance of her brother’s name wasn’t lost on Ian. He considered asking her what it was, but pain and sorrow radiated from her. He wouldn’t add to it.
“I’m sorry.” And he was, for everyone involved. As close as the Huntsmen were, they no doubt suffered guilt over their brother’s fate. Then there was Arawn. Ian couldn’t imagine the remorse he probably felt.
“Thank you.” She gave him a wan smile. “But do you understand now why Arawn can’t find out about you?”
“Yeah, and you think Minerva wants me to mate you because, as your mate, I’ll share in your immortality in case Arawn does toss me out.”
“Or for me to mate you.” She sighed. “I can understand her motivation, but it doesn’t change the fact that she manipulated us. All those encounters were her doing. She wanted us to crave each other.”
He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her soft skin. “It worked.”
She covered his hand. The look of regret on her face chilled him. “Lust is not a good enough reason to enter into an eternal bond.”
He dropped his hand. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying she used us, and I hate the fact that nothing about our connection is real.” Tegan turned her back on him.
Ian linked an arm around her waist and tugged her against him. Her soft curves cushioned him. A guttural groan crawled from his throat. She felt good and so damn right. He didn’t care if they’d been tricked. His dick hurt, and her sweet core was so close. She wouldn’t resist. He was confident he could seduce her. It wouldn’t gain him her love, though. She’d said so. Lust wasn’t enough. That was what gripped him at the moment too, but it wasn’t the only thing.
He held her tight, his muscles vibrating as he fought his urges. Mouth at her ear, he whispered, “It is real, and I don’t care how or why we found each other. I love you, Tegan.”
“Oh, Ian.”
He heard the disbelief in her voice. Nope, he wouldn’t let it stop him. He spun her to face him. “Is that enough of a vow? I’ll tattoo it on my body, swear it with my blood, anything to make it real for you.”
She closed her eyes and breathed heavily but didn’t respond.
“I like the tattoo idea. You can get it right above your dick. That way any other lovers you take will know who owns your heart.”
He glanced over his shoulder. Zeph, the Hunter who’d told him about the bastard who broke Tegan’s heart, leaned against doorjamb of the library. His gaze focused on the room, not them. No doubt he noticed the scent of sex lingering in the air.
Tegan shoved out of Ian’s arms. She rushed Zeph and threw a punch, cracking his face to the side. In the next breath, she dragged her clawed hand down his chest. Four lines of red blossomed on his white shirt. With another swipe of her deadly nails, she marred his face, leaving deep furrows in his cheeks.
Zeph didn’t move to block her or stop her. He stood completely still while she lashed out at him.
Well, Ian had seen enough. He grabbed her wrist before she dug her talon-tipped fingers into her brother’s neck. She jerked her head Ian’s way and growled. Sharp teeth filled her mouth. Red bled into the whites of her eyes, and the thin arm under his palm thickened. With a mixture of shock and desire, Ian watched her angelic face lengthen into a pale snout.
He lifted her and pressed her against the wall. She shoved at him. The power behind her push broke his hold. She slipped under his arm, but he tugged her back. Hands on her hips, he lifted her and nudged his knee between her thighs.
Her widened eyes locked on to him. He took advantage of the moment and caught her wrists, pressing them into the wall at her sides. “Rein it in.”
“No, I deserved her fury.” Zeph stepped next to them. Although as tall as Ian, the other Hunter reminded him of Arawn. Zeph had the same white-blond hair as the Lord of the Underworld, but his lavender eyes made him unique, to say the least.
Zeph dipped his head. “I was out of line. I’m sorry.”
Tegan closed her eyes and bre
athed deeply. After several moments, her Hunter form receded.
“Trevor was impatiently pacing. It annoyed me. I thought I’d come find you myself. I hadn’t expected that—”
“Don’t, Zeph.” She leveled a hard glare on him. “You and I will discuss later what happens to those who betray my trust.”
They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Zeph nodded. “You want a punching bag? So be it. I won’t apologize for telling the truth. The human is part of our Teulu. Only right he knows our secrets.”
“My past lovers aren’t secrets.”
Zeph laughed. “Really? So what was Bjorn?”
“A mistake.”
