Scarlet Huntress (Tales of Grimm Hollow Book 1)

by LeAnn Mason

  Bow in hand, I surveyed my surroundings. Tuning in to Ebony’s senses, I listened for the sounds of life. A flap of wings, too far off. There. A crunch of leaves. A shuffle along the littered ground. The length of time between steps made me think it may be a deer. Something big enough to shoot at, I’d guess.

  Careful in my own steps, I treaded where the debris was scarce, hoping to mask my movements. Quick but light. I couldn’t take so long in my approach that the animal moved on, but I couldn’t move so quickly as to alert the animal to my presence. It was a dance, a fine line to see just how much I could get away with before I lost my chance.

  Keeping upwind from the animal, I finally caught a glimpse through the tree-riddled maze. My next step, I felt some restraint, a tugging against my throat. Looking back over my shoulder, I found my cloak hung up in some bare branches, the twigs like seeking fingers threatening to stall my progress or give me away to my prey. With a silent curse, I stepped back, releasing the tension and untangling from the bark’s bony reach.

  Finally free, I returned my focus to where the deer had been foraging, only to find the area barren. A heavier breeze picked up, winding between trees, ruffling fallen leaves and knocking branches to scrape ominously against neighboring bark. On the wind, a new scent carried. Musky, heavy, and close.

  Correcting for the change, I brought up my bow, red arrow nocked and ready. The animal seemed to be moving my way, so I stood partly concealed behind a large oak trunk and waited for my chance. After a few moments, a large goldish-brown bear ambled into my sight line. A bear! I’d bet money it was Nick, Jason’s huge Sentinel friend who’d helped out with the Colin… problem.

  I wanted to hold my breath, but I'd learned better. Instead, I kept my breaths deep and even. I'd need to release soon as my arm and shoulder were already feeling the strain of holding the string taut. My thumb brushed my chin where it set in preparation for the perfect shot. The bear continued its seemingly oblivious foraging.

  One more breath in…

  Ebony perked up, tuning our hearing into a sudden cacophony of noise that arose to our right. Without moving my bow from where it sighted on the bear, who was now also aware of the disturbance, I flicked a quick eye in the direction we were tuned.

  The stag was back and running full-tilt toward where I stood, his massive ten-point rack lowered into the perfect position to skewer me.

  “Holy shit!” With widening eyes and seizing muscles, I switched my aim from the bear—the should-be threat—to the supposed-to-be-docile deer who seemed to want to kill me.

  I didn't have time to aim correctly, wasn't even a hundred percent sure my arm was in line, but the fletching grazed my cheek as I let loose the arrow from my bow toward the amped-up beast I'd incorrectly labeled unimportant.

  The crimson arrow flew straight and true, the bubbled tip bursting on impact with the animal's skull. A perfect circle of simulated blood splattered between the stag's eyes. The animal ground to a halt, its hooves skidding, furrowing deeply into the soft, moist earth. I forgot to breathe again as I hurried to the side where I’d hopefully be out of the path of the deadly animal and allowed myself a small smile. I'd done it and only peed a little.

  A sphincter-tightening roar rent the air, breaking my moment of self-congratulation. The bear now barreled toward where I stood recovering from my bladder leakage of moments before. Clumsier than I would have liked, I retrieved another arrow from my quiver. Getting it positioned correctly was harder when I couldn't look, but there was no way I was taking my eyes off the massive, towering animal stalking toward me.

  Close enough now, maybe ten feet away, he decided intimidation was better achieved by thrusting himself to stand on his hind legs. He towered over me, paws as big as my head and tipped with six-inch knives poised to swipe at my face. The impact alone was probably nearly enough to kill me if it connected with anything more than a love tap.

  Once again, I readied my weapon, steadying my feet and squaring my shoulders. Pulling the string tight, fingers brushing my cheek, I breathed in. Another roar shook the very ground I stood upon, spittle very nearly wetting my face. The bear leaned forward, forearms spread wide, dagger-like teeth exposed.

