Infernal Hunt Complete Set

by Holly Evans

  The powders went up in a puff of rainbow smoke. It cleared within a few seconds to leave the floor immaculate, not a trace of dirt or powder to be seen. Lysander nuzzled my neck, and Raif growled and muttered under his breath. Quin shot him a big grin before he stood up and stretched. Kadrix remained kneeling. His eyes slowly moved around the room, inspecting every corner. Once apparently satisfied, he stood. He and Quin went into the kitchen. Bryn pushed off the sofa and approached Elise, who had jumped down from the counter. I wasn't sure if I felt safer or not, given that the amount of trouble they were going to suggested that they expected big problems in the future. I missed the simple days of rogue lycans.

  I stroked Raif's hair idly while Elise painted more symbols on the floor in silver and pale-blue paint. Bryn followed behind her with a tiny paintbrush, adding small symbols in white paint to the inside of the larger symbols. It was all completely alien to me; I felt overwhelmed and a little ashamed of my ignorance. My friends were all using magic to do incredible things; admittedly it was to protect us against other forms of magic, but I still felt small and foolish. Lysander kissed my temple and pulled me a little closer to him. I was still adjusting to just how much we felt of each other down the bond. It was terrifying, to be so open with someone. I wasn't even given a choice in the matter. Yet, I'd be lost without my dear hound.

  Once Elise had finished painting her portion of the symbols, I frowned and asked, “Have you put the magic into the symbols?”

  “Yes, it flows into the paint as I work. Why?” she asked.

  I peered more closely at the symbols; they looked like ordinary paint to me.

  “I can’t see the magic,” I said.

  Kadrix turned to look at me, his gaze intense like a hawk’s.

  “How interesting. Could you see the magic from our alchemy, Evelyn?” he asked.

  “No. I’ve never seen magic in alchemy, though,” I said.

  His mouth hardened into a tight line. Apparently I’d touched on a sensitive topic.

  “You can see some of the fae magic, though,” he mused.

  “Could it be situational?” Quin asked.

  “Ah, perhaps she only sees it when she’s under great stress!” Kadrix said.

  “Don’t even think it, elf,” I warned him.

  He gave me his most innocent expression.

  “You are not putting me under great stress to see if it triggers my magic-seeing thing,” I said.

  “No, he’s not,” Quin said while looking pointedly at his lover.

  Kadrix huffed but dropped it. I shrugged to myself and concluded that I could only see magic when I really needed to. That didn’t concern me. I had enough on my mind with the hellfire.

  At some point, I fell asleep in Lysander's arms with Raif leaning against my legs. The lycan's head rested against the back of the sofa when I woke up. The room looked exactly as it did when I moved in, no traces of any markings on the floor. Elise was leaning against Bryn in the kitchen. His fingers ran up and down her hip, while his other hand seemed to be scribbling something. Kadrix and Quin weren't in sight. The curtains had been drawn; only the small kitchen light was on. We must have slept for longer than I thought. Raif yawned, showing sharpened teeth, and stretched. Lysander ran his thumb over my cheek, the soft growling purr rumbling in his throat.

  “We're safe now, Evelyn."

  I could feel the concern squirming down the bond. There was no denying that the witches had been building and escalating over the past few months. We hadn’t heard anything about their next move, but it was sure to come.

  The elf had been particularly interested in learning about the infernal plane and the inner workings of it as of late. I wasn’t sure if he knew something I didn’t, or if he’d finally run out of other things to poke and prod at.

  Kadrix remained stock still, hand poised over his notepad, eyes fixed on Lysander's. Quin sauntered into the room with a box of pastries, coffees perched on top.

  “Kadrix, you can’t sit there in a staring contest with Lysander until he says something of interest,” Quin said gently.

  Kadrix snorted and stood, his eyes remaining on Lysander. I was beginning to wonder how hierarchical elves were; there was a clear challenge there. Quin placed the pastries and coffees down on the counter and placed his hand on Kadrix's arm. That was enough to snap the tension. Lysander turned and kissed my cheek while he reached behind me and squeezed Raif's shoulder. Elise pulled out some small plates and began setting the food out.

