Huntress Claimed

by M K Masterson

  In fact, I felt for them all and found nothing, but me within my own body. The others were gone, but how long ago they had left, was a mystery to me. I had stopped feeling the jealousy and possessiveness around the time of the cold kiss.

  The cold kiss. In a way, it had made me calm. It was disgusting, but I was able to think through it. It was enough for me to pull him to a stop. My strength surprised him, but he stopped and looked at me, predatorily. I felt the hunter then and grinned.

  He mistook my grin and kissed me again, pushing me back into a tree, his hands were tight on my biceps. I allowed him to think he was in control, my arms going to my sides. Gravity was pulling a stake down into my left hand. My right hand wrapped around his back, pulling him closer as my brain worked on the plan. His cold, stiff body took the hint and pushed himself onto me, almost suffocating me. But I held onto the kiss as it helped paralyze my fear.

  He broke from the kiss, leaving me a little breathless. His toothy grin took in my slight hesitation as a weakness. Then he dipped down to my neck, kissing his way to the right spot. What would have made me warm inside if it had been Nate doing this, left me cold and empty. He ran his tongue against the thick pulsing vein in my throat, tasting. I felt his teeth graze the area and heard him inhale. It was now, or he was going to suck me dry. I knew it in his body language, his tongue, his sharp teeth. I was his dinner.

  My left arm wrapped around him and he took the gesture as permission even though I knew he wouldn't have asked. Just as he was about to sink into my neck, my hand shoved the stake into his back.

  He pulled away, stunned, but not dead. The hunter in me wanted the fight, wanted more of the game.

  I felt his rage roll off of him in waves, but he was still in shock. He took two steps back and tried to grab the stake that was planted within his back. It wasn't in deep enough, but his arms couldn’t stretch that far back to pull it out.

  “Venatrix," he growled, his eyes turning a burning, black-red and his teeth elongated farther.

  “Prey,” I whispered, grinning ear to ear, and using a leg, I kicked him back farther to give myself some room. I finally felt the rush of excitement and being in control. I didn’t feel bound, but powerful.

  He came at me faster than the human eye, but I was able to catch him. Again, everything slowed to extreme slow motion, and I dropped, using his momentum to flip him over. At the last moment, when he would have landed on his back, pushing the stake in even farther, he turned to the side.

  “Did you think you would get rid of me that easily?” A frosty smile stretched his lips.

  I shrugged. “I was kinda hoping.”

  This time, I didn't let my guard down, and I went to kick him while he was down, hoping it would send him on his back. But he saw me coming, and he grabbed the leg that was close to him. He intended to pull my legs out from under me and force me on my back. But I used the momentum to overcorrect and ended up kneeling against his stomach. My weight and the power of the fall, finally pushed him on his back, forcing the stake through.

  He let out an unbearable scream, and I stepped onto his chest, driving the stake into his heart from his back. I watched as he burned within and then outward until he was nothing but ash. The hunter within settled in satisfaction. Yeah, I could do this. Parts of it still made me sick, but I was confident enough to work through any illusions of innocence.

  Two stealthy figures stepped out of the shadows and approached slowly and silently. I inhaled the scent and recognized them as Anahita and Zane. They had found me. Meredith and Nate were calling our names through the woods. I wasn’t ready to communicate, but I felt Meredith pull on an internal link. She was trying to track me through our new bond.

  Zane and Anahita stood next to me, looking at the pile of ash and my stake still on the ground. Neither said anything, but Zane bent down to pick up the stake.

  “Found them,” Meredith shouted, coming into our small clearing.

  Their human footsteps sounded like crashing through the woods. Both came into our sight and looked at the three of us as though they were not able to recognize anything they were seeing.

  “Nate, what’s going on?” I heard Meredith whisper but didn't comprehend.

  “Caden is empty.” He stared, trying to read my feelings. Suddenly his face animated. “Zane, Anahita. Grab her. She’s in shock.”

  Still, the words were empty, but I felt strong, sturdy arms around me, lifting me. Then, my eyelids felt heavy, and I sagged against a body made of magical steel and smelling like a Christmas tree forest. Breathing in the scent that always seemed to center me and make me feel at ease, I allowed the heaviness to take me.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I opened my eyes to find myself in an unknown bedroom. Burgundy wallpaper and dark paintings coated the walls. The bed was fluffy, but dark as well with a mauve bedspread and black, soft sheets. Even the black covered drapery lent to the dark atmosphere as well as those medieval lights on the wall. This wasn’t my own, Meredith’s, Nate’s, or even Zane’s bedroom. But I was somewhere within Underhill. I felt the hum of the warded magic, and also the pulse of the living sitting nearby. Taking in a breath, I filtered Meredith’s scent through my nose.

  “So, some explanation would be nice,” I replied hoarsely in my prone position as if I hadn’t used my voice in days.

  I heard her intake a breath and a rush of motion. A warm, soft hand grabbed onto mine.

  “Hey, Caden,” she whispered.

  “What happened?” I asked, not ready to sit up.

  "Yeah . . . It was an unexpected side effect from the spell. We were filling you with so much emotion that yours was slowly shutting off. When we left, it made you empty and put you in a state of shock."

