Hunter Betrayed, page 17
part #1 of Wild Hunt Series
The stone fortress resembled a patchwork of blocks with jutting extensions and turrets. Gardens, overflowing with life, surrounded it. A bubbling brook snaked its way across the valley to the small lake at the end.
Although he couldn’t see it from where he stood, a meadow spread out behind the massive structure. His hounds lounged there and acted as guardians for the misplaced souls they’d collected over the ages. From time to time, the angels collected those ready to move on. Many stayed. Calan didn’t understand why, nor did he question it. They were welcome in the paradise fields. The rolling acres were beautiful. Peaceful. Tempting.
He too longed to walk along the paths weaving their way through the valley as he’d done in ages past but wouldn’t without Harley by his side. She couldn’t come here until she accepted him. He would wait and endure as he’d done for eons and fill his time with his duties, including the one that brought him here today. The quicker he completed his task, the quicker he could return to Harley’s side.
A prod to his steed’s backend sent him trotting down the corridor leading to the fields where the unfortunate humans would find peace. He waited until the darkness swallowed Death’s image then faced his furious father.
“Giving my body to Harley was not a mistake.” Calan propped his shoulder against the wall. “You know how easily love can strike. I stumbled upon Harley years ago. She held temptation at bay until she could return and free me.”
Arawn only raised a lip and let a trickling growl escape. Body tensed, he looked ready to strike.
Calan pushed from the wall and dropped his hands loosely to the side. “She will not fall as her father did. I will act as her shield, absorbing her rage and harnessing her strengths. She will soar under my influence and become more powerful than any fairy before her.”
Arawn stepped forward. The smack of his booted foot on the stone floor echoed in the small space. Another thump and Calan’s anger flared. He would not be intimidated. He matched Arawn’s approach until they were inches apart.
“Are you so sure of that, my son?”
Calan dipped his head. “I am sure.”
Arawn grabbed him by his shoulders and tossed him off the ledge overlooking the Huntsmen’s valley. The air rushed by, wafting the scent of campfires around him. It didn’t calm the fury building within him. Calan hit the hardened earth. His breath escaped in a rough grunt. He pushed up, leapt and met Arawn midair.
Claws dug into Calan’s sides. The tearing of his muscles only fueled his rage. He pierced Arawn’s chest with his own talon-tipped fingers and tore him open, shoulder to gut. Arawn shoved him back. A second time, Calan hit the grass-covered ground. He hopped to his feet and crouched, ready for his sire’s next move.
Arawn hovered over him, black wings flapping soundlessly. A soft brush of wind danced over Calan’s skin, cooling the blood coating it. The wounds he’d sustained had already healed. Red eyes, no pupil, focused on him. With skin as black as the deepest abyss and blazing white teeth, Arawn resembled the human’s depiction of the devil. Saliva dripped from his extended canines.
“You’ve damned yourself, child.” Arawn landed several feet from him in a matching crouch, wings folded at his back. “And you’ve damned the Huntsmen.”
“Never. I have not endured for a millennium to fail now that I’m finally free.”
Arawn roared and punched him. Calan flew backward and hit the corner of his stone fortress. Crumbling rocks rained down on him. He stood and stretched his arms out to the side. “You want to punish me for falling in love, so be it. I won’t apologize for it.”
Arawn’s black, winged body compressed. Tan skin replaced his scaly black covering. The leathery flaps folded in upon themselves, leaving his father’s familiar image before him. Arawn shook his head and turned his back on him. Arms crossed, he stared out across the rolling meadows. Thousands of brightly colored dots floated and weaved over the flowers and tall grass. The pulses danced around the hounds that rolled and raced in endless play.
Time stretched. Calan waited, knowing his father would eventually say what troubled him.
“The female loves you.”
Calan took the position next to Arawn, mimicking his stance. Although not posed as a question, he answered. “Yes, Harley loves me.”
Arawn sighed. “Has she completed the union?”
