She grabbed his shoulders. “What else?”
“He did the same with three more, then he collected several vials of your blood before taking off.”
She staggered back, a hand over her mouth. Three bloody caps soaked in her blood. Three more redcaps who’d be invisible to the Hunt. Raul was going to make his own army, using her as its shield.
“I got out of my bindings as quick as I could, but—” Calan’s roar stopped Trevor’s words.
She spun in time to see Calan leap from his horse. He tugged her into his arms. “What happened?”
“Dar? Did you transfer the curse back to him?”
“No.” Calan lifted the torn shirt from her belly and skimmed his fingertips over her skin. “What did Raul do?”
“The fucker stole her blood and killed Ian.” Trevor knelt next to Ian’s still form. “He was about to attack Raul but grabbed his chest and toppled over instead.”
“Dead!” She ran to Ian and fisted his shirt. “No! He can’t be dead.”
His cold skin told her otherwise. He was gone. She knew what death looked like, and Ian wore its welcoming mask.
“No, no, no.” She shook him. “Don’t leave me.”
She heard male voices, felt something brush against her mind, knew she wasn’t alone, but couldn’t pull herself out of the sorrow. Or the rage.
Dead.
Her beloved brother was dead.
Her vision blurred, and an anger she’d never known gripped her. Within one heartbeat and the next, the ache that centered in her chest spread, cutting off the outside world and pulling her inside herself, where only her despair ruled. Fire raced through her blood, and her pulse pounded, reverberating in her ears. Laughter added to the thump. She knew the sound, had heard it before, the night she’d stabbed Raul. The wicked glee had come from her mouth.
Fear sparked. She was slipping, losing her battle.
Calan! She needed him to save her.
Strong hands clasped her arms. She was shaken. Yelled at. Kissed. Each press of warm lips to her skin eased the burn in her veins. Her caught breath rushed out. She sucked in another breath, and the scent of a campfire infused her. The laughter cut off, and Calan’s heartbeat replaced it—calm, steady, reassuring. She focused on it. Finally, hers picked up the same rhythm.
Harley slumped against Calan. He truly was her hero, all she needed in life. She squeezed him tightly.
“Ian?” Her brother’s name was all she could manage.
“Is fine.” Calan answered her unspoken question. “He’s immortal. He’ll heal, but I had to…”
She tipped her head to peer at him. “You had to what?”
“I did what I had to do. He’d slipped into the lure of the Hunt. I hadn’t realized why soon enough.” He laid a hand on Ian’s shoulder. White light spread over him, and his image faded. “He will heal. I promise you.”
She nodded in relief, but her guilt choked her. She’d fallen for Raul’s trap and endangered the men she loved. “I tried to reach for you, but I wasn’t quick enough.”
Instead of yelling at her, he rained kisses over her face. “It’s okay.”
“No it’s not. I—”
“Shh, love.” He lifted her into his arms. “What’s done is done. I will find the redcap and kill him.”
“He soaked three extra cloths and took vials of my blood.”
Calan closed his eyes. He worked his jaw back and forth but didn’t curse. He blew out a rough breath. “Then I will find all the redcaps linked to you.”
His easy acceptance stirred her anxiety. “What happened? Why didn’t you transfer the curse back?”
He pierced Trevor with a hard look. “Go with my hounds to the house and stay there.”
Trevor’s features tightened. He glanced from the spot where Ian had been, back to them and nodded. He limped away, three hounds surrounding him.
Alone, Calan faced her. “Dar tricked me, but it won’t happen again.”
“What are you hiding?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Are you going after him?”
“No, I’m done hunting tonight.” He tightened his grip on her. “I need my mate’s touch.”
She settled against his chest and took comfort in his scent and warmth. Something told her she’d better treasure it, because Calan was lying to her. Whatever it was he was hiding had everything to do with her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Calan strode into Harley’s house and came to terms with his fate.
“You always have two choices, child. The right one and the wrong one.”
His father had spoken the truth. Calan hadn’t wanted to accept it, but he could no longer deny it. He only hoped the time wasted reaching his decision hadn’t destroyed his chance of winning. The game he had been forced to play, whether it was conceived by some unknown entity or fate itself, wasn’t one he could lose. Harley’s, his siblings’, and the world’s future depended on it.
Calan carried Harley into the largest bedroom in the house. Her unease beat at him. He drew it into himself, but the source of it remained.
She knew he’d lied.
He pushed away the guilt. There was nothing he could do about it. He lifted her hand and kissed her palm, right over where their partial mate bond marked their connection.
It would be the last time he saw it.
Arawn’s offer was the only option Calan could live with: a choice made out of love, even if it, at the moment, it didn’t feel as if love was the driver behind it.
Once free of his bond, he would be able to transfer the curse to Dar. Afterward… Well, he didn’t know what would happen. Harley would be back in the same position he’d found her. She wouldn’t have a mate to shield her from the tempting lure of her heritage. She’d have her honor, nothing more.
Unless…unless, she accepted another Huntsman as a mate.
He cringed at the thought, but in all honesty, it would be her best option. Maybe once his brothers were free, she would come to love one of them. She deserved a life filled with happiness and affection, and he would make sure she
