The long fingers that had brought her pleasure hours ago lengthened. The nails thickened, sharpened, and grew into slightly curved talons. She jerked her attention from the deadly claws to his face. He swept his gaze over her in an intent perusal that stripped her, penetrated her, and left her raw and open in front of him. He settled his gaze on her face. Desire softened his eyes, but the pointy teeth filling his mouth didn’t match the hungry look he wore.
Calan stretched a hand to her. “Come here.”
Her heart raced, but she closed the distance between them. The moment she stepped within arm’s length, he slid his arm around her waist and tugged her against him. Face buried into her hair, he breathed deeply.
“Harley, my Harley.” He whispered the words into her hair.
“What the hell did you find?”
She jerked at Ian’s barked question, but Calan didn’t flinch. He shifted his attention to Ian. “I found Raul’s fairy ring. A female sluagh’s footprints led up to it.”
Ian groaned. The agonized sound cut at her heart. She covered her mouth. “Cynthia.”
“Where’s the fairy ring?” Ian asked.
Calan peered past her to focus on Ian. “You don’t need to know. I will avenge her death and free her spirit.”
“No.” Ian stepped forward. “If it’s Cynthia, the creature using her body will die by my hand. I will be the one to give her peace.”
Calan raised a brow. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s so.”
With his stance widened and arms crossed, Calan faced Ian. A small smirk played on Calan’s lips. Seeing it worried her, but her attention landed on her brother’s agonized expression.
“Do you wish to join the Hunt for her?”
She tensed, instincts flaring. “Ian, don’t—”
“Yes.” No hesitation. Ian reached out a hand. “I’m in.”
Calan grasped it. Ian’s nostrils flared. Minutes passed in silence. She glanced between the two men. What was going on? No emotion showed on their faces. They didn’t even blink, but something significant was happening.
Finally, Ian nodded, then turned his back, but not before she caught him pressing a balled fist to his chest.
“What’s going on?” No answer. “Ian, are you, okay?” He nodded.
She stepped in front of Calan. Hoping to keep her voice calm, she asked, “What did you do to him?”
“I shared with him knowledge of the Hunt. He needs to know what he’s in for if he’s going to join it.” Calan grabbed her hand and tugged her against him before she could ask more questions. “Now, come with me. Daybreak is less than an hour away. I want to show you something before the sun rises.”
Calan led her across the room. At the door, he glanced over his shoulder. “Prepare yourself, and keep my hounds close. We ride tomorrow at dusk. Have your final decision made.”
The horse waiting in the middle of Ian’s backyard was a phantom in every sense of the term. The trees behind it showed through its ghostly body. Harley froze, mesmerized and repulsed by the skeletal creature. It turned black, fathomless eyes on her. She got lost in the abyss. It sucked her in, wrapped around her and showed her an image of herself she didn’t understand. She stood beside the lake on her property, arms stretched out and head tipped back. Black streaks bisected her platinum curls. Lightning flashed. Her scream echoed in her head.
Within one heartbeat and the next, the picture disappeared. She jerked backward. Calan linked his arms around her waist, stopping her tumble.
“Be calm. This is my horse, Death.”
She settled against Calan’s hard body and the comforting scent of a campfire chased the unsettling image from her mind.
“Death?” She tipped her head back. “You named your horse Death?”
The sight of his lifted lips curled her toes. Did he realize the power he had over her?
“My sire named him, actually. Each rider is given a horse from Arawn’s stable. Death is bonded to me.” He pressed his hand to his pec, where the living tattoo marked him as a Huntsman. “But Death will welcome you too. You belong to me.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse.”
The smirk on his full mouth faded. He tensed. “Does Death frighten you?”
She peered over her shoulder at the big animal. It watched her with its mysterious dark eyes. The horse did scare her. She got the impression it could see into her soul. Her tainted soul. She swallowed hard and faced Calan. The careful way he watched her, as if expecting her disgust, stopped her from telling the truth. “No.”
“Good.” Calan settled his hands on her hips. “Get on. I grow impatient.”
“What is it that you want to show me?”
“A warehouse.”
His flat tone sent a chill down her spine. “What’s in it?”
A tic developed on his jaw. “You’ll see.”
“Just tell me. We’re wasting time that you could be using to hunt Raul.”
He worked his jaw and shifted his gaze to the woods surrounding Ian’s house. “The night wanes, and unless I pass him on the street, I won’t sense him.”
“But I thought you said—”
“I know what I said, but I won’t find him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since you are my mate”—the hard look returned to his eyes—“you are safe from the Hunt, even if you haven’t yet completed your half of the bond.”
Trepidation settled over her. “And what does that have to do with Raul?”
“Do you remember when I said a ceremony was needed to bond a redcap to you?”
Her stomach dropped. Unable to form words, she nodded.
“It is performed in two parts: body and soul.” He paused, searching her face with his gaze as if seeking a confirmation of his words. After a moment, he sighed. “To link your bodies the redcap must willingly ingest your blood.”
She gasped and covered her mouth to muffle the sound. Memories rushed back: Raul chasing her, attacking her, biting her. She cut off the flow of images before the worst ones claimed her.
Calan’s expression fell, no doubt seeing the confirmation in her eyes.
“And the second?” she asked when he remained quiet.
“If you turn Unseelie, you’ll supply him a bloody
