Hunter Forsaken (Wild Hunt #2) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty

Urgency settled over Ian. He jumped from his SUV and ran into the woods where he’d found Craig’s fairy ring. It would’ve been quicker to travel by horseback, but he wasn’t able to connect with Doubt, and Rhys’s ghostly steed wouldn’t let him ride. Neither outcome had surprised him.

The Hunters’ horses were bound to their riders and didn’t welcome the touch of others. Ian had lost his animal and prayed it was alive and safe. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to check.

Time was running out. For everyone. He felt it in his bones. The worst part of the situation was the loss of Tegan’s mind. Their connection had cut before he’d even left the Underworld. She’d only been gone for an hour, but it felt like a century. The hole in his chest where the shadow of her soul had lived ached.

The hounds who’d adopted him waited for him in the woods, along with Rhys. The sight of them chased away some of Ian’s anxiety. He wasn’t completely alone. He was only missing the best part of himself.

Rhys stepped forward. “The ring is still here. I have the hounds watching it.”

Ian nodded and turned down the path. His quickened steps morphed into a jog before he ran flat-out. Rhys kept pace on his right, the dogs on his left. Each passing second tightened Ian’s chest. Tegan needed him. He had to get to her before it was too late.

He leapt over fallen trees, hopped across a small stream and skidded down a slope. The fairy ring came into view. Rowan sat on the ground, gaze on the center of the grassy circle within the portal. He hadn’t expected to see her, but didn’t mind having the extra set of eyes watching his back. Craig would return to burn his ring or confront them. The redcap wouldn’t simply walk away from the loss he’d suffered at Ian’s hands.

Out of all the redcaps he’d profiled, Craig was the most predictable in that he liked to watch people scramble in an attempt to take him out. He wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to see the Huntsmen flounder.

Ian only hoped he could get everyone out before Craig attacked them. All it took was one flaming arrow to ignite a single mushroom and they all went up. Ian knew. He’d done so enough times himself. It’d been the safest way to eliminate the rings. Too often, he’d needed Trevor to break him out of the trance the magic surrounding the fairy portal had caused. It chilled him to think of all the times he’d almost willingly stepped into one.

Today, he would. Hell, he was ready to leap into it.

Rowan pushed to her feet and snarled, pulling him out of his thoughts. “What were you thinking, bringing a human out here?”

Ian shook his head. He didn’t have time to argue with the pissed-off demigod. He stepped around her.

She got in his face and pushed him back. “Answer me,
demon
.”

Up close, he saw the panic in her eyes. He bit back his curse, knowing she was worried about Tegan and lashing out at him for it any way she could.

“I was thinking we’d investigate as we’ve done for years.” Ian motioned toward the ring. “We’d burned hundreds of those fucking portals before we even knew about the Huntsmen.”

Her eyes widened. “That was foolish. What if you’d become entranced?”

They both had, luckily never at the same time. “We usually went hunting for them together. We had each other’s back.”

She took another step forward. “And who had Trevor’s back last night?”

“I didn’t expect to stumble upon Craig, but I’m damn glad we did.”

“And why is that?” Color leached from her skin, and the first hint of her alternate form peeked out. Her jaw lengthened, and the teeth she bared sharpened. “You lost Trevor to that horrid place.”

“But we saved Allie from being turned into a sluagh.”

A growl rumbled in her chest. Claws burst from her hands. “I don’t give a shit about Allie. She’s lost. There’s no way she’s still salvageable. Her mind is likely broken.”

It wasn’t, not completely. Ian had seen the awareness in Allie’s eyes. She’d always been stronger than everyone gave her credit for. She was just sheltered. No longer, though. He didn’t want to think about what she’d been through.

“It’s not your place to judge my actions.” It surprised him Rowan was so concerned about Trevor, but Ian would use it to his advantage. “All you’re doing is wasting precious time.” He leaned forward. “Trevor’s time.”

She nodded quickly. “Fine, but I’m going in too. You’ll need help.”

“No. We don’t know if this is going to work. It’s bad enough Tegan is in there. The world needs you in this realm to hunt Dar and his creatures.” Ian made his way to the ring without waiting for her response.

“Be careful, human,” Rowan called out.

He heard her words but couldn’t respond. An image of Tegan in another man’s arms appeared in the middle of the circle.

Ian fisted his hands and clenched his jaw. Nobody touched his mate. The nameless man would regret it.

His mind told him it was an illusion, just his fears manifesting themselves, except not once had he ever feared Tegan cheating on him. That was her fear. Which meant…it was real, or as real as anything in the fairy realm could be.

