Hands at her waist, he lifted her and deepened the kiss. Her sweet flavor invaded his senses. He worshipped her mouth until his only thought centered on getting her naked. Duty stopped him from doing so. He pulled back.
She trailed her fingertips over his jaw. “See, my wicked Huntsman. I’m not afraid.”
He grinned. She lightened the weight he carried. How had he survived the ages without her? He kissed her once more even as he opened the portal to the Underworld, calling forth his stallion. A yank on his chest tore a groan from him. He staggered back.
She reached for him. “What’s wrong?”
He clamped his jaw and locked his muscles. The summons from his father tugged on his very being. Calan closed his eyes and fought his sire. He refused to leave Harley without a Huntsman’s protection. The urgency in the call reverberated through him, however. Arawn was angry but more than that, he was anxious. Something had happened, but he couldn’t force his will on his children. He’d given his Huntsmen too much power.
For a second time, Calan blocked his sire’s order and sent his response: he’d return home after Ian joined the Hunt. Calan refused to leave Harley unguarded again.
He focused on her tight features. “Nothing. My father wants me to come to him.”
“The devil?”
He flashed her a smile. “Arawn or Lord of the Underworld. I don’t like him being called the devil. My father isn’t inherently bad nor is he evil. He’s simply the god chosen to rule over Hell’s realms and its inhabitants.”
“What does he want from you?”
The squealing tires of a black SUV stopped him from answering, not that he had an answer to give. He wouldn’t know what Arawn wanted until he spoke to him.
The driver’s door opened. Ian jumped out. He approached in long strides. Rage contorted his features and flared his nostrils. The other male, Trevor, trailed behind, cautiously watching the crouched and silent hounds spread out around them. Ian paid them no mind, however. He stepped around the ones in his way.
Gaze locked on Calan’s, Ian scowled. “Raul burned the fucking ring.”
“What?” Harley straightened and pushed out of the loose circle of Calan’s arms. “But how?”
He would like to know also. His hounds hadn’t seen anyone who met Raul’s description there.
“My men saw a police van enter the building. A half hour later, it leaves, but nobody closes the overhead door.” Ian took a threatening step forward. “My guys got curious and investigated.”
“And they found the ring burned?” Harley asked.
“Yeah. They didn’t know what it was, but they described a black scorched circle in the center of the building. The cops who’d been inside were knocked out, but one came around pretty quickly.” Ian shifted his gaze from Harley to him. “He said a guy who looked a hell of a lot like Raul got out of the van with Allie. The cop didn’t remember much else, only that Allie wasn’t struggling or crying.”
Harley sucked in a rough breath. “If Raul lured her into the ring, he has to call her forth after dark in order to turn her into a sluagh.” She turned and met Calan’s gaze. “Right?”
“Yes, but”—he worked his jaw back and forth—“we don’t know if Raul did lure her for certain. The redcap isn’t typical. He’s too patient and clever for us to assume anything.”
She shook her head. “Raul’s a serial killer who—”
“Who has had the foresight to hide his fairy ring.” Calan took Harley’s hand. Her guilt over the redcap beat at him. “I wouldn’t put it past him to use the female to try to coerce you into doing his bidding.”
“Never. He’s a fool to think I’d save the man who killed my family.” Her eyes widened. “But if he’s tricked Allie into entering the ring, what will happen to her now that it’s gone?”
He held his mate’s gaze and told her the harsh truth. “Unless he creates another ring and calls her forth, she’ll be trapped in the fairy realm.”
“With the sluaghs?”
Calan brushed a wisp of blonde hair from her cheek. “They are mere shells in the fairy realm. The human puppets will not be a problem.”
“What will?” Ian asked.
Calan glanced at the male who’d soon become his brother in the Hunt. “Time moves slower there, but she’ll grow hungry. Once she consumes anything from the realm, she won’t ever be able to leave. If she keeps eating the magically laced food, she’ll eventually lose her mind.”
Trevor stepped closer. “Somebody needs to go after her and bring her home.”
“Only fairies can come and go there as they please.” Calan sighed. “If he indeed tricked her into the circle, the best we can hope for is if Raul brings her back as a sluagh. At least then we can kill her and free her soul.”
Trevor pointed. “Send Harley. She’s half-fairy. She can—”
Calan moved with inhuman speed and wrapped his hand around the male’s throat. He dragged him closer until they were eye to eye. A low growl crawled up Calan’s throat. “Nobody will ever endanger my mate. Harley is mine to protect and cherish. She will not risk herself for a female who may or may not be in danger.”
Harley stroked his forearm. “Let him go. He’s only worried about Allie. Let’s see what we can find out first. Maybe she’s safe.”
Calan released Trevor. “Agreed. We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s hunt.”
With a thought, he stirred his hounds and sent them out in all directions, then he called forth another stallion from Hell. A shimmering wall appeared several feet away. The glimmer faded. A wash of hot sulfur-tainted air swept out along with a black steed. Each step the horse took from the portal leeched color from its hair and dimension from its body. Its red eyes turned into endless portals that could bestow visions or absorb the lost souls of the sluagh.
Only once had Calan witnessed a joining between human and horse. Tegan had fallen in love with a human
