A Reluctant Huntress: Tales of the Wild Hunt | Book One

by Knox, Graceley

  Maxen drops me to my feet and frowns, crossing his broad arms in front of his even broader chest. If I didn’t know how big his older brother was, I’d question if he was on some type of mushroom or something to keep his muscles this big, but they’re both part giant, so I guess it makes sense. He rubs a hand over his cropped black hair and nods his head.

  “Got it. No offense, Kapriel.”

  Kap waves him off. “None taken, I get it.”

  “And what do you mean so far?” Maxen nudges his shoulder into mine, and we head toward my chambers. “Don’t think that just because I’m laughing with you now, I’m not still pissed at you for leaving without telling me why, Jin.”

  I wince. “I know. I’ll explain everything. Just let me get cleaned up.”

  “I would kill for a shower right now,” Kapriel chimes in.

  “Same. Wren surprised me at the end of a hunt, and I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

  “That would explain why you smell like a brothel.” Maxen wrinkles his nose at me.

  “Shut the fuck up. Last I checked, I could barely pull you out from between that one whore’s legs. Still the case these days?” I ask as I kick open the door to my rooms, startling the maid tidying up in there. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

  She curtsies low and hustles out of the room, her cheeks stained red.

  “Still terrifying everyone you encounter with that face of yours, eh, Jin?” Maxen laughs, flopping down into a chair.

  “If by terrifying, you mean stunning them with my beauty, then yeah…it’s still a thing I do often.” I stick out my tongue at him, taking his jokes about my unusual appearance for a huntress in stride. If I had believed all the insults thrown my way about being too pretty to get down and dirty with the “big boys” when it came to hunting, I’d never have become a huntress in the first place.

  “You and I should exchange stories.” Kapriel joins Maxen in laughing at my expense, and I give both of them the finger before pointing at Maxen with it. “You didn’t answer my question…”

  Maxen takes a seat at the small table next to the stained glass window. “Nah, I quit hanging around brothels after you left. Someone had to pick up the slack, you know?”

  I pull at my bag still hanging from Ambush’s jaws, trying to get some clothes so I can rinse off and change. “Ambush, drop it.” She growls at me but does as I ask. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure you guys did just fine without me.” I wave a hand around. “It’s not like the castle has fallen to shambles or anything.” I point toward the bathroom. “Kap, shower’s that way, have at it.”

  Kapriel strides away, his bag in hand, and I plant my hands on my hips, meeting Maxen’s serious stare head on.

  “You going to tell me why you left without so much as a fare thee well?” Grave plops himself down at Maxen’s side and leans against him, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Maxen reaches down without thought and rubs at the scruff of his neck, and my eyes go wide.

  “Speak loud enough so I can hear too!” Kapriel shouts from the bathroom, but I ignore him to address the sight in front of me.

  “He’s letting you touch him.” I’m torn between feeling betrayed by my own dog and terrified that Grave is going to snap and bite Maxen’s hand off.

  “Yeah, they hung around me for quite a while after you left. Wren and I have been looking after them.” Something in his voice changes at the mention of my sister, but I store the info for later, instead choosing to get settled.

  “Thanks for that, Maxen. It wasn’t easy to leave them…to leave any of you guys.”

  “Then why did you, Jin? Why didn’t you take over for your dad? Marry Artagant and have little psychotic babies running around as you hunted down oath breakers?”

  “Your turn, Jin.” Kapriel snaps a towel at my leg.

  “Be right back.” I think over Maxen’s words as I take the quickest shower in the history of the realms.

  His words make it seem like the world had been at my feet.

  And in a way, it had been.

  But not exactly in the way that I’d wanted it to be.

  I’d been betrothed to Artagant MacGabhann. One of the spoiled brats that had the right breeding and the right political ties to make a smart match for my family. My best girlfriend, Arianna, was set to be my maid of honor at the wedding. My oldest brother was going to take the throne, and I’d be able to still do what I love in between doing my royal duty and producing heirs, just in case.