He cursed and leapt into the ring. Laughter surrounded him, and the world gave way as the faerie realm eagerly accepted another human.

Nothingness buoyed him for an endless moment. His chest squeezed tight, the same sensation he’d experienced at Arawn’s hands before he died. Oblivion didn’t claim him, though. He landed hard on a cobblestone walkway. His breath rushed out. Pain whipped from where the balls of his feet hit the stones and up his spine. He stumbled and dropped to one knee.

He shook off the pain and glanced around. Moss- and vine-covered rock walls surrounded him. He spun on his heel and spied a single wooden door.

“Ian! Help me.”

“Tegan.” He ran for the door and kicked it open.

His mate was held against the far wall, wrists caught above her head, by a man wearing some kind of ancient-looking tunic. Ian didn’t need anyone to tell him who the guy was. He knew.

“Bjorn,” he said.

The other man tore his mouth from Tegan’s and glanced over his shoulder. Blood trickled from his torn lip.

“Demon.”

Ian took a step forward. “Get your hands off my mate.”

“She should’ve been mine.” Bjorn’s heavily accented drawl grated on Ian’s nerves, but at least he could understand him. Why? How? He didn’t know nor did he care.

“Ian.” Tegan craned her head to look around Bjorn’s body. Guilt tightened her features. It was the same expression she’d worn when he accused her of being the one to rat him out to Arawn. He didn’t understand it. She couldn’t control her fears, and she’d never gotten over what Bjorn did to her. It didn’t surprise Ian that the magic would create her ex-lover to torment her.

“Don’t care. She didn’t choose you, and you’re dead. It’s too late now.” Ian approached slowly, unsure of what the illusionary Bjorn could do. “Let. Her. Go.”

“It’s not too late. Here, I’m real. She only has to love me to ensure I can hold on to my life.” Bjorn ran his hand down her side to settle on her hip. “I have years of experience in her bed. I can make her desire me again.”

The reminder of their shared past was too much. Illusion or not, Bjorn would suffer.

Ian charged him. Bjorn pushed Tegan aside and met Ian, fists raised. A hit knocked Ian’s jaw to the side. Another caught his stomach. He hunched over, arms wrapped around his gut. A third punch landed on his neck. Ian dropped to his knees, momentarily blinded.

Bjorn fought like a man possessed or one who’d lived in a much different time, one of kill or be killed. Only stubbornness forced Ian to move. He wrapped his hands around Bjorn’s legs and took him down. They landed, Bjorn under him.

Ian landed a punch to Bjorn’s nose. Cartilage shifted, and blood gushed. Ian hit him again and again, bones crunching under the pummeling. Bjorn bucked and shoved Ian off, then hopped to his feet, face a bloody mess, with the smile that labeled him as pure evil.

Ian swept out a leg and tripped him. Bjorn’s head hit the edge of the wooden stool. He groaned and landed on his back. A flash of silver caught Ian’s eye. He snatched the jagged blade from the table and gripped the leather-wrapped handle. He raised it above Bjorn’s chest, ready to strike the killing blow.

“Cynthia’s here. She’s waiting for you.” Bjorn’s image disappeared with the taunting words.

Ian dropped his arms, the blade clattering to the floor. Shock and unease hit him with the confirmation that his fears would return to haunt him in the form of a petite blonde with pigtails. His chest heaved, but he shoved the worry away and pushed to his feet. He’d deal with Cynthia when and if the time came.

Tegan threw herself into his arms and held him tight. “Please tell me you’re real.”

“I’m real. Reach inside yourself. Do you feel me? Because I feel you.” He slid his hands to the back of her neck. “You fill the hole in my heart you caused when you left me in Hell.”

“I didn’t want you to have to come here. I thought to save you.”

“It doesn’t matter why. I’m here with you.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I felt your fear. I came. Nothing would stop me.”

“I can’t call on my Hunter form, and I couldn’t reach out to you.” She tipped her head back. “I was trapped here as a woman with a man I…” She pressed her lips together.

He sighed. “With a man you never let go.”

The guilt she’d worn a few minutes ago crept over her face. “I loved him, and I never understood why he cheated on me. I gave him everything…except immortality. I just couldn’t do it. Part of me feels guilty for that.”

The words stabbed his heart. He had no right to be angry, because a part of him still loved Cynthia, just not in the same way he cared for Tegan. “In your heart, you knew he wasn’t the right man for you. I am. That’s why you mated me, not Bjorn.”

She tore herself out of his arms and covered her face with her hands. “I mated you because I thought to meet the Triad’s challenge.”

“Liar.”

She peered at him. A question hung in her narrowed gaze.

