AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My brother is sick.” It was better just to get this done before I could change my mind and run. Haelo tilted his head, listening for more. “He’s dying, and I’ve tried everything—black market potions, magic, healers, and even a woman who claimed she was a witch. I’m running out of options and he’s fading fast, so I need help. Something I know only you can give to me.”
Cadoc snorted, and Haelo tsked. “That’s presumptuous of you.” His tone was dry, yet he still seemed amused enough to humor me. “What makes you thinkwecan help you? We’re the Wild Hunt. We seek, we hunt, and then we kill. What makes you think we'd be interested in healing some human boy after you’ve summoned us here like dogs?”
Some human boy.So, they had no idea who I was then—they didn’t know that I was the Crowned Princess of Karn, and I needed it to stay that way.
“I’m prepared to offer my life in exchange for a cure.” The words came out strong and steady, while inside, I quaked with dread and my knees threatened to give out. I wanted to crawl out of the mushroom circle and curl up in the shadows until this nightmare faded away.
A booming laugh echoed through the cave, causing me to take a step backwards. The laugh was humorless and filled with ire. Cadoc dropped the reins of his elhorn, and in the blink of an eye, dismounted and strode towards me. My heart was in my throat as I realized how large he was, not only in stature but in aura alone. I was nearly half the size of him, and I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes, even though every instinct inside me screamed to avert my gaze.
I staggered backwards, flailing my arms in an effort to stay on my feet. Glancing down, I tried to keep inside the mushroom circle. The sound of slicing metal rang between us, and in less than a breath, twin curved blades were crossed at my throat. One swift move was all it would take for him to slice my head from my shoulders.
“Are you now?” He grazed the edge of the blade against my collarbone. “Are you really prepared to lay down your life? To be owned body and soul?” His eyes were impossible to read, like a void of swirling emptiness. “Perhaps we should put your words to the test. My steed hasn’t feasted in days and could use a fresh meal.”
His elhorn stamped its hooves, gnashing its sharp teeth in anticipation. I refused to move and barely even breathed, for fear that one slice of his blade would be the end of it all. What did he care about some halfling woman? I was an ant to them—less than an ant. It was foolish of me to have considered asking for a faerie’s help.
“Wouldn’t that be a treat?” Haelo asked excitedly, a smile stretching his lips, revealing sharp fangs. “Human meat is such a delicacy. It would be a shame to see it go to waste…” He licked his lips as if to emphasize the threat.
Human,he’d said, as if I were nothing more than meat. Halflings were nothing in their eyes. Nothing more than objects to own and use as they pleased.
My blood boiled with rage, and I wanted to lash out, but I reined it in. They were toying with me, and I needed to keep my head on straight. Faeries loved to play games, and they liked to test you—to weed out the weak from the strong. I wasn’t naïve. I knew their tricks, and I had to stay one step ahead of them if this was going to work the way I needed it to.
I said nothing, keeping my mouth shut as they taunted me. I had to be careful. Faeries were known for their short tempers and got bored quickly, so I had to stay sharp and not provoke them.
Something inside me stirred, and it was an effort not to squirm. Why was I acting as if I were nothing more than a cowering, human girl? I was half faerie, and that had to mean something. I’d buried that side of myself for so long now that sometimes, I even forgot.
Standing up straighter, I forced myself to stare directly into Cadoc’s black eyes, pushing every single ounce of bravery and defiance into my stare. I wouldn’t budge. They had what I needed, and I’d see it through to the end…whatever that end was.
“What is the matter with your brother?” came a smoother, more calculating voice. My eyes slid to the short-haired faerie with the soulful golden eyes. His face was angular, gruff, but handsome. A warrior prince, indeed. At my silent stare, he spoke again. “You came all this way for our help, and now you’ve fallen mute? And here I thought you were unusually brave, for a halfling.”
I didn’t for one second think he cared about what ailed my brother, but his question was valid. What kind of sickness was immune to medicines, magic, and witchcraft?
“The unnatural kind of sickness,” I said. His was the kind of sickness that came from something dark, Like from a plan to get an important person out of the way. “He’s wasting away, and I don’t think there’s much time left. This was my last resort.”
It might have been vulnerable of me to admit that, but I’d deal with the consequences later. The three males glanced at each other, and there was a flurry of uneasy movement from the others around us. As impossible as it seemed, I’d almost forgotten that we had such an audience. They were all so silent and watchful, as if their every move deferred to the three princes.
“Either help me, or I'll find another way,” I said, a bite of impatience slipping through. “If I summoned you on accident, I imagine I could do it again with someone less—”
“Less what?” Cadoc boomed. He was close enough that I could feel his breath on my face. He stood so utterly still. I knew he had total control of his blades. “Less what?” he asked again. “What benefit do we have in doing humans favors?”
“I'm not a human,” I spat out, despite the death hovering at my throat. My words echoed through the cave. It was the first time I’d said it out loud, but it had to be said. He blinked at me, unimpressed. “You and I are far more similar than you realize,Cadoc.” Saying his name felt wrong somehow, as if I had no right to address this prince so informally.
I found myself flashing him my elongated canines. His black eyes dipped to my lips, but it was hard to tell where he was focusing, given the fact that he had no pupils. His wide lips flattened, and his nostrils flared. Had he not realized it before? I was a primal, just like him, just like Haelo. My mother, whoever she was, had been part creature, and so was I.
He scanned my features closely now, as if I had been previously invisible, just another dull, magicless, mortal human. I could see the exact moment it registered that my copper hair had too much brightness, too many swirling colors. My uptilted, orange-brown eyes were slightly too large and reflected in the darkness like a predator cat, and my teeth… Well, my fangs were all creature, there was no mistaking it.
These features, which might have just saved my life at this moment, were the reason my life as Princess of Karn had never been easy. They were a constant reminder to Queen Reena of my father’s infidelity. The only reason I hadn’t been tossed to the streets as a babe was the fact that the king had had a fascination with faeries. It was only thanks to the queen wanting to save face that I hadn’t been exposed publicly.
Haelo laughed again, the sound ringing through the tense silence like music. I dared a glance at him while Cadoc continued to study me. He still hadn’t stepped inside the mushroom circle, but he was large enough that if I tried to run, he could easily grab me.
Haelo’s white eyes were practically brimming with excitement, and his sensual lips were smiling wickedly, as if this was the most fun he’d had in centuries. “Cadoc, perhaps we should indulge her. It’s been too long since we’ve taken a plaything. Imagine the possibilities.”
The possibilities…Did he mean torture? Enslavement? What was I getting myself into by striking a bargain with these faeries?
His silky voice held dark promises that both made my skin crawl and my toes curl. I didn’t want to find these males attractive or alluring in any way, but it was impossible not to. They were the personification of animalistic sensuality and grace.
“So, you choose to forfeit your life in exchange for your human brother?” the golden eyed one asked. He was a silent, watchful type—the type I needed to watch out for. I still didn't know his name, and I had a feeling it was intentional. It was easy to forget he was lurking on the sidelines, taking note of every single nuance, expression, or gesture.
I didn’t even hesitate in nodding. “I am. You save my brother and my life is yours.” The words burned coming out.Stupid, stupid, stupid…