  No one said anything as pastries and coffees were passed around. Lysander had wrapped himself more firmly around me, both hiding himself and protecting me. Kadrix knelt on the floor just out of arm’s reach of the sofa and watched while he took small bites of his pastry.

  Finally, Lysander growled, swallowed the last of his coffee, and said, “What is it you want to know elf?”

  “Anything you’d like to share,” Kadrix said cheerily.

  Lysander simply growled at him, his lips pulled back to reveal increasingly sharp teeth.

  “I have no desire to discuss my past,” he snarled.

  Kadrix continued to stare him down until Quin distracted him with a fresh pastry and some stern words whispered in his ear. I focused on Lysander and tried to calm him.

  I kissed him tenderly and looked into those beautiful blue eyes.

  “It’s over,” I whispered.

  He smiled and finally relaxed a little. Elise approached us slowly, her footsteps careful. She reached out and placed her hand on Lysander's upper arm.

  “I'm sorry, for your past, for Kadrix."

  He nodded slowly. “I know."

  Quin grinned and said, “Pizza or Mexican for dinner?"

  I laughed despite myself. Food was always a nice, safe topic. Still, Lysander's past remained firmly wedged in the back of my mind. I'd sworn to him that he'd never suffer like that again. He was my hound, and I was going to give him all the happiness I could.

  The table was filled with pizza, Mexican, and Chinese. It had been a long day, and it felt good to be surrounded by friends and laughter.

  Kadrix looked over his slice of pizza at Bryn and said, “You're not magically bred, what's your training?"

  Quin squeezed the bridge of his nose.

  He smiled at Bryn and said, “He's wondering how it is you work so well with Elise given you're not a witch."

  Bryn laughed; Elise gave Kadrix a dark look, but smiled at Bryn.

  “I spent a lot of time studying other religions and paths, starting when I was young. I fell into work with a hedgewitch when I was sixteen. She found me to be an eager student and taught me all that she could. When I was eighteen, she passed me over to apprentice with another hedgewitch. My focus was herbs and healing, although I have a reasonable understanding of rituals and symbology."

  Kadrix pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully.

  Lysander said, “So you were aware of the existence of elves and such?"

  Bryn gave a small shrug. “It was hard to avoid when I was working with the witches. At first, I thought they were weird role-players or something, but it soon made sense. It takes a lot to surprise me, these days."

  “How are you and Quin getting along, Kadrix?" Elise asked sweetly, a smirk playing along her lips.

  Kadrix narrowed his eyes at her.

  “I have been loyal to his monogamous sensibilities, if that's what you're implying. Should we find someone that connects with both of us, then we will enjoy them together. Until then, he is all I desire,” he said coolly.

  Quin practically glowed; he leaned in and kissed Kadrix tenderly on the cheek. I swore I saw a hint of blush creep across the elf's pale cheeks. Elise giggled.

  The room was filled with good humour and light conversation. Raif was gaining in confidence; he butted in with a few choice comments here and there. Kadrix tried to bring up the topic of 'relieving him of the burden of virginity' a few times. Lysander growled at him, and I tried to kick the elf under the table. The table was too
wide to reach.

  “Raif will move at his own pace. When he finds someone he's happy and comfortable with, he'll take that step when they're both ready. Do not bring it up again,” I snarled at him.

  Elise raised an eyebrow at me. “Feeling protective, Evie?"

  I shrugged and stole the last Thai fish cake.

  Kadrix leaned forwards a little and looked between Lysander and me. “Are hellhounds usually so protective? I understand other canids are, but given your hierarchical instincts and natures, it wouldn't be entirely unexpected to find that removed in your kind."

  “Quin, kindly swat your boyfriend on the nose; this is a polite, happy dinner. It is not time to interrogate Lysander and me,” I said.

  Quin put his arm around Kadrix's shoulders and squeezed him. “He doesn't mean any harm."