  Until I’d stumbled upon a couple so entangled in each other you couldn’t tell whose parts were whose. And when my boot had scuffed the floor, startling them, both Artagant and Arianna had turned their heads, mouths hanging open in a mix of shock and horror.

  Instead of beating him to within an inch of his life and telling my father, leaving Artagant to the proverbial wolves and his family disgraced, I’d walked away and told them both to rot in the underworld.

  Shortly after, Gerant had announced his love for Isa and that he was abdicating the throne to help her family with theirs.

  And like a giant avalanche of shit that shouldn’t happen, my father had forgone tradition and named me next in line to the throne rather than Edern. Attacks began on my life on a daily basis shortly after Gerant had left, in what I could only assume was an attempt to steal the crown from me. Then Wren had fallen ill, and I’d received a letter telling me that if I didn’t leave, they’d finish the job. All for a gods forsaken crown.

  A crown I’d never considered mine to begin with. A kingdom that had always been my father’s. And a betrothal I’d had no say in.

  On the outside, everyone thought that I had the perfect life. I had the best hounds we’d seen in a millennia, I was engaged to the court heartthrob, my hunt record was pristine, and I was well respected amongst the many.

  But on the inside, I’d felt like I was suffocating. Slowly gasping for air as everyone watched around me, smiling and carrying on, and I couldn’t breathe. No matter how hard I clawed at my throat, the oxygen still left my lungs, and blackness crept in, enveloping me in its grip until it pulled me under.

  Instead of trying to explain all of that to Maxen, who hadn’t known anything outside of duty and hunting down those who had broken their oaths, I opt for the explanation that’s easiest on everyone involved.

  I poke my head out of the bathroom and reply to Maxen’s question, hoping he’ll let the subject drop for now. “I couldn’t face my father and tell him that I didn’t want to continue the legacy he’s ruled over for millennia.”

  Maxen raises an eyebrow, his hand stilling on the back of Grave’s neck, and he just stares at me, his golden eyes in a deadlock with my own icy blue ones.

  “So you’re saying that you didn’t want to rule the Wild Hunt and keep kicking ass every day? Riiight, whatever you say, Jin. You don’t have to tell me the real reason if you don’t want to, but don’t think that answer is going to fly with anyone else either.”

  I throw my hands up in the air and let them slap down on my leather covered thighs. “It’s the only answer I’ve got, Maxen.”

  I rub at my neck, reminding myself that I can breathe, that I’m not stuck here. I have options now that I know of the world outside of Faerie and outside of my family’s kingdom. Hopefully, the psycho that I’d left to avoid wouldn’t take my presence as a new threat and would only see me as here to help find my father, not take the throne.

  I meet Kapriel’s gaze, and he gives me a nod of solidarity. He might not be in my exact position, but I know he gets what the sensation of being trapped feels like.

  I’d missed Faerie every day with an ache in my heart that wouldn’t go away. But I’d do it again if it allowed me to keep my family safe, keep Wren safe. I’d go back to the human realm after this and live there for an eternity if necessary. My family wouldn’t get it, because we don’t typically acknowledge threats in any other way than head on, but honestly, I couldn’t imagine living knowing that I’d caused my sister’s death when I
could have prevented it by staying away.

  The expression “between a rock and a hard place” had never been more accurate than it was in this moment, and unfortunately for me, the hard place was with my family.

  By blood and by choice.

  “Alright, whatever you say, Jin, I’ll drop it for now, but don’t think I’m done asking for answers. And I’m not going to be the only one asking. You know that, right?”

  I sigh. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure the court is all a twitter now that I’m back.” And the longer I wait to explain my reasons for leaving, the more people will talk and speculate.

  Maxen snorts as he stands from his seat, wiping his palms on his dirty leather pants. “I’m going to start a rumor that you had a love child with a human, just to see what happens.”

  I finish braiding my waist length hair and head to my closet, where I’d left my hunting gear and generally epic, made-for-me ensembles, and chuckle at his sick idea of a joke. “Please do. I’d love to watch everyone choke on their drinks.”