“One that broke you.” Zeph purposely glanced at her hand, the one marked by the Triad. “Don’t you think it’s time to heal the wound he left on you?”
Ian knew what Zeph implied. The Triad had instructed each Huntsman to make a sacrifice in order to mend the barrier between the realms. Ian had heard the words given to them too. From the little he knew of Tegan, he couldn’t help but wonder if her challenge involved him.
A sacrifice didn’t have to be a physical loss. Calan’s hadn’t been. His had been an emotional one. He’d tried to protect his mate, Harley.
“I think it’s none of your business, little brother.”
Tegan’s low, threatening words pulled Ian out of his thoughts. He glanced between her and Zeph.
Zeph shook his head. “I beg to differ. Our fates have always been tied together. You fail at solving the Triad’s challenge, we all suffer.”
Tegan shoved against Ian’s chest. He set her on her feet, knowing she’d want to confront her brother on her own, not in his arms. The idea didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to protect her. The truth was, she didn’t need him.
“So do you want me to mate Ian? Then what? Abandon him? Maybe rip my tie from him the way Calan had with Harley?”
Zeph shrugged. “I don’t know what’ll heal you. You’ve kept your secrets from us, but I’m warning you, sister, figure it out soon or lose your chance.”
“We don’t even know if I’m the next one to face my challenge.” She curled her fingers into a fist, hiding the thick mark she wore, while a wicked smile spread over her mouth. “It could be you. The Triad didn’t say who would be next.”
“Maybe, but why else would your newest lover be facing banishment at Arawn’s hands like Bjorn did? And if Arawn learns his mate cheated on him, do you really think he’ll let the shame go, especially when her bastard child is tied to him?”
Silence stretched. Tegan held Zeph’s gaze without blinking. Ian didn’t need either of them to fill in the blanks. Arawn would kick Ian’s ass out of his group of Hunters in a heartbeat. No questions asked.
“Our father has always acted on his instincts first,” Zeph went on. “You do remember bleeding at his hands, don’t you? Because I do. Hell, I almost didn’t make it to maturity. Weak. That’s what he’d called me, not fit to live. I was his pretty boy, not the extension of his hand in battle.” Zeph chuckled. “But I showed him, didn’t I? I survived that fucking prison when many of his other beloved children didn’t.”
“I remember our father’s temper well, but his actions taught us discipline, obedience, and—”
“His actions? He couldn’t control his rage that’s—”
“Right or wrong, he taught us unity.” Tegan stepped closer. “When one of us floundered, we guided our sibling back. When one of us crumbled under the weight of our position, we supported our despondent brother or sister. He made us one. Stronger together than apart. Do you deny it?”
“Yeah, he did such a good fucking job that half of our siblings are lost to madness and another despises us.”
Tegan rested her hand against his cheek. Her voice softened. “And who fights for them? Who reaches out to them with words of comfort and hope?”
Zeph turned his head. Tegan tipped it back. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Finally, Zeph sighed.
“We do. Arawn does. We are his beloved children.” He snorted. “Or should I say his damned children, unwanted by everyone besides him.”
With that, Zeph turned and walked away.
Tegan watched him until he slipped out the front door before facing Ian. With a deep breath, she visibly put herself back together. She motioned toward the kitchen. “Let’s go see what your friend has to say.”
“I think Zeph is right. I’m the key to healing you.” Ian took her hand and pressed his thumb to her unmarked palm. “I’m going to earn your love and your trust.”
She sighed and held up her other hand, the one with the jagged line. “I fucked you knowing full well you could’ve mated me. If that’s not trust, I don’t know what is.”
“But do you love me?”
She held his gaze for what could’ve been forever. Finally, she shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what love is. Romantic love, that is. I thought I did once. I was wrong.”
He couldn’t believe he was going to say this, but he wasn’t stupid. She’d probably fucked dozens, maybe hundreds of guys. He’d be foolish not to think she hadn’t loved before. “Were you wrong?”
Her brows pinched. “Wrong about loving Bjorn? Absolutely.”
“Or was it that Bjorn was in the wrong? Did he lie about loving you?”
Her expression closed off. She shoved past him.
He spun her back into his arms. “Answer me.”
“He lied about many things, loving me being one of them.”