  Lysander simply said, “We're very protective. We wouldn't be useful as guard dogs if we didn't have those instincts."

  I ran my fingers over the inside of his wrist; the stress was bubbling up within him again. Kadrix nodded, satisfied.

  “So, you're kinda Raif's pack?" Bryn asked.

  “There is no kinda, they are my alphas and I am loyal to them to the end,” Raif growled.

  I put my hands up.

  “Enough. No more growling. Raif, Bryn was trying to be polite,” I said.

  Raif bowed his head and hunched his shoulders for a few long seconds before he returned to his food. Elise shook her head when he looked at her.

  She said, “You did nothing wrong," quietly.

  “My apologies,” Raif said. “I'm tired and on edge from this morning."

  Bryn smiled, “We're ok, I get it. I didn't mean to touch a nerve, I'm still very new to this stuff."

  Raif smiled and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I can teach you about lycans and our ways tomorrow, if Evie doesn't have something more urgent for me."

  “I plan on sleeping for as long as possible and then going for a run tomorrow,” I said.

  “That's very kind of you Raif. I have plans for Bryn in the morning, but I'm sure you can arrange something in the afternoon,” Elise said.

  I ran my foot up the back of Lysander's calf. It would be nice to have the flat to ourselves tomorrow; some bonding would be good for us. Lysander grinned at me, no doubt feeling the direction of my thoughts. Kadrix reached for his notebook, but Quin placed his hand on the elf's wrist and stopped him.

  “Why don't we help tidy this place up, then we can head back to yours for a nice early night,” Quin said firmly.

  The elf grinned and moved his hand somewhere under the table. Elise stood and began clearing the table with the others.

  “You three should relax, you don’t have nearly enough time off,” Elise said before she shooed us in the direction of the sofa.

  I wasn't going to argue. Being fed good food and then curling up with my hound was exactly the type of evening that I wanted.

  They made quick work of clearing everything up; the flat was pristine by the time they finished. They left in good spirits, with hugs between everyone. Even Kadrix and Lysander had a brief hug. It was stilted and awkward, but they tried.

  We retired to our bedroom, where I straddled Lysander's bare hips and trailed my finger along his jawline looking into his deep blue eyes, waiting for him to speak his mind. Kadrix had been pushing hard for a few days and it was clearly bothering my dear hound.

  I leaned over him pressing myself against his chest while I kissed along his cheeks.

  “You can talk to me,” I whispered.

  He stroked up and down my back; his desires for non-verbal releases were clear.

  “I have no desire to share my past with the elf,” he said.

  I ran my thumb over his cheekbone and kissed him tenderly. “You don’t have to, but I can listen if it will help you heal."

  He swallowed hard and gripped my hips; conflict filled his face.

  Finally he said, “Tomorrow," before he bit my lower lip and slowly raised his hips.

  I sighed and moaned, I would never tire of him and the deep pleasures we brought each other. It gradually rose between us, the bond echoing it back to each other, increasing with every stroke and thrust. It finished in a crescendo that we could never experience with another, and I had no desire to try. He was my hound. There would never be another.

  Raif was reading a book on the sofa when we emerged from our bedroom the next day. The guys were soon laughing and joking about something while I hunted for some form of breakfast in the kitchen. By some stroke of luck, we had yoghurt and cereal in, but I made a mental note to restock the cupboards; living on takeaway wasn’t good for our waistlines. We had to remain fit and able.

  “Do you think I should be honest with Bryn and tell him everything, about lycans, I mean?" Raif asked around a mouthful of cereal.

  Lysander looked to me; I shrugged. “I don't see why not. Elise trusts him, so I do."

  Her lady, the moon goddess had chosen him for her. That meant that he was completely trustworthy in my mind. The comfort and faith I was developing in the moon goddess startled me; I'd ignored the gods almost entirely up until recently. The events of the past few months were enough to make me start considering larger things than the city around me.

