Hunter Betrayed (21 page)

Calan willed his sword to appear. He called his hounds to
him then rushed forward. The sluaghs charged him. Calan cut them down with a
ferocity he rarely showed. The wrath he always kept tightly contained spilled
over and consumed him. He let it fill him up and used the strength it offered
to annihilate his enemies.

The last sluagh fell. Calan pivoted on his heel and spied
Raul running across the grass. Calan directed his hounds to block his path. He
charged the redcap, sword outstretched. Raul clawed at the dogs attacking him.
He grabbed one and flung the beast. Calan wrapped his arms around the animal,
set him to the side and swung his sword in the redcap’s direction. His blade
met air. Raul stood several feet away, a sneer on his face.

“Do you feel your mate’s pain?”

Calan froze. “What have you done with Harley?”

“Other than use her to break my tie to Dahm?” Raul took a
step backward. “Not a damn thing. She did this herself.”

Did what? Calan reached out to Harley. Silence met him. He
should’ve been able to touch her mind as he’d done before they’d mated.

Raul took another step back. “She decided to make herself a
martyr and save the Huntsmen.” He chuckled. “Well the ones who aren’t stark
raving mad, anyway.”

Oh god. The sinkhole.

Calan glanced over his shoulder. The sound of falling rocks
and rushing dirt reached him. It was filling in because the curse had been
transferred to a fairy. Not to Dahm, though. To Harley.

She’d sacrificed herself.

The sound of a car starting reached him. He gave the sight
of his prison being buried along with the woman he loved one last glance.
Emotions warred within him but he could not allow Harley’s sacrifice to be for
naught.

He turned his back on her and ran after Raul’s retreating
vehicle. The power of the Hunt fueled Calan’s limbs. He leapt onto the car and
dug his talons into the roof. Screeching accompanied the slashing of the metal
under his clawed hands. He reached into the opening and grabbed the redcap.
Sharpened nails dug into his shoulders.

Raul cursed and twisted the steering wheel. The car veered
right then left. Calan slid over the torn roof. The jagged metal ripped his
chest open. The pain meant nothing. The blood slickening the surface did,
however. Calan lost his grip. His feet dangled over the side. Only his talons
sunk into the redcap stopped him from going airborne. Raul jerked the car.
Calan’s back bounced off the trees lining the road. Still, he held on.

The second time he smacked into a tree, he pushed his feet
off the bark. The car tipped over. Calan scrambled up and yanked the redcap’s
head free. His screech cut off. Raul’s soul rushed out.

Calan stared at the sight of the pulsing orb. A redcap’s
soul could not be freed. It belonged to its fairy master. Calan didn’t know
what to make of the occurrence nor did he have time to ponder what it meant.
Harley was being buried alive.

He ordered Death to collect Raul’s soul then raced toward
the lake. He had to save her. He only wished he knew how.

* * * * *

Harley’s scream turned into one continuous shriek. Pain as
she’d never known consumed her. Fire raced through her veins. Her skin burned.
Flesh shriveled. Every cell in her body hurt.

God, please help me. Make it stop.

It didn’t. More misery gripped her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and willed her heart to stop, but
it raced, faster and faster. Fear rushed over her. She knew what would happen.
Death had claimed her several times since she’d stabbed herself. She didn’t
want it to happen again.

She couldn’t stop it.

Her chest squeezed tight. Her last breath wheezed out. Black
overtook her eyes, but unconsciousness didn’t come. Her heart expanded then
burst.

Laughter surrounded her. That too faded along with the pure
misery. Silence stretched. Her moment of peace. She felt her body mending. Her
shattered heart glued itself back together and took its first beat.

How would she ever survive an eternity of repeatedly dying?

She didn’t even get the chance to ponder her question. The
first shards of pain slithered through her. It was time to die again.

She whimpered.
Can’t do it. I can’t.

A man reached out to her, not her beloved Calan but his
brother Rhys. He fed her the knowledge.
Share the curse with me. I will bear
it too.

Tegan wrapped Harley in her mental arms.
As will I.

More voices, more gentle hands caressed her. She shook her
head and pushed against their comforting embrace.
No. Not meant for the
Huntsmen.

“Nor is it meant for you.”

The voice came, not from inside her head, but from in front
of her. She cracked her eyelids open, the best she could do with the pain
building in her chest. A fuzzy, glowing shape of a man stood several feet away.
He had no face, no body, yet she knew him or should she say—them.

The Triad, the triple-faceted god that ruled over all.

It waved its arm. The pain choking her faded. “Why have you
condemned yourself?”

Why? She had so many reasons. She wanted to spare Calan,
free his siblings, ensure hell didn’t spill over into the world. Yet, she knew
her motive was simpler.

“For love.”

The Triad spun in a slow circle. “And Huntsmen, is love your
reason for helping her?”

Murmurs of agreement resounded in her head.

“So be it.” The god floated toward her. She dropped her gaze
to the ground. The deity’s light blinded her, but it tipped up her chin. She
couldn’t look away. “Then love you shall receive. Your sacrifice has been made
and the barrier will be stabilized.”

