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

by Knox, Graceley

  He doesn’t stop his ministrations as I come on his fingers, scratching at the rock beneath me as my body goes white hot and the only thing I know is ecstasy. He kisses my inner thighs as I slowly start to come back down from soaring high up in the clouds above me, little fissures of pleasure still dancing through my nerve endings.

  I glance down at him and grin, wishing I’d made a bet with myself a few days ago.

  “What are you smiling about?” he asks, folding his hands over my stomach and resting his chin on them.

  “Oh nothing, I was just thinking that I was right about something.”

  He raises both eyebrows. “Right about what exactly?”

  “Just that your shoulders are built for resting a woman’s thighs on them while you pleasure her with your mouth.”

  Draven tosses back his head and roars with laughter at my words, and I shrug, unapologetic for telling him what I’d been thinking. “I guess both of us were right in our thinking then.”

  “Oh yeah?” I narrow my eyes at him, unsure what he’s going to say next and whether or not I’m going to want to smack him for it.

  “Yeah, I took one good look at you a few days ago and knew that these thighs would cradle me perfectly, no matter where they were wrapped around my body.”

  I stare at him in shock, unable to respond to him. I hadn’t known he’d felt any sort of way toward me other than annoyance up until earlier today, so it’s no surprise when my mouth opens and something less than ideal tumbles from my lips.

  “Well, I’ll be gods damned.”

  16

  An hour after I’d fallen over the mountain of bliss Draven had pushed me over, we both swim back to the edge of the pool and sit atop a rock, letting ourselves air dry a bit before putting our clothes back on.

  We’d passed the time laughing and teasing each other in the water, talking about trivial things like what foods and activities we like and dislike. Our conversation had flowed naturally as though we’d been friends for years and I hadn’t been gone and he hadn’t started ignoring me long before I’d left.

  I catch him staring at me and narrow my eyes at him. “What?”

  Draven shrugs. “Nothing, I’m just looking you over.”

  “Well, knock it off, you’re making me twitch.”

  I look down at my bare skin. I hadn’t bothered to cast my glamour back over all the battle scars my body wears, and despite my confidence as a warrior, my assuredness that each one shows my bravery and my honor… As a woman, each and every mark reminds me that I’m no lady and the only thing I can really do with a needle is stitch up someone’s arm or stab them in the eye with it.

  “Are you ashamed of your scars, Jinx?” Draven softens his tone when he speaks the words, but it still hits a nerve nonetheless.

  I huff out a breath. “I’m not ashamed of who I am or what I’ve done, no.”

  “But?”

  “But, I’m well aware that I’m one of the few female hunters in my father’s kingdom, and unlike the most desirable woman, I am hard where they are soft. I can’t mend a dress or tell you which curtains would look best in someone’s rooms.”

  Draven chuckles. “I can attest to the fact that you are soft where other women are soft if you’re referring to those sweet thighs of yours.”

  I think over his comment, trying to ignore the jealousy that pools in my belly at his comment about another woman, and instead focus on the fact that he thinks my muscled thighs are soft enough to stick his head between.

  “Uh, well, I’m not quite sure what to say to that other than thanks…I think.”

  “You’re so very welcome.” He motions to the two piles of our clothes a few feet from us. “Are you dry enough that you can get dressed and we can head back down to the castle?”

  I tease him as I stand. “Tired of my company already?”

  “Of course not.” He rests his hand on my bare lower back as I carefully make my way across the slippery rocks toward the grass. “I just know we both have things to do, and I don’t want someone who would tell everyone and their aunt that they caught us sunning ourselves naked at the White Spring to come looking for either of us.”

  “Right then.” I shimmy my hips, pulling up my pants, a thrill running through me when I hear a low growl coming from Draven. “So I think it would be good if I go in first, and you follow after me a few minutes later?”

  Draven is silent behind me, and I wonder if my words sounded as grade school to him as they had to me. I buckle my sword belt around my hips and turn to look at him. He’s looking off toward the water, hands on his narrow hips, stark naked, and it’s all I can do to not drool.

