Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) (11 page)

A smile spread over her face as she soared. She loved the simulation of flying, of being free. The swing offered her a different experience from what her horse was capable of doing. There, in the night sky with the power of the Hunt humming in her veins, she was a Hunter. Never did she ride for the joy of it. Even those times she did climb on her mare’s back without a specific purpose, she kept an eye out for evil. Here, on this handmade swing Trevor had made for her, she was a woman. There was no purpose, no duty, and no goal other than to feel the wind on her skin.

She didn’t know how long she swung, but finally Trevor caught the rope, ending the carefree moment. The swing jerked with the abrupt stop. He steadied her with an arm around her waist. She collided with his chest. An “oomph” escaped. His mouth was on hers a heartbeat later, stifling the sound and stealing her breath.

The hunger she’d seen on his face a few minutes ago spread from him to her. She needed more than his lips. She craved his passion, his strength.

Twisting in his embrace, she hooked her hand around the back of his neck and tugged him closer. His groan whipped through her. He tightened his hold on her waist and kissed her harder.

Their teeth banged, and each pleasured sound he made excited her more. Warmth pooled low. Her nipples hardened. Need built. She squirmed, trying to break free. The desire to strip him and explore his naked body with her hands and tongue grew into a fevered compulsion. For the wonderful gifts he’d given her—the swing and the carefree moment—he deserved her worship.

He eased back, breaking their wild kiss, and focused on her, staring deeply into her eyes. “That look on your face, Rowan. It does crazy shit to me. Makes me want to forget everything and throw you over my shoulder. Take you back to my bed. Freaking worship you.”

She wanted that, for him to love her. Instead of asking him to make it a reality, she focused on uncovering more of the hidden Trevor. He fascinated her. His personality was part of that, but she wanted to understand why he wore that expression for her. He’d said himself she was dark. Dangerous. Yet he still wanted her. Why? Uncovering that reason would help her accept what he was to her—the reincarnation of Kai or another chance. With Trevor’s intense gaze on her, she didn’t care which one he ended up being. He made her feel alive. She refused to lose that.

“What look?”

“The lighthearted one you wore while swinging, and that smile…” With his hand firmly over hers so they both held the rope, he moved to her front and stepped between her legs before dropping his hands to her thighs. He inched his fingers higher, pushing her skirt up with them. “That smile freaking branded me or something the first time I saw it. Seeing it again has shattered my convictions. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with you now.”

He was speaking in riddles. Either that or she was missing something essential. “You’re confusing me.”

“I know.” He wove his fingers into her hair and pulled her close. Their noses touched, breaths mixed. “I’m confusing myself. You do this to me, make me a mess. I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with these emotions you stir within me. This isn’t the right time for us to get involved.”

He was wrong about that, but she didn’t want to tell him why. Not yet. The pressure of figuring out her challenge would make what was happening between them much more difficult.

“But you want to get involved with me? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, I want you. Over me, under me”—with his gaze still on her face, he skimmed his fingertips over her panty-covered cleft—“tied to my bed.”

The teasing words she’d spoken to Trevor sounded like a promise coming from him. Her breath hitched. “Trevor, I—”

He slipped his fingers under her underwear, much the same way he had the previous night in the alley. He didn’t stroke her cleft or push his fingers inside her, though. He hooked the material and tugged. She lifted her bottom, complying with his silent demand. He dragged her panties off, letting them drop carelessly to the ground.

“But that’s going to have to wait a little while longer. I’ve got a plan to see through.”

“What kind of plan?”

He licked her lips, the bottom, then the top. “Don’t worry. It involves you. Me. Us, naked and sweaty.”

“Yeah? Don’t you think you should run this plan by me first?”

“Don’t need to. I know what you desire, but if you want me to waste my breath, I will. I’d rather get drunk on you. Bury my face in your folds and make you come apart around my tongue. And with the number of brothers you have wandering around here, privacy is hard to come by. We have it right now. Don’t know how long that’ll last.”

“Aren’t you worried about what they’ll think? Brothers can be protective.”