She blinked back tears. “Thank you.”

“Do not thank us yet.” The Triad turned its back on her and
stretched out its arms. “Arawn’s beloved children, hear us and listen to what
we have to say. The fate of the world rests upon you once more. You too will be
required to sacrifice what is most precious to you and you will receive only
one chance to figure out what it is. If you fail to meet your challenges, you
will all return here and the deterioration to the barrier will resume.”

The god approached her. She squinted but kept her attention
on its face. It laid a hand over her heart. “Harley Callahan, mate to Calan,
you have one more life to give. Die well.”

A bolt of energy shot through her body. The god disappeared.
Her back arched, but the chains held her in place. She couldn’t escape. The
pain grew. She shrieked. The sound turned into a bellowed roar shared by all
the Huntsmen.

Power rushed up her legs. Energy crackled and bolts of pure,
white light pierced her. The pressure in the air around her collapsed her
lungs. Her cry of agony cut off abruptly, yet her mouth hung open on an endless
scream.

On and on, the agony consumed her. Her heart expanded once
more then burst. Blessed darkness dropped over her and she knew no more.

Calan skidded to a halt at the edge of his prison. Dirt was
filling up the sinkhole, burying it.

With Harley inside.

“By the gods, no!”

He called on the well of power he rarely tapped into. Energy
rushed into him. He directed it into the hole. Dirt and rocks whipped upward,
forming a cyclone. The whirlwind grew until it towered hundreds of feet into
the air. It hung for a breathless moment then burst, showering the area with
soot and stone.

He yanked the force back. His gaze darted to the partially
collapsed entrance of his prison. Fear rushed up. He swung his legs over the
lip and let gravity pull him in. He slid down the sloped banks, pushed to his
feet and raced into the hell he’d thought he’d escaped for good.

The tunnel had collapsed in several spaces. He clawed at the
rocks, used his shoulders to widen the gaps and kept crawling, deeper and
deeper into the bowels of the earth. He didn’t care if the ceiling buried him.
He’d dig himself out. Nothing would stop him from getting to Harley.

He cleared the last obstruction and raced into his cell. His
attention zeroed in on the female he loved and had given up.

Harley hung from the manacles that had bound him. Her head
slumped forward. The wild mess of her curls obscured her face. Throughout the
platinum strands, black streaks bisected her hair. The change meant something. He
didn’t know what nor did he have time to ponder it. The stillness of her chest
worried him more.

He ran the few feet separating them and tipped up her chin.
“Harley! Wake up.” She didn’t stir. He gently shook her. “Angel, it’s me.”

Nothing.

She couldn’t die. The knowledge didn’t explain the cold,
clammy touch of her skin nor the fact that her heart didn’t beat. He pried her
eyelids open.

Vacant.

“No, she can’t be dead. She’s a fairy. Immortal. Can’t die.”
He shook her again. “Dammit, Harley, wake up!”

Any minute the healing process would begin. She’d start
breathing again, but a minute passed, then two. Still, nothing. She grew
colder.

He opened his mind to Rhys.
Brother, what happened?

Silence met him.

Calan lifted his head. His eyes widened at the alteration to
his cell. Open alcoves replaced the sleek stone walls, each leading to another
room, another cell. His prison had been the center. His siblings hung lifeless
from their chains. Although no black streaks bisected their hair, their slumped
bodies mimicked Harley’s.

What had happened?

He reached out metaphysically and examined the barrier
separating hell from the human world. Not mended, but the deterioration had
returned to the state it had been when he’d been released.

They’d sacrificed to stop the barrier from cracking open
completely, the only explanation. Not their pain, that was obvious. They
couldn’t suffer while unconscious, but something more precious. What?

He glanced at Harley.
Dead.
She looked dead.

He slipped his finger into the torn fabric of her shirt.
Blood coated the swell of her breast but there was no wound. He spun and raced
to the bed. The key no longer lay on the pillow. He tossed the sheets aside,
crawled on his hands and knees and spotted a glint of silver. He snatched it
and hurried back to Harley.

He knelt and unlocked her feet. Her body sagged. He wrapped
an arm around her waist and stretched for her bound wrist. A click and the
manacle opened. Harley tumbled against him. He carried her dead weight back to
the bed and laid her out. She didn’t move. He stared at her sprawled on the
sheets and didn’t know what to do. A long moment passed before he climbed onto
the bed. He reached for her hand and froze.

A circle shown on her palm.

Her circle.

“She never gave the words. I made sure of it.” The knowledge
didn’t change what his eyes showed him. She’d completed the bond, but he’d
ripped his half away.

And killed her?

“No, please, no.” He cupped her cheeks and kissed her cold lips.
Over and over, he worshipped her. He willed his life to hers, prayed he could
return what he’d taken. “Harley, don’t leave me alone.”

He covered her mouth with his and breathed into her, hoping
to share his warmth with her.
Love you, my flower, love you always.