  “Ehrm, Draven, did you hear me?” I trace each ripple of his abdomen as he moves, trying not to whimper in despair when he covers himself with his shirt.

  “Yes, I did. I think if we do a few minutes apart and separate entrances, it could work. Did you leave out the front doors?”

  “Uh, no.” I stare at the length of him, swallowing hard at the thought of what he’d feel like moving inside of me. I mean, between his mouth and his fingers, clearly he has had some practice in bed. I wonder if his hips would move in perfect rhythm with mine.

  Draven snaps his fingers in front of my face, and heat rushes to my cheeks at being caught staring at his now hard dick. I close my eyes, wishing the underworld would open up beneath me and just swallow me whole for a few days so I could work up the courage to look Draven in the face and pretend that I wasn’t salivating over his cock.

  “Jinx, focus. I’m flattered you find me appealing, but you can show me how much you admire my cock later. Which entrance did you use?”

  “I-I left out of the kitchens. I was running away from Artagant.” I clear my throat and turn on my heel, giving him my back so he can finish dressing without an audience.

  “I didn’t think you ran from anyone, mala lovka.”

  I shrug. “Eh, it wasn’t so much running from him as avoiding him.”

  “Weren’t you the one that made a comment about synonyms?” he asks, laughter in his voice.

  I cross my arms over my chest, unhappy he’s using my words against me even though he’s one hundred percent right. “Yes, I did. This is different.”

  “If you say so.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, startling me. “You ready to head out?”

  I glance up at him over my shoulder, trying to gauge where this little tryst of ours leaves us. Does it mean anything? Does it mean nothing? I have no idea the type of man he’d become while I was away, but there is no denying the pull between us. With each breath he takes, his front brushes against my back, warming my body until I feel as though my muscles have all relaxed completely.

  For whatever reason, I have no issue with Draven standing at my back despite my usual rule of only those I trust being allowed there. It’s a venerable position as both a huntress and a woman.

  I realize I haven’t answered his question, and I nod, humming my assent.

  “Good, I’ll see you down there.” With a rough knuckle, he tips my chin up and slams his mouth on mine, his tongue demanding entry.

  I melt into him, kissing him back just as fiercely. All too quickly for my liking, he breaks our kiss, and I stare up at his rugged face. His eyes are closed, and he licks his lips as though he can’t get enough of my taste.

  He smirks down at me. “Now you can go.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Just as soon as I remember how to put one foot in front of the other, I’ll leave. Gods, I hadn’t expected that he’d have such a drug like effect on me, but it’s been longer than I care to admit since I’ve been with a man. Add in the fact that Draven is built for pleasuring a woman, and I might as well just hang my panties around his neck.

  He spins me around and swats at my ass, the sharp sting shocking me out of my haze. “Mala lovka, the castle is that way.”

  I step into the first line of brush and turn back to look at him, finding him watching me. “You’re lucky I didn’t take your hand for hitting my
ass.”

  Draven laughs. “You liked it and you know it.”

  I grumble and take off through the nonsensical path out of my secret spot and back toward Castle Tor. He’s right. It had surprised me, but the feeling hadn’t been unpleasant. Anyone else though, I’d have taken their fingers and turned them into a necklace to wear.

  I’m lost in thought as I approach the entrance to the kitchens and hold open the door for one of the cooks who’s got her arms full of a tub of potatoes.

  “Oh, my lady, you needn’t hold the door for me, I can manage just fine.” She clucks her tongue, fluttering a hand around like it will decide what to do for her.

  “It’s not a problem, honestly.” I wave her forward, smiling when she checks about six times before proceeding into the kitchens before me rather than after me. “There’s much too much formality around here for my liking anymore—Martha, is it?”

  “Yes, my lady, I am Martha!” She places the giant tub of potatoes on one of the counters and dips into a curtsy. “Thank you so much for your help, my lady, I cannot thank you enough.”

