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“How was your date with Nigel, dear?” she asked.
The date that had never happened. “He had to go home early. It never really got started.”
“That’s too bad. Are you planning on going out again soon?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t have much in common.” Or at least we never had a chance to find out if we had anything in common. I knew Liam was keeping something from me. He knew more about Nigel than he was willing to share. I’d take his word for it, for now, and assume it had nothing to do with me.
“Sometimes those pretty boys aren’t all they’re cracked up to be,” she said. She rinsed her knife off in the sink and checked her recipe in the book lying open on the counter. Then she wandered over to the canisters on the far side of the counter, humming to herself.
“What are you making?” I asked.
“Oh, just a nice home-cooked meal. Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, veg. Might try my hand at a pie for dessert. Or maybe a crumble.” She lifted the largest of the canisters off the counter. “Oh, no. That’s not a good sign,” she said.
“What is it?”
She shook the container and then popped the lid open. “Just what I feared.” She showed me the inside. “Looks like I forgot to buy more flour. And I need it for the gravy. And the dessert.”
“Maybe I could run to the store for you?”
“That’s sweet of you, dear. But the stores will all be closed tonight on account of the festival.” She tapped her finger against her chin. “We might be able to borrow some from our neighbor. I was going to bring her some eggs from the chickens, anyway.”
“I’ll go,” I said. “Just tell me how to get there.”
“That would be so helpful. It’s getting dark, so take the flashlight in the mudroom. If you cut through the yard, you’ll intersect the road after a bit. Then just follow it to the end of the lane and you’ll find a little cottage tucked behind a stone wall covered in ivy. That’ll be our MaryAnn. Sweet lady, but she’ll talk your ear off, so make sure you tell her you’re needed home right away. We’ll bring her some biscuits and replenish her flour stock tomorrow afternoon. I’ll get Oscar his tea and finish up the potatoes while you’re gone.”
I washed my hands and dried them on a towel. Then I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” I opened the door to the mudroom and stepped onto the chilly plank floor. The cold seeped through my socks as I padded over to the boots. I slipped on a pair that fit, found my coat on the peg, tugged on my hat, and pulled on my mittens.
Just before stepping outside, I remembered my aunt’s advice and grabbed the big flashlight off the shelf next to the door. The sun set early this far north. Already a few stars glimmered in the sky, and the full moon hovered above the tree tops. I hoped the skies would remain clear so that I’d be able to keep the flashlight off for most of my journey.
As I made my way across the yard in the moonlight, the steady thwack of an axe against a log cut through the crisp night air, and I smiled. That had to be Liam. I hoped he’d seen that Aunt Vivian was cooking and would be okay with postponing our date. I grinned as I thought up excuses so I could sneak away after dinner and spend more time with his arms around me and his lips pressed against mine.
I was almost to the road when howling and barking off in the distance made me pause to listen. I gripped the flashlight and placed my finger on the switch, but I didn’t turn it on. I couldn’t tell if the barking was getting closer or moving away. The sound echoed around me and seemed to be coming from many directions at the same time. I crept closer to the edge of the road and squinted into the darkness. There was no sign of any travelers, but the howling continued, now accompanied by hoofbeats and shouting.
The long, low bugle of a hunting horn cut through the clear night air, followed by an eerie stillness. As the echo of the horn disappeared, I realized that everything had fallen silent. I could no longer hear the hounds or even the steady rhythmic thump of the axe falling. The hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle and goose bumps rose on my arms. My body tensed to run, but I stood, frozen. Then I saw them. A group of men on horseback, tearing through the woods on the opposite side of the road, dogs bounding along and leading the way. They were weaving through the trees and appeared to be coming closer. I watched, transfixed.
“Eve!” The shout came from somewhere behind me. “Come back! Run!” I recognized the voice as Liam’s and turned to look for him. Before I could spot him, I felt a thick arm, definitely not Liam’s, grab me around my waist. My feet lifted off the ground and the air rushed out of me as my chest slammed into something hard. I closed my eyes and concentrated on catching my breath. When I opened them again, the ground was speeding by beneath me as I lay, belly down, across the back of a horse.