  I took inventory of my own feelings. I was tired and felt emotionally spent, but I was happy to be back in my own body even though I felt the tug of knowing there were others I was now responsible for from the effects of the spell.

  I was able to center in on the others with the invisible cord that connected all of us. If I closed my eyes, it was almost like a map. I knew Nate was somewhere close by, in an area of the mansion that I hadn't discovered. Anahita was in the basement. And Zane was in another area of the basement, probably the gym. I was able to feel them, but I couldn't feel their emotions or thoughts, which was a relief. No more lustfulness or possessiveness. Some of those feelings were too intense for me, and I wasn’t ready to address them.

  Sera would have lost it if she was out with us tonight, I thought after reflecting the situation.

  “Oh, shit. Sera-”

  “I texted her from your phone and let her know that you were back at the mansion and in perfect condition.”

  My lips curved slightly from the lie. Meredith knew how much Sera would have freaked out had she known of my condition. I couldn’t be mad with Meredith’s decision.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s actually home,” Meredith said cautiously.

  “How? There is no way she would have left without seeing me.”

  Meredith shifted uncomfortably. “You’ll have to ask Finn.”

  Suspicion edged my mind, but I was sure that he probably knew the state I had come back in. And after some of my self-discoveries tonight, I guessed that he had found a way to send her home.

  “Do I look like my old self, Mere?”

  Meredith nodded emphatically. I tried to concentrate on my own Fae magic, which was a low hum. Perhaps I was just spent with all the magic that my body had used for the evening. The worry was wondering if that Fae magic would become overpowering again.

  “There’s just one thing,” Meredith interrupted my thoughts.

  I glanced at her out of the corner of my eyes, waiting for the shoe to drop. She worried her lower lip, taking breaths here and there, almost as if she was going to tell me, but then stopped.

  “Just tell me,” I closed my eyes, ready to embrace whatever she had to tell me.

  “Your eyes. The gold ring aroun
d them didn’t go away.” She paused to wait for my reaction, but when I didn’t respond, she continued. “Perhaps it’s a good thing. Your eyes look awesome and very cool. Also, if you can concentrate on keeping the gold from being so bright, perhaps that will allocate the Fae magic from getting so built up.”

  I thought about her response; finally sighing, coming to a conclusion. She was right. If I could focus on dulling the gold, it would help from letting the magic build. But currently, I was too tapped out for anything.

  “Mere, I need to talk with Finn. I need answers." I sat up from the bed, and my head swam and became dizzy, but not enough to make me nauseated.

  “We’ll be right here,” she patted my hand.

  I squeezed it with sincerity, but this was something I had to do on my own. Plus, I was about to get my crash course in Fae politics.

  “Mere, this is going to be one of those things that are going to be dangerous. I need you and Nate safe at home. Away from anywhere where you might overhear.”

  “I don’t like it. Nate’s not going to like it either.” Her face was draped with concern and stubbornness.

  “I know. And you’re not going to like what I ask you next, but, please.”

  She sighed and raised an auburn eyebrow.

  “I want you to have Anahita walk you guys home.”

  She gasped and immediately let go of my hand. I saw the disgust form on her face.

  “It’s going to get really bad out there. I feel it in the pit of my stomach. I don’t want you guys in the cross-fire.”

  Her features softened, but just a fraction. I couldn’t blame her, but I knew it was only a matter of time until this was going to come around full circle, and my friends and family were going to become collateral damage. My days were numbered. I just didn’t want their days to be numbered too.

  Meredith pulled me into a fierce hug. “I just want to let you know that we love you no matter what species you are.”

  I chuckled, hugging her back, smelling that rosemary honeysuckle scent that could only be hers. She stood and opened the door to the hallway, revealing a Finn who was pacing back and forth.

  “How are you?” He asked me as he peered into the room, concern creasing his forehead.

  “It’s time for that talk, Finn.”

  Finn nodded, coming into the room. Meredith paused once more to look at me for my assurance. I nodded to her, and she walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I felt her walking towards Nate as Finn took a seat in a large, ornate, empire armchair by what looked like a window, but the dense, blackout drapes covered whatever was behind it.

  "So, what do you want to know?" Finn crossed his legs but allowed his upper body to remain in an open pose.

  I felt Nate and Meredith getting closer to Anahita within Underhill.

  “I want to wait until my friends have left Underhill before I ask some of my heavy questions.”

  He nodded, his expression resigned.

  “But I can ask about what you did to Sera.”

  He tilted his head.

  “Well?” I demanded.

  “You haven’t actually asked.”

  I glowered at him. “What did you do to Sera?”

  He was expressionless as he answered. “You were right about how worried she was. I gave her something to relax.”

  I sat up suddenly. "You drugged my sister!"

  “She needed the sleep.”

  I was staring daggers at him.

  He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I saw Sera home safely."

  “What is wrong with you?!”

  His face became an angry mask and his body tensed. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? What were you thinking, binding yourself to two vampires and two humans?”

  I felt taken back. “How did you know?”

  “I pried it out of Nate while Meredith was in with you.”

  I felt suddenly worried about Nate. "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “You would have felt it, wouldn’t you?”