  I released my breath, and with it my fingers. The second crimson arrow twanged from my bow, screaming toward its irate target. But I already reached for a third arrow to nock. I couldn't let myself assume the shot was good or even that one would be enough. I couldn't afford to fall apart, to quit. That would be my undoing.

  The next arrow flew only moments after the first left a perfectly round spot of red right in the middle of the grizzly's chest, the second hitting low on his belly. A gut shot would ensure penetration and most likely would strike an organ, a slow death by bleeding out.

  In a shower of golden sparks, the giant bear turned into a giant man, one completely naked as he performed a very theatrical death scene, choking and gasping as he fell to the ground in a heap of flesh. Two bronzed globes stared at me, Nick's back—and backside—turned my way.

  “Aw, c'mon, man! Couldn't you have skipped the theatrics and stayed a bear?” I huffed in prudish annoyance.

  A rumble of laughter sounded from my right where the stag had dropped. I’d promptly forgotten about it, what with the fear of further pants soiling. “Dude, you should do Shakespeare with acting like that.”

  Where the deer had been now sat a lean human male with tawny hair cut in a longer style, cheeks that looked chiseled from stone, and big, dark eyes. He looked like a deer… Thankfully, he'd used a few downed leaves to cover his manhood, making one less male to make me blush at the moment.

  Oh, who was I kidding? I knew my face was as red as my cloak. I used the heavy fabric to hide my burning cheeks, wrapping my body within its thick confines so only my eyes and nose were uncovered.

  “So, tag team and send the prey after the hunter, huh?” I accused, the effect much less harsh with the cloak muffling my tone. With a self-irritated huff, I unwrapped from the fabric, my arms flapping like some demented bird to free themselves.

  Jason chose that moment to emerge from the undergrowth like a shadow breaking from its tether. How long had he been there? Probably the whole time. He was my trainer after all, and this was a test. That fact alone put me on the defensive, a position I often found myself in around the surly Shifter.

  “Did I pass your test, sir?” I quipped, hands on hips and cloak billowing softly around me. I felt kind of like Superman in that moment; all I needed was the spandex… and to be invulnerable.

  No biggie.

  “Well, you took a beat to come out of your stupor and get golden—”

  “Dude, a freaking chandelier charged me! When in all that is holy would anyone think that would happen?”

  My breath caught as my mercurial mentor stepped close, invading my personal bubble. Ebony perked up, wanting to close the gap. I couldn’t say I didn’t feel the same, but… no. A hair's breadth away, he looked down at me with something undefinable lingering in his eyes. The times that he was unguarded like this, I wanted to give in. I could always use Ebony’s pulsing hormones as an excuse.

  “That is exactly the point of this exercise. Shifters will not truly behave like an animal, because they have a human to help guide their thoughts and actions. You must always be aware of your surroundings. Speaking of…” Jason paused dramatically, giving me a rather censorious look before flicking a hand out to grab my adornment between nimble fingers. “Why are you running around the woods with a bright red cape flapping behind you?”

  I lifted my chin defiantly, all fluffy feelings extinguished as if doused with a well’s-worth of water. “This is my statement. I am the Scarlet Huntress, and those who catch a glimpse of its blood trail should be terrified that theirs will soon adorn its fringes.”

  We continued to train throughout the afternoon, different targets and scenarios popping up along the way. By the time we were done, so was I. My muscles ached, joints burned, and my mind—and Ebony's—fried. I'd
be lucky if I could make it up the stairs to fall into bed tonight.

  “I think I may just crawl to the couch and call it good,” I mumbled, trying to stretch some of the cramping from my limbs. The group of Shifters surrounding me all heard, of course, animal hearing and all, but I was too wrung out to care.

  A bump to my left shoulder sent me careening to the right. My balance unable to correct in its exhausted state, I went flying into Jason's side. Nick guffawed, a humorous twinkle in his brown eyes as I tried to extricate myself. Jason's arm had reflexively wrapped around my shoulders and tightened when I tried to push away. I didn't fight. I was just too tired.

  Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Al.

  It was awkward with my arms limply by my sides and Jason's arm draped over my shoulder to hang loosely just above a breast. My body and both my minds were intently focused on those twitching digits. Would he move them closer? Did I want him to?