“Well, then you don’t—”
“Stop.” She stood on her tiptoes and tugged at his shoulders. He took the hint and bent so they were eye to eye. “He made me out to be a fool. No man will ever do so again, whether I love him or not.”
Tegan pushed away from him and walked toward the kitchen. The door banged shut, but he didn’t follow. He pivoted and strode in the direction Zeph had gone. Trevor would have to wait. Ian had to find out what the faceless Bjorn had done to break Tegan’s heart. If Ian didn’t, he’d never be able to heal her. He would too. Failure wasn’t an option. Because one thing was for certain, she might wear the curse’s mark, but it was his too.
And life without Tegan would be Ian’s hell.
Chapter Eleven
Ian cleared the tree line. He spotted Zeph and Rhys stretched out on the grass near the lake. Ian glanced from the two Huntsmen to the still waters where he and Harley had played years ago. It was hard to believe that while they’d had fun swimming, the Huntsmen had been suffering mere feet from them.
He was grateful his baby sister had been strong enough to meet the Triad’s challenge, for all their sakes. She’d given Ian a chance at life with his dream lover, the one he knew he would’ve died without.
Maybe he was being a bit melodramatic, but he didn’t think so. Living without Tegan had been slowly driving him insane. He honestly didn’t know how long he would’ve lasted, especially if he’d actually married Cynthia. He shrugged off the thought. It hadn’t happened. The future was the only thing that concerned him. He refused to screw up his chance at happiness.
Ian strode forward.
Rhys didn’t acknowledge him, but Zeph turned his head. “Did she abandon you already?”
Ian squatted a couple of feet away. Zeph’s question stirred three years’ worth of frustration. Ian wasn’t going to admit he still worried she would leave him. He leveled the other Hunter a hard look. “What did he do to her?”
“By he, do you mean Bjorn?”
“Don’t play with me, Zeph. I’m in no mood.”
Zeph pushed up, propping his upper body on his bent arms, and stared at the spot where the sinkhole had marked the entrance into the Huntsmen’s prison. “He used her for sex and a chance at immortality. Fucker didn’t count on dear old Dad sifting through his mind when Bjorn joined the Hunt and uncovering all his lies.”
Ian remembered the disturbing sensation of the Lord of the Underworld rifling through his thoughts. He’d felt violated by the inti
mate invasion, but he hadn’t cared. He’d wanted a chance to ride. The opportunity to kill even one of the fairies’ creatures was too damn much of a temptation to resist.
“Instead of eternal life”—Zeph glanced at him—“Bjorn found death and endless suffering. Bastard deserved everything he got.”
“So that’s how he hurt her?” Somehow it didn’t ring true in Ian’s mind. There had to be more to the story.
“No.” Rhys turned cold eyes on Ian. “It was the number of women he had scattered across the countryside in quaint little homes his rich family provided for his multitude of bastard children.”
“And the damnation he found stemmed from a lifetime of lies and dozens of murders,” Zeph added.
Well, shit. “She didn’t know.”
Rhys folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes once more. “No, and in the years they were lovers, he went home on several visits. Each time, he left one of his lovers heavy with child.”
Ian pushed to his feet. “Thanks for the insight, man. I owe you.”
“Where are you going?” Zeph asked.
“To prove to her I’ll be faithful.”
Zeph snorted. “How are you going to do that?”
By mating her. Only problem was how to get her to agree. “Don’t worry. I have my ways.” And they all involved getting her naked.
Tegan fought the urge to lash out at Trevor, but the human’s question pissed her off.
“Well? Are you the woman who ruined Ian’s life?” Trevor repeated.
Tegan spun and faced him. “It’s none of your business.”
“You’re right, it’s not.” Trevor leaned against the stainless steel fridge, arms crossed. “Doesn’t mean I’ll back off. That’s what friends do for each other.”
Time to direct the conversation away from her relationship with Ian. She snatched Allie’s picture from one of the open folders on the kitchen table. Blonde, blue eyes, with the face of an angel. The human female was pretty. More than pretty, actually. She matched the ideal woman of the modern world—slender legs that went on forever and a tiny waist. She also looked sheltered and completely innocent, as if she’d never experienced a single tragedy in her life. All the things Tegan wasn’t.
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