“Maybe the prospect of solving the gods’ riddle pushed you to make the commitment sooner than you normally would’ve, but we’ve loved each other for years.” He went to her and tipped up her chin. “We didn’t need words or sex to form our bond. It was there in every caress, every weighted look, every sigh you fed me. You sought to give me as much pleasure as you could, just as I did for you.”

She blinked against the sheen of wetness in her eyes. “You kept me sane, even while threatening to break my mind. The last couple of years were the hardest. So many of my siblings succumbed to madness. Each time I lost one, I lost a piece of myself. I wanted to give up too. I didn’t, because if I had, I would’ve lost you.”

He pressed his lips to hers and simply let their breaths mix. He wanted to kiss her, lay her on the bed next to them and love her. They didn’t have time for it, barely had time to talk, but he had to make her understand.

“I loved you then and still do.” He laid his palm over her heart and looked into her eyes, a show of his affection and one he’d given her every time they’d connected, once he’d realized what she meant to him.

The tears she’d been fighting spilled over. He kissed them away. “Remember that, and we’ll survive today, tomorrow, eternity. Together, angel. We meet the future together. I won’t spend it without you.”

She kissed him hard, pushing her tongue past his lips and dueling with his. Fingers in his hair, she held him tight and made love to his mouth. He soaked in every detail but turned away before they reached that point where only a shared orgasm would satisfy them.

“Are we clear? We love each other. The past is over, and the future is all that matters.”

She nodded and buried her face in his shirt. He held her close for a long moment. He wanted to keep her in his arms forever. It couldn’t happen, not yet.

“We need to find Trevor and Allie.”

She slipped from his arms. “Yes, let’s find them and get out of this place. It’s not right.”

No, it wasn’t. It also wouldn’t let them take its playthings so easily.

There’d be another sacrifice. He was sure of it.

Chapter Thirty-One

Tegan and Ian made their way through the endlessly changing forest. One moment their path lay before them, the next a tree or cluster of rocks blocked them and they were forced to go in a different direction. It was driving her nuts.

She gripped his hand tighter, afraid she’d lose him if she let go.

“It’s toying with us, that’s all.” He caressed her wrist with his thumb and offered her a smile.

“I know that, but how are we ever going to find your friends in this place, then get back to the fairy ring we entered through? It’s not responding the way it should.”

“Harley.”

She frowned, but the confident look he wore gave her hope. “What do you mean?”

“Fairies can control this realm. Harley’s going to give it a shot.” He shrugged. “Hopefully, she already is, and that’s why nothing’s staying the same.”

The redcaps controlled the fairy rings from the human realm. It made perfect sense that Harley would be able to do the same. Then again, she’d never learned how to be a fairy. She’d resisted its lure her entire adulthood.

“And if she can’t?”

“We find another way.”

She opened her mouth to ask how, but closed it without voicing the question neither of them had an answer to.

“Trust me, angel.”

She stopped walking and glanced at him. He’d been clear in his love, no matter what she’d said or done. After betraying his secret to Arawn and restraining him in the Haven, he’d still reached out to her, wrapping his love around her. Not even finding her in Bjorn’s arms had dimmed it. It was there in his eyes and touch, exactly as it had been in their dream encounters.

She laid her hand over his heart. “You are an amazing man, my mate.”

“I’m only what you need.”

She grinned. “Then I must need an incredibly sexy hero.”

His answering smile turned her heart over. “One who can’t wait to get you naked again.”

“Oh, Ian, I—” Her gaze strayed to the house in the distance. She pointed. “Look.”

He pivoted. “It’s Trevor’s place.” He tugged on her hand. “Hurry.”

They ran across a meadow of white flowers and hurdled a fence. Allie rushed out the door, no longer the smiling, innocent girl from the pictures Tegan had seen. Dark circles marred Allie’s pale skin. Her blonde hair hung in disarray around her shoulders, and the cartoon sleepshirt she wore was bloody, torn and dirty. Above all, it was the haunted and slightly crazed look in her eyes that tugged at Tegan’s heart.

“Ian!” Allie hopped the stairs and ran to meet them. “Trevor was attacked. These guys popped out of thin air and stabbed him.”

“Is he all right?” Ian asked.

Allie shook her head, sending her hair whipping around her. “I can’t stop the bleeding.”

“He can’t die here.” Tegan gave Ian’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “The magic won’t let its toy go.”

“No, but he can suffer.” Ian yanked her toward the house. He flung the door open.

She covered her mouth to muffle her gasp. The inside of the house didn’t resemble a modern one. Thick animal pelts covered wide rough-hewn boards. A deep fireplace took up one wall. And a bed faced it. The small room reminded her of the kind she’d seen in earlier times, but it couldn’t be.