  “Do you smell that?” Nick asked, nose in the air and all playfulness gone from his posture.

  Jason and I both inhaled deeply, snapping back to our surroundings. His arm, and the digits previously in question, clenched and fell from my shoulder as he searched for the origin of the acrid scent.

  Smoke.

  CHAPTER 27

  F ollowing our noses, we found ourselves at the edge of the warding where Grimm Hollow’s territory was encircled in a bubble of magic, hiding our town and its paranormal inhabitants from the mundane world. I was hypnotized, held in a weird thrall that was part awe and part horror as tendrils of orange, yellow, and red writhed and twirled. Twisting and jumping from tree to tree in an eerily seductive dance, the fire spread—fast.

  “This… this is Seth’s doing…” I whispered as the realization sunk in, turning my fascination to a consuming dread. I spun to face Jason and Nick, who’d both stopped a step behind me to take in the scene. “This is his move. He’s here. This fire isn’t natural. He can’t get in, right?” The enchantment had, and would, keep the town safe. Supposedly. The fire, flat against the ward, licked up the invisible shield like a child with an ice cream cone, its tongues searching for any opening to breach and spread its burning destruction through Grimm Hollow.

  “The warding will hold, but we can’t let the outside forest burn away.” Jason slid a look toward his hulking friend, whose answer was to whip out a cell phone he had stashed somewhere and make a call. Jason’s rigid frame pivoted to look at me again. A fierce determination beamed in his eyes, Hunter’s head looming to encase the human, man and beast each near the surface.

  Ebony scratched at my skin, senses on alert, tuned in to all around us. There was a lot. The fire had the forest animals in a panic, rushing headlong away from the blaze as fast as they could. The sounds of wood and leaves crackling, being consumed by the inferno, near deafening. The birds squawked and shrieked their alarm as they flew into the sky with numbers enough to blot out the dying sunlight.

  Would I be more effective as wolf or bow-wielding human? At least the exhaustion seemed to have fled my body, adrenaline fueling me instead.

  “Jason, I need weapons, or else I’ll let Ebony out.” I shuffled back and forth, unable to stand still. I needed to act. I was terrified, but I needed to end this. I couldn’t let Seth do this. “This is my fault. I should have ended this. Two weeks was too long.” A thought occurred like a lightbulb in my melting brain. “Someone had to have tipped him off. How else would he know we’d be coming for him in the next twenty-four hours?”

  “It’s a good move,” Jason growled, fists still clenched as he circled, taking in the scene. Flames ignited everything, turning it black and blowing its resulting ash away on the wind, the embers helping to ignite debris further along the trail. Both his and Hunter’s eyes, ears, and nose worked to eke out every detail they could. “He’s dividing our forces, making sure our strongest magic wielders are left behind to see to the fire and the town’s safety. It’s all a ploy, forcing our hand and putting him in control.”

  That definitely sounded like Seth. “I need some real arrows, Jason. Dummy tips won’t work for the hunt we need to go on. I’m not going to sit here and watch as you all chase after him in a frenzy. I. Am. Going.” Ebony continued to pulse under my skin, snarling in silent agreement. I panted, the burning heat now not only from the fire physically before me but also from the magic within. She wanted out.

  “I’ve got your arrows back at my place. Have your preferred fletching and shaft length and everything. I was going to give them to you tomorrow. I'll have someone run by and grab them. Gloria should be here any minute. So will Jasper and Elsie. Ryan and a few other Sentinels, too. Seth’s getting his wish. We’re coming to him.”

  “I need Gloria to take the spell off my blade. I need it to be able to cut.”

  “Wow, there’s a bit of bloodthirsty in there, isn’t there?” Nick laughed, finally returning to our side after finishing his calls.

  “Yeah. If you’d had my life, you’d want to make sure that no one else could. I can’t just wait here, watching the fire rage. I’m shifting and going to take a look. I’ll be back in a few. Hopefully, my human weapons will be here when I get back.” Unclasping the cloak at my throat, I tossed it at the gaping Shifters.

  “Uhhh, Jace? You gonna let her go out there?” Nick shot a worried look toward his friend. Jason’s piercing stare latched onto me, searching. Again.