“I’m an only child. Can’t speak on that, but I’m not concerned. Zeph already saw us together. I just don’t want to be disturbed when I’m eating you out.”

“I didn’t get a chance to talk to you, and”—her breath escaped in a shaky exhale—“you didn’t explain what you meant about me being dark.” She wasn’t sure why she was delaying him. She wanted his mouth on her too.

“We’ll talk tomorrow after you get back from hunting.” He skimmed his parted lips down the column of her throat to her upper chest. “I’ll make us something to eat, and we can sit out on the patio.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good.” He dragged the tip of his tongue between the swell of her breasts, stopping at the neckline of her top. “If you can, come home early enough that we can watch the sunrise.” He stroked his flattened tongue over her nipple, wetting the fabric of her top and hardening the tip. “Just you and me, okay?”

“Yes, I’ll try, but I can’t promise. It all depends.” On how long it’d take her to talk to Arawn and hunt down Minerva.

“As long as it doesn’t involve rapists or any of the other pieces of shit you’ve been hunting as a woman, then I don’t mind waiting for you. I know you’ll come back to me.”

His words slammed into her with a commitment she hadn’t expected to come so soon. With one sentence, he acknowledged their connection and staked his claim on her.

“I won’t hunt humans tonight, but that’s not something I can stop doing permanently for you.”

He nibbled on the erect nipple, sending sparks skipping through her, then kissed his way to the space between her legs. With his thumbs, he gently exposed her opening and brushed his lips over her sex, a chaste kiss. He eased back and met her gaze. “I know. That’s the darkness inside you. You want to make the damned regret their bad choices now, not wait until they die. You want them afraid. Groveling like babies knowing they’re going to Hell, hoping they can make up for their sins, so they won’t commit more.”

She stared at Trevor, shocked by his insight. That was exactly the reason she roamed the human streets. If she could stop one sinner from hurting another person—saving someone from experiencing the grief she’d endured—then she considered her nightly treks among the depraved a success.

“And you’re okay with that?”

With a hand on each knee, he spread her legs farther apart. “Yes, but only if I’m close by so I can rescue you if things get out of hand.”

“No. You’re not going with me until after you become a rider. What if—”

The swipe of his tongue over her cleft stopped her words. “Quiet, Rowan. I’m busy. You can argue with me later.”

“There is no argument. I won’t expose you to danger while—”

Her statement was cut off when his tongue pierced her center. She grasped his head and nearly toppled backward.

Trevor steadied her with a hand on her bottom. “Grab the ropes and hold on, baby. Otherwise, you’ll fall on your ass, and the only time I want you on the ground in front of me is when you’re on your knees with my dick in your mouth.”

She released his head and gripped the ropes. The moment she curled her fingers around the rough cords, he licked her, swiping his tongue over her lower lips. She sucked in air. The way he touched her, as if he had the right to her body, left her weakened. Each drag of his tongue over her sex strengthened her, however. He knew how to work her, giving her the most pleasure possible. Every nibble and lick whipped her higher and heightened her anticipation.

No doubt the confidence he showed came from experience. He probably had a long list of very satisfied lovers. Should that make her jealous or angry? Most women would be, even if they didn’t want to admit it. She wasn’t like many females, though. In her eyes, those women had prepped Trevor. For her.

And she’d get to keep him for an eternity.

“This is mine, Rowan.” He gave her center another lick before raising his gaze to hers. His chin glistened with her arousal and lust gave his brown eyes a drowsy quality. “If we do this, get together, I won’t share you. If that’s not what you want, you’d better tell me. I’m reaching that point where I can’t let you go.”

“Lick me, Trevor. Prove to me you’re mine. That fate has brought you back to me. Given us a second chance.”

A look of anger flashed across his face. He glared at her. Then he was kissing her lower lips as deeply as he’d taken her mouth a few moments ago. She didn’t get the chance to process his mood change. She soared. Trevor took her up so fast, the orgasm didn’t build. It crashed over her. Destroyed her. She trembled, and his name escaped on a strangled gasp.

The waves finally slowed. Her body slumped. He tugged her off the swing, pulling her against his chest. His mouth found hers, and her arousal flavored the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him, using him to anchor her shaky body.

