She reached out, braced a hand against the wall and took the last step.
Her gaze latched on to his.
His heart stopped.
The fuzzy image he’d held of her didn’t do her justice. Harley was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. A thick knit hat covered her blonde hair, but the wayward strands escaping its confines were nearly white and shone in the flickering light of the torch she carried. It cast a glow over her and enhanced the angelic image she embodied. Dainty cheekbones, a small nose, plump lips, and a chin with a tiny cleft enhanced her face.
She had the body of a goddess, but it was her eyes that stripped him raw. Seeing the dark, sensuous and turbulent blue orbs against her pale skin tore a groan from his throat. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. She licked her lips.
The fairies were known as the fair race because they were the most beautiful of all the nonhuman species. In the stories Calan had heard, Dar was described as the fairest of the males when he’d belonged to the Seelie Court. His transformation into Unseelie had changed him physically and mentally until his soul and body reflected the monster he’d become.
Calan hated the male but couldn’t stop the wave of awe he felt in the presence of his nemesis’s offspring. Yet, as much as Harley’s physical presence affected him, the pureness that emanated from her attracted him more.
She’d remained pure…for the most part, at least.
“My God.” She let out a nervous laugh. “You’re gorgeous.”
“No, not gorgeous. I was bred for war.” He swept his hand down his chest. “This body is merely a reflection of what was required to fulfill my purpose.”
Harley tilted her head and studied him. Her gaze caressed his skin and left a trail of heat in the wake of her perusal. Her blue eyes widened as her attention focused on his groin and the straining length there. She swallowed hard.
He wished she’d move closer so he could wrap his hand around the tender column of her throat. He wanted to feel the wild beating of her pulse against his palm. As if she’d heard him, she took several steps into the room, but stopped too far away for him to touch her. He curled his fingers.
Patience. He refused to send her running. He’d waited too long for her…and freedom.
“And your purpose is to stop the fairies?” Harley voiced the question, but he heard the acceptance of the truth in her tone.
Had she realized what him being a Hunter meant for her? He pushed away the thought. Harley came to him despite his role, and if he mated her, it wouldn’t matter. She would be invisible to the Hunt and would escape its wrath. If he didn’t? Life would take its natural course. He couldn’t save everyone. Harsh but true.
“Yes. The riders of the Hunt were created to seek out the members of the Unseelie Court and return them to the Underworld.”
“I thought they lived in the fairy realm? Some magical place of castles and whimsical creatures?” A small smile played on her lips. “Maybe with unicorns and dragons? I’ve always wanted to soar through the sky on the back of one and feel the wind blowing my hair around me.” Her grin widened, and her eyes twinkled. “I’d feel free.”
“When the fairies were beloved among the nonhumans, they lived in the fairy realm.”
“When they were good, you mean?”
“Yes, when they were Seelie.” Calan nodded. “But then their king became corrupted, and his Court followed him into damnation. They were condemned to suffer eternally for their crimes.”
“And you were created to retrieve them.” She cocked a brow. “You weren’t born?”
“My sire walked among the humans for one year and one day so he could create his Teulu.” At her pinched brow, he added, “His family of Hunters. We are his children, born of different human mothers.”
“Your mother willingly conceived you?”
“Yes.”
Harley closed her eyes on a long, slow exhale.
He waited for her to ask the question he dreaded answering. From his time in the mortal world, he knew firsthand what humans thought of his father, Arawn. They called him the devil. Sick. Corrupted.
Evil.
He wasn’t. Arawn was simply the god chosen to rule over the Underworld, but Calan didn’t want to get into a discussion about his heritage. He wanted Harley to unlock him.
She didn’t ask about his lineage, though. She took a single step closer. Her intelligent eyes scanned the space, a replica of his bedroom in the fortress he’d once called home. All the furnishings fit the position he’d held, and none reflected the era in which he’d lived. They were magically fashioned to meet his needs.
The large, high bed was as soft as the finest down, and the wardrobes contained an endless supply of garments to match the current period. On the table next to the deep, cushioned chair, a pitcher of wine and bowl of decadent food offerings never emptied. Everything he’d coveted stood just out of reach, another torment. The same could also be said of the woman before him.
“You are lucky, then.” Harley ran her finger over the rim of a wineglass. “At least your mother wanted you.”
Pain laced her statement, but her expression remained the same. He studied her a moment, looking for some clue as to whether hate festered in her heart. None showed. Only a soul-deep weariness emanated from her. “Yours didn’t?”
Harley shrugged. “She was raped by a member of the Unseelie Court. Seeing me every day no doubt brought