Harley sighed. Her lips moved against his. He jerked back.
Beautiful blue eyes focused on him.

“Harley?”

“Don’t ever leave me again.” Her teeth chattered with each
word.

“Never, by the gods, never. I love you.”

A small smile spread over her angelic face. “Good. Now kiss
me, Calan. I’m cold, so cold.”

“Yes.” He bent his head and captured her mouth, kissing her
with teeth, tongue and love. His essence poured into Harley with each breath he
fed her. The silken second skin that had tied them together slipped through her
once more but instead of acting as a barrier, it melded them together. Her
essence joined with his and her purity resonated through them.

The chaotic taint staining her body and soul was gone.

He felt the awareness of each of his siblings. Rhys first,
then Tegan. The others stirred and he was reunited with each of his brothers
and sisters, but where before he felt them as an extension of his soul, now he
touched them through Harley.

“You did it.”

She grinned at him and held out her hand. Two overlapping
circles shown on her palm. “We did it. We had to sacrifice what was most
precious to us.”

He pressed his fingertips to her cheek. “Each other.”

She nodded. “Let’s go release the Huntsmen. If it wasn’t for
them, I wouldn’t have survived. They sacrificed their freedom to ease the pain
I felt.”

Thank you.
He whispered the words into their minds.
I’ll
never forget what you did for my mate.

Out of habit, Calan went to Rhys first. His translucent eyes
pierced him. Rhys remained silent while Calan unlocked him. Free of the
bindings, Rhys extended his right hand, palm up. In the center was a black
jagged line that extended from between his middle and ring finger to his wrist.

“Harley’s sacrifice convinced the Triad to give us time to
mend the barrier once and for all.”

Calan glanced from the mark to his brother’s face. “All of
you?”

Rhys nodded. “All of us.”

Calan thought of each of his siblings and cursed.

“I don’t think it’s as simple as finding love and
sacrificing our mates if that’s what you’re thinking.” Rhys curled his hand.
“Remember not all of us want mates or love, but we’ll know we’ve succeeded when
our mark fades.”

Calan looked over his shoulder. Tegan’s dark-brown eyes
caught his gaze. She closed them but not before Calan caught the annoyance that
flashed in them.

“Our brothers and sisters would be foolish not to open their
hearts again.” He spoke the words for Tegan’s benefit. She didn’t acknowledge
him.

He strode from Rhys’ cell to hers.

Harley fell into step beside him. “I felt Raul die.”

“Yes and soon Dahm will be defeated.” Calan stopped and
waited for Harley to meet his gaze. “We will release the Hunt, my mate. We
won’t rest until each and every threat is eliminated. Our vow remains the
same.”

She nodded and he made his way to Tegan. He unlocked her and
captured her arm before she could storm past him.

“We have a new Huntsman, Harley’s human brother.”

She raised a brow. “And?”

“Ian has succumbed to the rage.”

She held his gaze with neutral eyes. “Has he been
incarcerated?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re telling me this because?”

He held her gaze. “I’m telling you because he’s one of us
and I’d thought you’d care.”

Harley grasped his wrist and redirected his attention. He
glanced at her. Worry shown in her eyes. “How long before he heals?”

“His body would’ve mended within minutes. His sanity,
however, is compromised. He will need to be brought out of his enraged state,
then he’ll need to learn control in order to ensure he doesn’t succumb again.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “He’s going to have a hard time
staying calm without Cynthia.”

Tegan glanced over her shoulder. “Who is Cynthia?”

“His fiancée. She was turned into a sluagh and he killed
her.”

Rhys stepped up next to them. “We can send a demoness to
him. Sex works wonders on the Huntsmen. Once he’s calm, we can help him.”

“I will go to him.” Tegan faced them, arms crossed under her
breasts. “We do not need to owe the demons any favors. They hate us as it is.”

“Are you sure?” Calan held her gaze. She gave a single nod.
He sighed. “So be it.”

She grinned. Her smile never reached her deadened eyes. “Now
that it’s settled, let’s get out of this hellhole. The Hunt is calling my
name.”

Calan followed her retreating back with his gaze and shook
his head. “We have our work cut out for us, my mate. I’m not positive my
siblings have weathered their imprisonment well.”

“A thousand years of torture will do that, but they’re
strong. They’ll find their way and make their sacrifices. I have faith in
them.”

“As do I, my flower, as do I.” He pulled her close for
another kiss, the temptation she posed one he never had to resist.

He took her hand and led her to the next cell. Happiness
still buoyed him but his gut churned with the implications of their future. The
thought of all the Huntsmen having to sacrifice in order to mend the barrier to
hell worried him.

“Trust them, Calan. The Triad does.”

He glanced into his mate’s face. “I do but I worry they
won’t recognize their sacrifice until it’s too late.”

Harley glanced past him to look at the Huntsmen. She caught
her lower lip between her teeth. “They only get one shot too.”

Calan sighed. “Yes and the clock starts now.”