  Speaking of feeling, I was able to feel Nate, Meredith, and Anahita leaving the house, which meant that Zane was still in the basement, but not in earshot range. And no, I didn't feel Nate in pain.

  “Just so you know, this wasn’t my idea.”

  Finn’s shoulders relaxed. “He also told me that.”

  There was a lumbering pause. I knew I had to ask Finn, but I wasn't sure about how to go about it.

  “So, I’m half-Fae,” I blurted, awkwardly.

  Although Finn's expression wasn't one of surprise, it wasn't one of happiness either.

  “But you knew that.”

  “I did.” His face was tight.

  “My father was Fae.”

  “He was.”

  "He ‘was,' meaning he's not anymore?"

  There was a lengthy pause. I was waiting for Finn to say something more, but he didn't.

  “So, you’re not my father?” I inquired. I had had my suspicions about him, after finding the picture of my mother in the hallway, Underhill being given to me, and then finding out I was part fae. Not to mention that the magic between Finn and the house felt very familiar to me.

  He sighed noisily. “The man that was your father died shortly after your mother died.”

  “Did you know my father?”

  “Yes, I knew your father very well.”

  “How did you know him?”

  “It’s complicated. There are some things you are still not prepared to know.”

  “Why are you helping me? What am I in all of this to you?”

  “I owed your mother.” His eyes took on a dreamy, faraway look before looking me directly in the eyes, sending a chill down my spine. “She breathed new life into your father’s kingdom. Your father was a ruler in the Fae kingdom. He was a very cold, and manipulative man. And because of his coldness, his kingdom was made of ice.

  When he met your mother, Pari, she turned his heart from a lump of coal to molten lava. Because of this, his kingdom thrived and became stronger, built on loyalty instead of fear.”

  “So you help because of loyalty…?” I probed.

  He inclined his head slightly. "When I learned that your mother was pregnant, it was my turn to save her. Since half-breed children are seen as an abomination in the Mundus Noctis.

  Initially, the plan was for her to stay in the Fae kingdom indefinitely, but the king’s younger brother, your Uncle Corin, wanted the throne for himself and became suspicious. He used the information as leverage, even if he wasn’t sure, and threatened them both that they would never be safe. He would make sure of that. Unless the king surrendered his kingdom. So, your father did. And he and your mother disappeared. You mother was killed shortly after you were born here, in this realm.”

  “How was she killed?”

  He shook his head, and his lips were tight with anger. I even heard the grinding of teeth.

  “I don’t know. No one that I have talked to knows. Your Uncle did send several assassins after your parents in fear that they would come back to dethrone him. I thought it was one of them, but from those of the Fae kingdom that I have contacted, they don’t believe it was from him. And talking with some of the Casti in the Mundus Noctis, it doesn’t sound like they even knew she had died until I told them.”

  “So one of the Scelesti?” My heart started to ache.

  “Perhaps.”

  “And my father?”

  "Part of his heart belonged to your mother, and when she died, so did that part of his heart. It didn't beat right after that."

  “So, he died of a broken heart?” I felt a hole in my own heart

  Finn’s reactions were still a little aloof, and he just raised a shoulder.

  “This house…Underhill…whose is it?”

  “It’s yours. A gift to let you know that you do have a home in this Supernatural world. A safe place.”

  “What does all this mean for me? Being Fae, being a Venatrix.”


  “Big trouble if anyone found out. Being a half-breed, and a very powerful, half-breed is seen as an abomination in this world. You will be assassinated.”

  “Is this why you didn’t want me to contact that Venatrix Council?”

  “More this than anything else. But what we said before is still all true. You will have to make sure you can avoid the Venatrix Council at all cost. And if you can't, you cannot tell them that you are part Fae. They will kill you if they think they can’t control or use you, and especially if you are a threat.”

  I gulped. Apparently, Damocles' sword would forever be hanging over my head.

  “And Fae politics? Do I have to be worried about them?”

  His glare was intense and held me captive. “As long as you stay hidden from the Fae, you don’t have to worry about them. You are a Fae princess. If you are discovered, you will be seen as a threat to your Uncle Corin since the throne is technically yours. The good thing is, you will not be exterminated as an abomination, but Corin will come after you. And things could possibly get nasty.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, disrupting the intensity of his glare, but not the intensity of the room. “So, I would suggest that you stay hidden.”

  Again, I gulped. “How can I hide when my magic calls out to them?”

  He grinned, but it was not friendly. It was alien and cold, truly Fae. “You use it. In small doses. It will drain out that way.”

  “Is there anything else that I need to know about being Fae?”

  He paused a moment, allowing his features to become more human and tender. “Not at this moment. It would be better if you focused on being a Venatrix, and surviving this challenge. In a way, you are a miracle. The fact that your friends have stuck by you and have tried to protect you, even knowing what you are, instead of running for the hills means that change is in the air. Those that know, know what it could mean for them being involved. I didn’t even have to threaten them when they came back.” The cold, alien grin returned to his face. “Of course I did anyway, but they would protect your secret even if it meant their lives.”

  I scowled both from knowing that Finn had threatened them and that their lives were endangered more now than before.