The man who’d grabbed me let out a bellowing whoop to the others, then yelled, “I got one, lads!” His call was answered with cheers and shouts.
I squirmed, struggling to free my hands that had been pinned between my body and the warm hair of the horse’s back. My wrist wedged against leather when I tried to turn and get a closer look at who sat on the saddle. I lost my grip on the flashlight, and it fell, hitting me in the head before tumbling to the ground. That was the last thing I saw before my vision faded to black.
I’d just raised the axe over my head, ready to swing and slice another log, when a low, sustained note from a hunting horn sliced through the crisp night air. I dropped the axe and turned to face the sound. The Hunt had returned. They’d sensed the magic I’d used today. A chill ran down my spine. That horn signaled they were in pursuit, and close, by the sound of it. I hoped my defenses would hold against them. I took off running in the direction of the horn, planning to hide near the edge of the property and wait until I was sure they couldn’t cross onto Lydbury proper.
The tree line at the edge of the property loomed in the distance. The road beyond the property line was barely visible between the trees. But I could see there was someone standing there, in the middle of the road. I focused on the lone figure, intuition or Fae senses, I didn’t know which, telling me this was a human. My gut wrenched with recognition. Evelyn. She’d already crossed over the property line and was outside the protection spells I’d set.
“Eve,” I shouted, spelling my voice toward her so she would hear me across the distance. “Come back! Run!”
I could see them now, the Hunters, crossing the field on the far side of the road, emerging from the woods. I ran harder. Evelyn turned toward me, and I caught a glimpse of her face before a Hunter snatched her up and slung her across his saddle.
“No!” I screamed. The Hunter swung around to follow the road, avoiding the property line, and the others followed. I was still too far away. I pushed harder and skidded to a stop in the middle of the road where I’d last seen her standing.
The Hunt was gone. I’d lost her. I hadn’t been fast enough. I stood in the middle of the lane, staring down at her new hat, now lying in the dirt. It must have fallen off when the Hunter snatched her up. I didn’t pause to see if anyone was watching before I called up my magic and transformed. Once in my animal form, I sniffed at the hat, breathing in her scent, and took off after the Hunters. With every breath, I cursed myself for letting my guard down. I’d thought I had the upper hand. I should have been more cautious.
I ran fast, keeping to the shadows, closing the distance. I had no idea where they were taking her. I just knew I had to get her back. They’d only ever captured faerie folk before. Evelyn should have been safe. She’d wandered off the property, and outside my protection. But still, she should have been safe. Part of me worried that the half-demon pretty boy had tipped off the Hunt and was just using Evelyn to get to me. If that were the case, I was leaving the house open, undefended. But there was nothing there for me now. I’d have to trust my protection spells would keep Oscar and Vivian safe. Right now only Evelyn mattered. And defeating Edric.
I slowed when I realized that I’d lost the path. I circled back until I’d picked up her scent again. Then I found the spot where they’d turned and I started running again. In the distance, moonlight glinted off stone. They’d veered off in the direction of the old temple. I growled and pushed myself harder. We’d never been able to find Edric’s hideout. Now I finally had a chance to trace him back to his lair. If that band of marauders had decided to infiltrate an ancient temple dedicated to a Fae goddess, there would be hell to pay. I almost hoped that they were hiding there, just to see the look on Arabella’s face when she came to destroy them.
I needed a plan. Alone, I was no match for Edric and his Hunters. I wouldn’t be able to defeat them without help. But, if I called Arabella, Evelyn would surely be killed in the ensuing battle. Perhaps I could find a way to sneak in, unseen. I could rescue Evelyn and then call Arabella and the Queen’s Guard to help me destroy Edric and banish the Hunters. But first, I needed to get Evelyn out of there before Edric got his hands on her, and before she learned enough to earn her a death sentence from the Fae. I pushed harder, driving my paws against the earth, following their trail and closing the distance on the standing stones.