  “Please, it was no trouble. Anytime you need a hand, let me know!”

  Martha gasps like I’ve just told her I’m going to kill the king, and I wink at her. “You cheeky girl, get out of here while I make some more of your favorite bread!”

  I snag a slice of apple off another counter top and wave at her as I walk away. “I’ll be seeing you soon then for that bread! We can share it over some mead!”

  A few more shocked inhalations of breath sound at my declaration, but I ignore them, smiling at each and every one of them as I pass through. Honestly, it’s not like we’re back in the stone ages when might was the only way to keep people safe and contained. I make a mental note to speak to my father about it once we find him, and push through the swinging doors into the main dining hall.

  No sight of Draven yet, so he’s clearly taking the time difference between our entries seriously. Good. As much as I might want to ride him like a wild steed, I don’t need any enemies knowing and using it against me. I’ve got enough people and problems to worry about as it is.

  I nod a greeting to one of the hunters eating a very late lunch or a very early dinner and pause at the table, pouring myself a cup of cool water. If I’m going to pretend to run into Draven so we can talk about plans for tomorrow, I’ve got to do something other than stand here like some sort of lost duckling.

  “Hey, Jinx, we’ve got a question for you!” One of the hunters calls me over to his table, and I smile at them as I approach.

  I lean against one of the wooden pillars next to where they’re seated. “What’s your question?”

  “Tell us about the human females.”

  “Ha! I should have known you’d ask me something stupid like this.” I shake my head. “They’re much the same as we are. They’re shorter in general, their ears are rounded, not pointed, and their hair is only one color unless they put these noxious chemicals in it.”

  Both men deflate like I’d poked a hole in them. “So there’s nothing special about them then? They sound boring.”

  “Some of them are very”—I wiggle my eyebrows—“friendly…but otherwise, I mainly dealt with them in a tavern setting. I was mostly hunting down rogue creatures and Fae.” I shrug. “Sorry to ruin all of your fantasies.”

  “Jinxy! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  At the sound of his high-pitched voice, my lips downturn into a severe frown, my eyes narrow, and my shoulders tense. Gods damnit. I’d forgotten he had tried to talk to me earlier. I spin around, unable to adjust my features into anything close to civility, and cross my arms over my chest. I don’t want this slug within ten feet of me.

  “Artagant.” He comes closer and reaches out his hand as though to grab my elbow and steer me away from the men I’d been speaking to, but I step back, avoiding his grip. “What do you want?”

  “I wish to speak to you, of course. We have a lot to discuss.”

  I blink at him, unsure of what in the realms he thinks we could have to talk about other than the fact that he’s got a wandering cock. “I’m quite busy, this will have to wait.” I step around him, heading for the stairs leading up to my rooms. He wouldn’t dare follow me up there. Although, he might because he was never one of the brightest bulbs on the tree.

  “Jinxy, I’m sure you’re upset with me, but I’d like to clear the air.” He grabs my shoulder and spins me around.

  I drop my voice low. “If you ever touch me again, I will skewer you and roast you over a fire.” I hiss the words at him, incensed that he thinks I’d be interested in clearing the air with him after he’d sent his whore to talk to me first.

  Artagant holds up both hands and takes a step back from me. “I’m not here to argue with you, Jinx. Arianna told me about your conversation and that you told her to tell me to talk to you directly next time.”

  I scoff. “It was implied that there shouldn’t ever be a next time, Artagant. You and I have nothing to say to each other. Nothing nice anyways.” If I thought my words would make his dick shrivel and fall off, I’d throw the book at him, but he’s not worth the breath in my lungs.

  “I just want—”

  “Jinx, are you ready to finalize these plans?” Draven’s deep voice booms through the room, echoing off the stone walls, and I close my eyes for a moment in silent prayer to the gods.

  I look over Artagant’s shoulder at Draven. “Yes, let’s get to it.”