And why not? The fairy realm could’ve taken the memory from me.

She shrugged off the thought, not willing to allow herself to question the reality of her surroundings, and followed Ian to where Trevor lay bloody and beaten in front of the hearth.

Ian pressed his fingers to Trevor’s neck. “He’s alive.”

Trevor slapped his hand away. “I’m fine. Just weak.”

To prove it, he pushed into a sitting position. Ian helped him until he sat leaning against the foot of the bed.

“Allie said you were attacked.” Ian lifted Trevor’s hand from where he pressed it to his gut. Curses fell from Ian’s mouth. “They got you good.”

Trevor snorted, then cringed. “Would’ve killed me if I’d been back home.”

Tegan swept her gaze over the room. Memories of a similar room and tragedy surfaced.
Please let me be wrong.
“What were you doing when they jumped you?”

Allie knelt next to them. “We saw Trevor’s house and came inside. One minute it looked normal; the next it turned into this.” She swept her hand out to encompass the space. “We started to explore it. Trevor walked toward the hearth. I went upstairs. I heard him curse, so I rushed down. Three guys surrounded him. They stabbed him, over and over.” She flicked her gaze from Ian to Tegan, an imploring look in her eyes. “I couldn’t stop them. I tried.”

Tegan met Ian’s gaze. “That’s how Rowan’s mate was killed. This room resembles his home too.” And Rowan never forgave herself for going upstairs. The expression on Allie’s face suggested she blamed herself too.

Ian cursed. “She was sitting outside the ring when I got there. Maybe the magic fed from her thoughts.”

Of course.
She closed her eyes. “It does. If you’re close enough, it can tap into your mind and draw out whatever it thinks will lure you into the ring.”

“I saw you and Bjorn.”

She met his gaze. “And it worked to get you here. Rowan’s revisited her mate’s death too many times. She’s indifferent to it just as she is to love.”

He sighed, then glanced from Allie to Trevor. “We need to move. Only way out is through a fairy ring. If I help you, can you walk? Or do you want me to carry you?”

“I’ll walk.”

Ian pulled Trevor up and supported him with an arm around his waist. He groaned but shuffled to the door. His breaths grew shallower the longer they moved, but he kept placing one foot in front of the other.

The sun overhead slipped below the horizon, and the first twinkling stars dotted the clear sky. They stepped into a garden with roses in a variety of colors. Some grew on bushes; others hung from trellises and arches.

Ian tensed.

Tegan linked her hand with his free one. The beat of his pulse against her palm quickened. She swept her gaze over the beautiful space, looking for whatever had set him on edge, but didn’t notice anything. Trepidation settled low in her belly, churning it.

“Do you recognize this place?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

One word delivered in a biting growl and her heartbeat raced too. “What—”

Cynthia approached them, arms open and a welcoming smile on her face. “Ian, you came back to me.”

Tegan sucked in a rough breath.

“Take Allie’s hand and follow my lead, angel. Trust me.”

She did, and they kept walking. Each foot brought them closer to where Cynthia stood. Her smile turned into a sneer. She bared sharpened teeth at them. Talons punched from her fingers.

“Don’t ignore me, Ian. I hate when you do that.”

He pulled Tegan closer and took another step.

Cynthia pointed at Tegan. “That’s the little bitch you tossed me away for? I held on to my virginity for you and gave up so many chances to date guys who actually desired me—all for what? You got me killed!”

Ian didn’t respond. He continued forward, dragging them with him. Cynthia morphed into a sluagh—with gray, saggy skin and soulless eyes. She leapt for Ian, claws extended, and disappeared in a puff of smoke before making contact.

Tegan stared at him. “How did you know she’d disappear?”

“I didn’t. I held your image in my mind and blocked hers out, reminding myself it was an illusion.” He caught her gaze. “That’s what I did whenever I encountered one back home. I was hoping we’d be able to combat it the same way.” His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “I was right. You are the key to saving me, just as I am yours, here and in all ways.”

“I’m glad.”

They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. A world of understanding and love flowed between them. It left her a little unsteady but stronger than she’d ever been. She turned away before the emotion morphed into lust. Her mate could turn her on without trying, and there was no room for it while they were surrounded by danger.

She jerked her chin toward the trees around them. “The landscape’s not changing as much. I think Harley’s getting the hang of controlling it.”

He glanced at her and gave her a small smile. “I think you’re right. The gazebo we just passed looks like the one on our property.”

Allie stepped onto her other side and whispered, “Trevor’s not looking good.”