  I returned his stare, unflinching. “Find what you’re looking for, Hunter? Or are you just watching me get undressed?” I raised a challenging eyebrow as I ripped my shirt overhead.

  “Oh man, she’s just going for it. Taking to the Shifter life, huh, Ally?” Nick grinned, apparently forgetting about his apprehension of me leaving the wards.

  I ignored his jab and continued. “Ebony’s faster. We can find an exit point and meet back here with the information. There is no way we’re getting out here; the fire is too thick. I don’t see a way to breach.”

  “Then wait a few minutes for our backup to arrive,” Jason said reasonably.

  But I couldn’t. I needed to do something, to be useful. “I’ll stay within the wards. Run a perimeter check. No worries.”

  Jason stared at me for another moment before he came to a decision. “Okay, but I’m running with you. Safety in numbers. Backup is crucial. You are my responsibility.” There was something he wasn’t saying, but now was not the time to press it.

  “Good, now turn around so I can painfully shift in peace.” They did, and after about thirty seconds, Ebony emerged and shook out her coat, as if she shed the last vestiges of human skin from her body. With a yip, we turned and ran along the normally invisible barrier that separated Grimm Hollow from the outside world. Today, that barrier was a wall of flames. No matter where we looked, the fire raged, engulfing the forest beyond, consuming everything in its path, hemming us within.

  There was no gap, no hole to slip through. With each passing moment that we saw only flames, Ebony’s apprehension ratcheted higher. We were trapped until the magic users arrived. Seth had been very thorough. Now, we needed to be as well. We needed to end the Lupo Coven.

  The exploration couldn’t have taken more than ten minutes to arrive back at our original spot, and Ebony, thankfully, gave me back my skin without a fight. The last couple of weeks had cemented our understanding of each other, bringing us closer to that coveted “oneness” of a true Shifter.

  When we returned to the clearing, there was infinitely more activity and a number of additional bodies. Elsie, Gloria, Jasper, and Ryan had arrived along with several others I didn’t recognize.

  “We’re surrounded. They were methodical in their set up. There are no gaps. We’ll need to make one, so we can take the fight to them,” Jason immediately informed the collective group as we strode into the fray.

  “What’s the plan?” I assumed they had one. I was sweating profusely and full of anxious energy. I needed to get out there. I needed to end this coven’s reign of terror. I had to be a part of it. The wa
rd held, but it didn’t keep the heat or smell from reaching through to choke us. I wondered just how the magic worked and how some things seemed to break through but others didn’t.

  Not the time, Al.

  Jason, Nick, and I took up a spot in the middle of the assembled group of supernaturals, a spot where we could discuss a plan of action while also being in action.

  “Jasper, Laney, and I will work on the fire and the Witches controlling it. Penny and Milly will go with your group of Shifters and Elsie further into the forest, closer to Seth’s home base, and clean up there. We will follow once we have taken care of the threat here,” Gloria informed our group before turning to address me. “Give me your dagger.”

  I handed over my stolen silver dagger. Gloria said an incantation too low for me to hear. A white glow flared from the weapon, then dissolved, leaving the knife looking no different than it had when I’d given it to her. The difference huge. The spell she’d put on the knife to render it unable to injure had been dissolved. It was once again sharp enough to kill. Something told me I’d need it.

  “Thank you,” I said sincerely.

  “I also spelled your arrows when I picked them up. Now they are aura-seeking missiles. You must utter what you want them to hit, evil. Say “malignus” while touching the arrow, if you wish to activate it. It should work around the bind, especially as Seth’s coven numbers lessen.”

  “Wow,” I uttered stupidly. “That is… badass! Thank you, Gloria.” I had not expected any magical assistance. I’d never had a Witch give me access to anything spelled before, given me that power. At least I could blame the moisture in my eyes on the smoke surrounding us…

  “I expect you to protect this town as payment. Go. Get your team to Seth. We’ll be right behind you.” Then, she was gone, moving in to assist Jasper and the other woman with containing the fire, so our team could infiltrate the Witches on the other side.