He broke the kiss. “Say it again.”

“Say what again.”

He clenched his teeth so hard, the cracking of his jaw resounded in her ears. “My name. Say my goddamn name so you know who loved you.”

“Trevor.”

“Good. Now remember that when you think about what we did. It was Trevor who took you to heaven, not your dead mate and certainly not some loser you’ve used to pass the time. Got it?”

She wanted to share her theory with him. The harsh expression on his face stopped her. A slew of dark emotions showed in his eyes. Anger, jealousy, frustration—it was all there for her to see. He didn’t hide any of them. His expectation was clear. A demand.

“Yes, Trevor. I got it.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead. For a long moment, he didn’t speak. When he did, his words came out as a breath of sound. “This wasn’t supposed to happen so soon, not until after I became a rider.”

“Why does the timing matter?”

“I want your brothers’ respect.”

They would make Trevor earn it, no matter why he became a rider. A Teulu didn’t give up on any of its members. Even those siblings who’d been confined to the Underworld because they’d succumbed to the madness weren’t forgotten. Once Trevor wore the mark of the Hunt, he’d be subjected to a whole new set of rules, ones that would make him the best he could be. They wouldn’t be easy. Somehow, she didn’t think he’d care.

“You’ll have their gratitude.”

“For riding? No. They’ll have mine. I can’t wait for a chance to deliver the Unseelie Court to Hell.”

“For giving me a reason to live again.”

He cupped her face in his hands and studied her. “Don’t forget that either. No matter what happens. Remember today. Remember me. Remember
us
.”

“Yes. I promise. I’ll never forget.” It would be an easy promise to keep with him in her life, because she refused to lose him. Ever.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

Dusk was fast approaching, and guilt plagued Rowan for the second time in one day. She glanced at the house. Her siblings were no doubt getting ready to call the Hunt. Not her. No, she was preparing to disobey Rhys’s order and neglect her duty to mankind.

Every night offered another opportunity to eliminate the redcaps and sluaghs, as well as to locate Dar. Each Hunter was capable of the feat. Arawn had made sure his children—sons and daughters alike—were skilled in battle. None had gotten the chance to deliver Dar’s punishment, however. He continued to evade them, despite the Chaos that clung to the former Seelie king.

Dar was corrupted, body and soul, and that taint acted as a beacon in the night to those with the ability to call the Hunt. Unlike Craig and his brothers, who were linked to Harley and thereby shielded from the Hunt’s detection, there was no way Dar could hide from the Huntsmen. Yet he had.

The last time he’d been spotted was right after Calan had mated Harley. That failed attempt to transport Dar to the Underworld had brought the deception against the Teulu to light.

They had been betrayed.

A little over a millennium ago, someone with the power to traverse the barrier between Hell and the mortal realm had stolen the dagger Arawn had used to condemn the corrupt Fairy Court to eternal damnation. That person had then given the magical weapon to Dar, who’d used it to trap the Huntsmen in the fairy prison.

The way she looked at it, there were only two possible candidates—the angels and Arawn’s children.

She wouldn’t put the deplorable act past the angels. Despite their tie to the heavens, they weren’t innocent. They were warriors in their own right. Their purpose of protecting the living put a kink in her theory, however. The Unseelies were the biggest threat to the humans.

That left the Huntsmen, but no Hunter would have betrayed their father or their Teulu. On that she’d stake her eternal soul. They were one, connected not only to Arawn but each other. Hurt one member and all suffered.

She honestly didn’t know who could have deceived Arawn, but the Huntsmen would find out. When they did, that person would wish they hadn’t been foolish enough to betray the Huntsmen. Immortal beings never forgot the wrongs done to them.

With determination fueling her steps, she hurried down the path to the butterfly garden. At the edge of the fragrant area, she stopped. The patch of ground still looked serene and beautiful despite the rapidly cooling temperatures from the change in seasons. It almost felt wrong to expose the peaceful spot to the stench of the Underworld, but it was here that Calan had first established a portal after being released from his chains.