  Kapriel holds up both hands in a “please don’t” gesture as Maxen eyes him. “I like all my parts where they are, thanks. Her and I aren’t like that. At all.” His last words are full of disgust, and I snort. Kapriel is like a brother, and at no point in time have I ever thought about him in that way.

  I pull out a holster that crisscrosses my shoulders and keeps a line of knives down my back, protecting my spine. I slide the weapon out of the sheath and run a finger down the blade, testing how sharp they still are.

  A drop of blood forms, and I examine the edge and then another before turning to Maxen. “This you?” I wave the dagger in the air, and he shakes his head.

  “Nah, that’s Wren. She comes in here once a week and sharpens and cleans your weapons for you.”

  I smile and strap the holster on, as well as one that wraps around my hips and buckles at each thigh, holding three knives on each leg, a pouch of potions and herbs on my left hip, and my sword at my right hip.

  “I need to get me one of these cool contraptions,” Kapriel whispers as he checks out my weapons closet.

  Maxen claps Kapriel on the shoulder and says, “Don’t worry, brother, we’ll get you all sorted with the weapons master this afternoon.” They start talking about all things weapons, and I tune them out, happy they’re seemingly getting along for now.

  I sigh as I caress the pommel of my sword hanging from my hip. The spikes of the dragon head scrape my fingertips as I relearn every dip and curve of her. The bright red ruby eyes that glimmer in the soft lantern light of my room, the black leather with the imprint of my hand’s grip, and the jet black onyx blade, forged in the fires of the underworld.

  “I’ve missed you, Draíocht.” I run my pointer finger down the middle of the blade, and she sings for me. Her magic, my swords namesake, flows through my body like a raging river after a thunderstorm.

  She’d been crafted solely for me and given to me on the day my parents presented me to the court. I’ve still got the scar on my left palm where they sliced it open to fill a small bowl with my blood to use in her creation.

  I glance up after a moment, catching smiles on both men’s faces as I slide Draíocht back into her sheath.

  “Okay then, now that I’m all set…can somebody please tell me what the fuck has been going on around here? And how in the three underworlds you lost the King of the Wild Hunt?”

  6

  “We didn’t lose him. He disappeared.”

  The words are gritty against my nerves, like a mud bath that the humans favor but only serves to put sand in places I’m uncomfortable with.

  I don’t turn to face him, instead watching Kapriel’s reaction to my father’s personal guard, Draven Hellguard. He’s Maxen’s older brother and a general pain in my ass since the moment he became one of my father’s personal guard and left little ole us in the ashes of his fiery steed.

  Kapriel’s left eye twitches, but that’s the only indicator that Draven is leaving any impression on him. His gaze flickers to mine, and I twist my lips in amusement before finally facing Draven.

  “For those of us that are apparently new to synonyms, what’s the difference between losing someone and someone disappearing?” I try to keep my attitude toward him in check. Really I do, but I can’t stop my hand from resting on my cocked hip.

  Draven’s peridot green eyes start at my feet and drag up every inch of my body to the wispy bits of hair that will never stay in place. I resist the urge to shiver under his astute perusal but only just barely. Instead, I take my time and give him the same treatment.

  Gods damn.

  If it wouldn’t go straight to his head, I’d whistle my appreciation. Draven has not only grown taller since I left, he’s filled out even more than I thought possible. His legs are long and muscled and lead up to what I’m sure are more abs than a girl can count on both hands. His torso opens up to broad shoulders that I’m sure are perfect for resting on when he’s got his face between a woman’s thighs. His hands are scarred and rough in appearance, but I bet they feel incredible as they glide over your skin, teasing and molding you to his will as he assaults your body with pleasure. Black stubble casts a shadow on the lower half of his face, framing full lips with a scar cutting across the right side, the whiskers covering a jaw cut from pure granite. His inky hair is a bit longer than I remember. No longer cut short to his scalp, instead it’s mostly pulled back, with a few pieces falling out of whatever he’s used to tie it back.