“Not yet. I stopped her when I gave her my half because I wanted her to see and love both sides of me.”
“Good. You cannot allow her to finish it. I will speak with the Triad to see if we can undo the mating you have started.”
The mention of the three powerful entities that ruled over all—gods, humans and everything in between—didn’t faze him. His father’s suggestion he break his bond to Harley did, however.
Calan’s nails lengthened. He used the sharp talons to slam his father into the stone fortress, locking him into place. “You will do no such thing. Harley is mine. There will be no severing of my circle.” Calan leaned closer and snarled. “My choice, my mate, my love. I won’t allow anyone to take Harley from me.”
Instead of the rage he expected, pity shown on Arawn’s stark features. The look cut through Calan’s fury. He yanked his claws free and stumbled back. His pulse picked up a quickened beat to match the rough breaths heaving his chest. Arawn’s slumped shoulders and slackened features chilled him. Calan had never seen the male before him appear so…defeated.
“And that is why you will fail, my beloved child.”
“Why? You cannot tell me such a thing without an explanation.”
Arawn motioned for them to walk. Calan fell into step beside him. They followed the path to the calm pond. At the edge, Arawn linked his hands behind his back. “I do not blame you, Calan. I too made a horrible mistake when I bound Minerva to me. It is in our natures to want to claim the female we’ve chosen to be ours, no matter what our rational minds might tell us.”
“I will be the mate Harley needs. You do not need to—”
“Stop.” Arawn faced him. Anger replaced the sadness stamped on his face. Narrowed eyes focused on him. “Did you not think about how giving your body to a fairy would affect the curse you hold?”
“I do not bear the curse. I forced it onto my brothers and sisters.”
Arawn laughed. The bitter sound cut through Calan. A sense of trepidation seized his heart. He stepped back.
“Have you forgotten what you are, my son?” Arawn stepped forward and placed his hand over the mark of the Hunt on Calan’s chest. “A Huntsman, bound to your horse, your hounds, me and the other riders.” Arawn leaned close. “You are one with your brothers and sisters. From now until the world ends.”
Calan’s heart stopped as the implication swamped him, ones he hadn’t considered until Arawn prompted him. He shook his head. “No.”
“Yes. You did not force the curse onto your siblings. They willingly accepted it so you could defeat Dahm. They did not take it from you. They can’t.”
He staggered back. “But I—”
“Have damned your mate! That is what you have done.” Another shove. Calan landed on his ass a third time. He stayed there. Arawn towered over him. “She holds a piece of your body. Your cursed body. Once your siblings succumb to the madness the weight of the curse will fall to you and through you, Harley.”
Calan shook his head. He had no words.
Arawn crouched next to him. “How long do you think you will survive before madness takes over your mind when you must watch your mate die repeatedly?” He snorted. “Not long I’m guessing. And when you are lost, she will bear it alone.”
“No.” Calan choked on the word.
“You have two choices, child. Either break your circle and continue hunting Dahm or allow Harley to suffer under the curse.”
“I will do neither.” Because both would damn her. She needed him to help her remain honorable. He was her shield against the tempting chaos. “I’ll hunt down Dahm and return it to him before that happens.” Calan stood, determination settling over him. “I will save my siblings, the world and my mate.”
Arawn didn’t respond. He merely watched him with the defeated expression etched on his features.
Calan willed Death to him. The ghostly steed trotted forward. He leapt onto his horse’s back and gave a prod to his side. There was nothing left to discuss. His vow was made. He only prayed the doubt in his heart wouldn’t nullify it.
“Son?”
He didn’t stop.
“Return to me when you realize I am right. I will sacrifice and ensure you have the option of ripping yourself from the female. It’s the best way.”
Calan stopped his horse. Eyes straight ahead, he declared, “The female’s name is Harley, my mate. You will not rip her away from me. I will take on all of hell’s creatures in order to keep her, including you.”