  I swore the cub inhaled his cereal rather than eating it. I reminded myself that he was a growing lycan, and he had to fill out that scrawny frame of his. Lycans didn’t stop growing until their mid-twenties, and they were big creatures. Raif was never going to be as big as Felix, but I still expected him to bulk out a good bit.

  “Why don't we run over to Kadrix's workshop and see if Quin wants to join us for coffee? I feel like we haven't sat down and talked to just him in too long."

  Lysander mulled it over. “We haven't done a run of that length in a while, but I think it's a good idea. We need to keep our fitness up."

  “I can carry on to Elise's church and meet Bryn there,” Raif added.

  “We'll give it an hour for breakfast to settle and head out then,” I said.

  I pulled out a book on meditation and simple magic that Elise had given me. I wanted to gain better control over my fire and perhaps other skills that I had buried. Quin had developed some magic; he'd been focusing on his alchemy, but he seemed to have the ability to explode jars, if nothing else. I chewed on my bottom lip when I realised just how long it had been since we'd really sat down and talked about everything. I adored Lysander, and I was so happy to see Quin happy with Kadrix, but I missed him. He was my twin.

  Lysander kissed my forehead and curled up on the floor near my feet. “You haven't lost him, Evelyn."

  “It's a bit creepy when you guys do that, just saying,” Raif said from the table.

  I laughed. I hadn't really thought what it looked like from the outside.

  The book soon frustrated me; I wasn't meant to sit and find inner calm. It wasn't in my nature. I was a guard dog; I sat on my hill and kicked ass. It talked of removing all thoughts from my mind; how was I supposed to that when half of them were Lysander's? The temptation to throw it across the room grew with each page. Raif saved the book from its impending doom by saying the hour was up. He loved to run as much as Lysander did. My feelings towards the activity were growing; whether that was my own pleasure or Lysander's, I didn't know. I was increasingly uncaring about such things: Did it matter whose feelings they were originally?

  We fit into a comfortable rhythm. We ran together a few times a week and didn't need to talk. The air was fresh and warm. Summer was slowly unfurling, lazily lengthening the days and warming the air. The city was wearing its coat of green. The pigeons waddled away from us, looking for happy tourists to continue feeding them. Prague's beautiful in every season, but it never feels quite as alive as during the summer months.

  We wove our way around tour groups that sprawled down the mosaic-tiled paths and ooh-ed and aah-ed at the architecture, not that I could blame them; I still paused and admired it most days. We picked up the pace and stretche
d our legs down by the river where the gulls swooped and the swans patrolled, eagerly awaiting the next piece of bread. By the time we arrived at the Charles Bridge, we were ready to slow to a walk and stretch our muscles, making sure they didn't stiffen. It took longer than I'd like to make our way through the crowds; there was a jazz band present, their lively music entertaining many. A range of sellers were scattered along the edges, butted up against the broad stone walls overlooking the wide river. I kept intending to pause and pick up some of the paintings for our flat, but the moment never seemed right. In the back of my mind, I knew I was scared to personalise it too much; after the witches destroyed our last one, the worry of it happening again remained rooted in the back of my mind.

  Lysander's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me close to him; Raif was just behind us.

  “We'll pick out those paintings soon, Evelyn, it's our home."

  He kissed my temple and made a point of pausing to look at some of the artwork. Raif had no patience, and said he was heading straight up to Bryn's. There were a number of pieces that caught my eye.

  I squeezed Lysander’s hand and said, “We'll come back first thing one day, when it's quieter and we can take our time."

  “I'll hold you to that."

  Malá Strana was equally busy, with numerous shiny red cars lined up ready to take tourists for a trip around the landmarks. I was glad to step into Kadrix's workshop, where I expected to find peace. Instead, there was shouting in Elvish followed by the distinct sound of smashing glass.

  I squared my shoulders and ran my fingers down my blades while walking the last couple of steps down the passageway that led to Kadrix's workspace. He stood snarling at Azfin and a pair of elves that I didn't recognise. Quin was behind Kadrix glaring at the elves.

  “We need to be sure that it is safe," one of the elves ground out.

  “It is,” Kadrix spat back.