  “Wait a second.” Artagant reaches out a hand as though he’s going to try and stop me, and I growl low at him, the warning the last that I’ll offer him before I maim him permanently. “Jinx and I were discussing something.”

  “No, we weren’t. Conversation is over.” Once again, I move around him and walk toward Draven, trying my best not to run away from Artagant like a dragon is chasing me, blowing fire at my ass.

  Artagant chuckles. “Careful, Draven, she may be warm to you now, but once you’ve made even the slightest misstep, she’ll freeze you out of her bed like the chastest of nuns.”

  Before I can react, Draven pushes past me and shoves Artagant up against the wall high enough that his feet dangle, Draven’s forearm across his neck. “You lost the right to speak anything other than praise for Jinx the day she left you, whoreson. And if I hear that you are speaking anything but kindness about her, I will have you chained to a tree and covered in blood so the hounds tear your innards to bits and feast on you for days.”

  “She’s got you by the short hairs, I see,” Artagant remarks, clearly not taking Draven’s threats seriously.

  I glance behind us, noticing that the entire hall has gone still and silent, watching the spectacle in front of them like some sort of on demand movie.

  “Draven.” I say his name low enough that he can hear me, but the others can’t.

  Draven looks back at me, fury burning in his peridot eyes, his jaw clenched so hard I’m concerned he’ll crack a tooth. “You can’t tell me you’ll stand for this.” He snarls the words, anger darkening his tone.

  “Oh, I won’t. There will be hell to pay, but for now, he’s not worth it. We have more important things to worry about than his pathetic attempts at getting a rise out of me.” I hike a thumb over my shoulder. “Word will spread that he upset both the heir to the Wild Hunt and the king’s personal guard. For now, that is punishment enough.”

  Draven growls, pushing his arm harder into Artagant’s throat.

  Artagant smiles like he’s won something, and I pin him with a glare. “Smile while you can, but if you think that I won’t tell everyone exactly what it is you did to me, and with whom, and make it so difficult for you to show your face in court, you’re wrong.”

  “You’ve been away for too long, Jinx. You’re not the only one with allies in this court now.” Artagant spits the words out, his cheeks red with the strain of struggling to breathe.

  Draven lets him drop to the floor, and Artagant rubs a han
d at his red throat, looking up at both of us as he sucks in much needed air.

  “And you think your allies are a match for me? Don’t forget, Artagant, that’s just what I said I will do to you. I’m sure my father will have much to say on the subject of retribution as well once he is back.”

  All the color drains from Artagant’s face at my final remark, and I turn my back on him, Draven falling into step beside me, his entire body still full of tension as we walk out of the hall and toward the hunters’ barracks.

  He waits until we’re out of earshot before he says a word, each word sounding as though it was dragged over hot coals before leaving his mouth. “You should have let me gut him where he stood for speaking to you like that.”

  I pause, resting my hand on his forearm. The same one that had just held my ex-fiancé a few feet off the ground, dangling like bait. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I can handle my own enemies. I have a plan for what will happen to him, even if it appears that I don’t.”

  “Jinx, I need to tell you something…”

  I wave him off. “No, me first. Did you or Bartol okay recalling the men sent to the Redcap boundary to look for my father?”

  He rocks back on his heels. “No, I would have had to send someone right after them in order to reach them in time and turn them right around. That would make no sense. Bartol is the one that arranged the party to go though.”

  I bite my lip, turning the information over in my head. “That’s what I thought. Because you would have sent them out prior to my arrival, right?”

  “That’s right. He sent them out maybe an hour after discovering your father was missing.”

  An uneasy feeling swirls low in my belly as I fidget with the pommel of the sword at my side.

  Draven narrows his eyes. “Why are you asking me this?”

  “Because the men sent out came through the front doors this morning and said Edern recalled them. I had assumed it had been at your or Bartol’s command.”

  “I don’t like what you’re implying, Jinx. Do you think I had something to do with your father’s disappearance? Or Bartol?”