“As would I in your position, but it won’t work. One man cannot hold evil at bay forever. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
Calan urged Death into a run and left his fortress and father behind. His home awaited him on the human realm. By the gods, he would treasure her because he feared Arawn was right.
He had failed everyone and he was all out of things to sacrifice because nothing would make him turn Harley into a martyr. She would not bear the weight of the curse meant for her father. She was innocent of the crimes the Unseelie Court committed.
But above all, Harley was his to protect. He’d promised that she would never suffer again. Somehow, he’d figure out a way to honor all his commitments.
He had to.
Chapter Nineteen
Harley stared at the caller ID of her cell. Unknown. She knew the number by heart, however. Raul often called her. How he kept getting her supposedly untraceable number she didn’t have a clue. Usually, she ignored him and ditched the phone. Today she fought the temptation to answer it.
The ringing stopped and she breathed a sigh. She tossed the sleek phone onto the bed. She watched it bounce and resumed her pacing. Tonight’s battle and the encounter with Raul had troubled her. So had Calan’s words. She’d allowed Raul to play on her emotions. He’d known she’d want to protect Allie and he’d used her empathy to ensure Calan didn’t kill him.
She felt like a damn fool for falling for his game but what she’d told Calan was true. She didn’t have the right to choose one life over another. God, she just wanted to save everyone. Was that so wrong?
The cell started ringing before she could take the thought further. She picked it up, locked at the ID and answered. “Raul?”
“Meet me in ten minutes at the greenhouse if you want to save Trevor. Dahm has ordered me to bring him in. He wants to make him into…what I am.”
The line went dead. Her heart stopped on a wave of terror.
Oh god. Trevor. She’d never really been friends with him. He’d been Ian’s since kindergarten, though. Ian loved him as a brother. He won’t lose someone else he loves to Raul, not if I can stop it.
The phone slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. The screen cracked. She left it and ran out of the room, skidding down the hallway to the service stairs. It led right into the backyard and the path leading to the greenhouse.
The bulbs in the rear section of the house were burned out. She didn’t need them. Her fairy genetics gifted her with heightened senses, but the darkness and the closed space of the stairwell triggered her fears of being locked away.
She stumbled halfway down the steps. The tightness in her chest and racing pulse warned she was close to an anxiety attack.
No, dammit! I don’t have time for a breakdown.
Memories of her time spent in the bunker, a plush apartment underground, returned anyway. No matter how comfy the place had been, she’d hated it. Without windows to let in the sun and breeze, it had felt like a tomb.
Breathe, Harley. You’re not locked away. You’re fine. So is Calan. He’s free of that horrible cell he’d been confined to.
“Calan.” She stopped with her hand on the door handle at the bottom of the stairs.
He’d told her to reach for him, but she didn’t know how. The hounds. They were linked to him. She flung the door open and scanned the backyard. One of the females lay in the grass near the driveway. Harley whistled. The dog trotted over.
She crouched and looked into the animal’s intelligent eyes. “Tell Calan I need him. Now.”
The dog didn’t move. Harley waited a moment more then pushed to her feet and ran. She’d have to hope the animal would understand and obey her. She didn’t have time to wait any longer. The clock was ticking.
The greenhouse stood on the other side of the butterfly garden, opposite of the lake. She skidded down the driveway and turned at the overgrown area. Harley bent under the drooping limbs and smacked into a hard chest. A yelp escaped, but the sound was muffled behind a large palm.
The scent of a campfire invaded her nostrils. The tension she hadn’t realized had seized her muscles dissipated. She glanced into Calan’s face.
“Be calm. It’s just me”
The tiny brush of butterfly wings danced across her mind. She didn’t resist the yank of her anxiety. She shoved it at him.
He slid his fingers to the column of her neck and massaged gently. “What has happened?”
“Raul, he called, said Dahm wanted to turn Trevor into a redcap.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me?”
She swallowed hard. “He said I had ten minutes and I…”
What? Jesus, what had she been thinking? She’d played right into Raul’s trap.