  Before I can stop myself, a fissure of pleasure rolls through me, and when I finally pull my attention to his face, there’s a cocky smirk resting on those lips. I’d bet my favorite set of knives that he knows exactly the effect he had on me, and he’s unapologetic for trying to use it to his advantage.

  I narrow my eyes, ending our battle of wills, and ask a question I know will make him twitch. “So, Draven, are you going to answer my question and tell me how you lost my father?” I hold up a hand in mock apology. “Oh, so sorry, I meant how my father disappeared under your watch?”

  Maxen rubs a hand over his mouth when Draven sighs heavily in response to my rhetorical question.

  “We do not have time for your word games, Jinx. Are you here to help us, or are you here to hinder us?”

  “The former, obviously.” I roll my eyes.

  “When you’re ready, meet us in the great hall, and I’ll show you to where he was taken from.” Draven turns on his heel and walks away before I can respond to his face, but it doesn’t stop me from shouting after him.

  “I know where my father’s office is. It’s not like I grew up here or anything!” I look at both Maxen and Kapriel, frowning at their amused faces. “What?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s good to have you back, Jinx.” Maxen smirks at me, rubbing his hands together before starting to follow his brother out of my rooms.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I inhale a few deep breaths trying to gather some patience out of thin air even though I know that it will only last as long as I’m not in the same room as that exasperating man. “I know I’m acting like a petulant preteen at the moment, but honestly, Draven brings out the best in me. Clearly.”

  “You mean the worst?” Kap asks with a chuckle, and I shake my head.

  “Nah, I meant the best. You’ll see.”

  “By you’ll see, she means you’d better be prepared to run for your life, Kapriel, because when she and my big brother get in a room together, they either light it or each other on fire.” Maxen stands just outside my door, waiting for us, ignoring Kapriel’s slack jaw. I nudge Kapriel with my elbow to get him moving again.

  “It’ll be fine. I won’t light anybody on fire.”

  “Are you sure you can make that promise, Jin?” Kap asks.

  I guffaw and slap his back. “Oh, Kapriel, my man. Make sure you listen closely while you’re here, because if you’ve never met a pied piper, this place is crawling with them, and they’ll twist and bend any words they know to their advanta
ge and your disadvantage.”

  “So basically, I shouldn’t believe a word anyone says.”

  I nod. “Exactly. For example, I didn’t make any such promise of not lighting anyone on fire. The word promise was nowhere to be found in my sentence, and I didn’t say there was a time frame on that statement or any places I can or can’t do so.”

  Kapriel rubs at his temples and looks skyward. “Love of the gods, I’m going to end up married to a ten-legged hound, sworn to only wear pink for the rest of my life, before we leave here.”

  I throw my head back and belly laugh at the image Kapriel’s words formed in my head. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure we don’t have any of those hanging around, so you should be safe.” I glance back at Grave and Ambush as they stick close to my heels, their large heads held high as they trot after me.

  “You say that, but I’m not feeling reassured, Jin.”

  I roll my eyes as we round the corner, heading down the stone steps to the main hall. “Yeah, well, unless they’ve suddenly decided to try a new breeding program for the hounds, I’m doubtful you’ll see a ten-legged hound, let alone end up married to one.”

  We stop next to Maxen and a few other guards I don’t recognize, and I try to stifle a giggle as Maxen winks at me.

  “You’ve seen the new beasts then, Kapriel?” Maxen asks Kap, his tone dead serious.

  Kapriel’s eyes go wide, and he turns slowly to stare at me. I hold up both hands in an “I didn’t know” gesture, and Kapriel’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he gets words out.

  “I have not. I was only kidding. I refuse to see them. Do not show them to me. Understand, Maxen? Jinx…I swear to the gods, I will kill you if you try to make it happen.”

  “What do you have against our hounds?” Maxen asks, tilting his head in mock affront.

  “I’ve got nothing against them. I like Ambush and Grave. But the ones with ten legs…” Kapriel shudders. “I’ll just keep my distance.”

  Maxen claps a hand on Kapriel’s shoulder and laughs. “I’m just fucking with you, man. We don’t have ten-legged hounds. Who do you think we are? The Sluagh?”