Tegan peered at the human. Sweat soaked his hair, and lines of pain marred the skin by his eyes and mouth.

They needed to get him help. He might not be able to die in the fairy realm, but as a human, he could heal only so quickly, and tramping through the woods wasn’t helping. Actually, she prayed he could mend his wounds. The other alternative chilled her. She might’ve died repeatedly while in the fairy prison, but she’d had periods of utter silence broken only by Calan’s visits. The thought of being in constant pain chilled her. Trevor faced that possible future, however. Ian would be heartbroken if it happened. He would suffer along with his friend.

She went to Trevor and draped his arm over her shoulder. His limp body told her the truth. Ian supported him completely and gave him the illusion of strength. It would’ve been easier to carry him in a fireman’s hold, quicker too. Trevor wanted to walk, though. Ian respected that, just as he’d offered her support without condemning her choices.

She met Ian’s gaze and fell a little more in love with him. She’d mated a good man, one who placed other people’s needs above his own.

Honorable. Strong. Passionate. He was her true prince, not a shadow of a man who’d lived and died centuries ago. Bjorn had never earned her heart completely, but Ian had without so much as saying a single word. Whereas words could be given freely, his actions had proved his feelings.

“We found it!” Allie pointed.

A fairy ring sat in the center of a wooded grove. Tegan tugged on Ian’s sleeve. “Hurry.”

Ian lifted Trevor so his feet brushed the ground. They jogged toward the circle of mushrooms and stepped over the barrier. Nothing happened.

“That guy called me into it last time, saying he’d help me get out.” Allie spun on her heel. “Maybe it’s not working.”

“The magic wants a sacrifice.” Tegan grabbed a rock from the ground and gouged a cut into her palm. A momentary rush of pain skipped up her arm. She ignored it and squeezed her hand. Drops of her blood hit the ground, sizzling on contact.

The earth beneath them trembled, then gave way. They fell. Allie’s screams followed them into a sea of nothingness. Her cries cut off abruptly, along with all light and sound. Only Ian’s hand in hers grounded Tegan. They hit the earth, feet first, and stumbled. Ian collapsed with Trevor pulled to his side.

The roars of sluaghs and the whoosh of blades filled the night. Tegan scanned the woods. Her brothers fought several redcaps and dozens of sluaghs. Harley stood on the other side of the ring, arms outstretched and her dual-colored hair streaming around her. Eyes squeezed shut and body vibrating, she murmured in the ancient language of the fae.

Rowan rushed to the ring and held out her hand. “Hurry, Harley can’t hold it much longer.”

“Hold what?” The words were barely out of Tegan’s mouth when a barrage of flaming arrows hit an invisible dome surrounding them.

She glanced at the mushrooms, and fear stole her breath.

Ian pulled her forward. “Come on.”

He handed Trevor over to Rowan. She pulled him out.

A tremor shook the ground, and the earth beneath them heaved. Fissures opened, and smoky wisps of pure chaos snaked out of the cracks. Ian fell backward, and Tegan stumbled, but Allie’s screech yanked Tegan’s attention. Allie hung by her fingertips inside a fissure that ran from one side of the ring to the other.

Tegan reached for her and drew on the power of the Hunt to strengthen her limbs. Ian grabbed Allie’s other wrist. Together, they lifted her out. They hurried to the edge of the circle.

Ian pushed Tegan forward. “You have to pull me out. Remember, I’m no longer a Hunter.”

She nodded and cleared the ring while Rowan grabbed Allie’s hand. Rowan groaned and yanked the younger woman forward. They fell in a tangled heap. The world around them shook. A roar sounded while the earth shifted and heaved. Harley screamed and fell, one leg caught in another crack. The protective barrier she held around them broke with a pop. Fire rained down around them.

Tegan stretched a hand out to Ian. He grabbed it with both hands. She pulled against an impossibly strong force. The magic didn’t want to lose its last inhabitant. She gritted her teeth, dug in her heels and tugged. His head breached the circle. His shoulder passed the invisible barrier next.

“Watch out!” Harley screamed.

Heated air whooshed by Tegan’s head. A flash of light burst from the ring, and fire scorched her hand and Ian’s chest. She locked her gaze with his. A good-bye hovered in his eyes.

“No!” Tegan embraced her alternate form and used every ounce of strength she had to rip her mate from the portal, but between one heartbeat and the next, he disappeared along with the mushroom ring.

The sounds of battle continued around her. Harley and Rowan spoke to her. Hands pulled at her, urging her to move. Tegan blocked it out, her gaze on the spot where the fairy realm had reclaimed the man she loved.