“Do not endanger yourself again. It is my job to protect you.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He kissed her neck and stepped back. “Follow my lead. We end this tonight.”
* * * * *
Calan crouched in the woods just out of reach of the redcap’s senses. He and his hounds had been hunting the fairies and their creatures long enough to have narrowed it to a science.
His hounds, in their black Hunt forms, watched Raul from their position on the opposite side of the greenhouse. Unless spotted, the fairies or their creatures wouldn’t sense them. Unfortunately, at nearly one-hundred-fifty pounds each they could only blend in so well. Still, they provided valuable information and could hunt without rest night after night.
He squatted with Harley behind him, one hand on his lower back. Bringing her along had been a gamble. Raul would know she was here. He’d always know and he’d always be able to find her. Unless Harley took his blood too, she wouldn’t have that advantage, however. No way would Calan allow that to happen. The intimacy it offered enraged him. He would not share his mate.
The redcap needed to die.
Using his mental link to the newly initiated Hunter, Calan shared his plan with Ian who mimicked his pose to the left of the greenhouse, closest to the house. A mental equivalent to a nod answered him.
Assured Ian would watch Harley’s back, he let his mind seep deeper into Harley’s and pulled her close. Harley, I want you to approach the greenhouse and draw Raul outside. It’ll be easier for my hounds to restrain him there. He reached a free hand back and rested his fingertips along her thigh. Then I will kill him.
And Allie will be lost too.
He tore his gaze from the building to peer over his shoulder. Maybe, maybe not. A redcap’s word is not enough to go on. Once my siblings are released, we will search for her. For now we must focus on returning the curse to Dahm. The barrier needs to be stabilized.
You’re right. She tightened her grip on his waistband. This is a trap, isn’t it?
Yes. He couldn’t be certain of what, but he suspected Dahm was behind it. Now go and remember I am here. I’ll protect you.
She nodded and pushed to her feet. With quick strides, she closed the distance. He followed her with his gaze and waited. She reached the clearing at the same time as squealing tires sounded in the distance. Between one heartbeat and the next, the mark of the Hunt pulsed and stirred his rage.
Dahm had arrived.
The fairy made no attempt to conceal his approach. Calan pivoted on his heel and faced the opposite direction. For a second he was torn, but he couldn’t allow the dark prince to carry out whatever plan he had for them. He had to trust in Harley and his new brother of the Hunt.
Calan ordered his hounds to stay with Harley. He allowed his Huntsman form to emerge. The change swept over him in a rush of pain he welcomed. The strength in his Hunter’s body fueled his limbs. He ran, the world rushing by in a blur of color. He broke the tree line near the butterfly garden and cursed.
Dozens of sluaghs waited, all hidden from his detection. Raul’s puppets. Calan’s anger surged. The redcap who hid behind Harley would suffer for every human life he’d destroyed.
With a thought, Calan called Death to him and willed his sword to take shape. Both appeared in a puff of sulfur-scented air. He leapt onto his horse’s back and raised the sword. Flames danced along the length, snaking its way along the obsidian blade much like the living fire caressed Rhys during his unending torture.
A prod to his steed’s flank and he raced forward. He targeted the nearest rotting body. Once a young male, his muscular frame now stood hunched, its spine contorted as its muscles and ligaments liquefied under the force of the chaos eating away at its body.
Calan swung, the blade sliding easily through the soft flesh and bone. The head fell to the ground with a smack, blood and gore splattering. The sluagh’s soul rushed up in a vortex of light and wind from the headless husk. A sigh carried on the breeze, a thanks only a Huntsman heard.
Calan leapt from his horse and turned to face the others even as the sound of the car grew louder. He swept his gaze over the unfortunate humans. All appeared as malnourished as the one he’d just struck down.
Raul had been starving them.
The sluaghs needed their victims’ fear-laced blood to feed the chaos they held. Without the stolen frenzied emotion, the taint fed itself on its host’s suffering. Why had the redcap denied them their food? Surely he suffered along with them as they were linked to him.
