AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Huntsman sat back. “A Horned Lord, you say?”
Kaleb kept his face forward and his hands behind his back. “Yes, sir. I saw it with my own eyes.”
The Huntsman’s dark gaze flicked to mine. “How couldyouhave found a Horned Lord?”
I reached up, brushing a lock of hair away from my eyes. “I saw the magic.”
The Huntsman considered my words. “I suppose being a Weaver and a Wolf have their advantages.”
“Am I a prisoner?” I asked.
The Huntsman eyed me shrewdly. “No wolf is a prisoner. They are simply working off a debt.”
“Your bargain isn’t fair.” My fists clenched.
“Why?” The Huntsman cocked his head curiously. “My hounds were dead, and I needed more.” I didn’t see him move. The Huntsman sat behind his desk one second, and the next, his hand formed a bracelet around my wrist. “You are not in a position to argue for the wolves. When the Beast King refused to give over my wife for the sake of something as foolish as a mate bond, he forfeited the right for his pack to continue. I wasn’t entirely unfair. If a fated mate bond was so important, it stands to reason that a wolf should be mated before carrying a child to term.”
How many children had been miscarried? How many women had cried as they bled?
I would never forgive him.
Until that moment, I hadn’t associated my miscarriage with the Huntsman’s curse. Even if losing the baby had alwaysbeen something Joel had blamed me for. Claiming it was something I must have done, though I wanted our baby so desperately. We’d tried for so long; every negative test, every fucking month, had stoked a rage inside of me that would never die.
The Huntsman had killed my child before they had been born, and I would not forget that.
My head had moved before I felt the blow, though I knew what a backhand felt like. The sharp sting in my cheek and the pain in my neck from my head forced back. The Huntsman stood over me, his hand still raised, and I realized I had fallen. My knees ached from the stone floor.
Kaleb reached out, gripping the Huntsman’s wrist. “Ilet the Horned Lord go.” He said without emotion.
I cupped my cheek, unable to look away from the Huntsman’s raised hand.
The Huntsman’s chest heaved, his dark eyes wild, as he stared down at me. I could sense his blood lust. The manic anger in his eyes demanded he keep hitting until I couldn’t move.
I scrambled away while Kaleb moved, standing before me as a shield. I said nothing and reached for the door and the heavy key that sat in the lock. I couldn’t take my eyes off the two men as they stared at each other. The Huntsman was so incredibly large compared to Kaleb. One of them looked like a beast, and it wasn’t the male who could turn into a wolf.
Kaleb held up a single finger. “You cannot build loyalty with your fists. You cannot strike those you are sworn to protect. The bargain is very clear. Some lines cannot be crossed.”
“She’s—” The Huntsman’s nostrils flared as he pressed his lips together. “Get away from my sight, Kaleb. Horned Lord or no, I do not wish to set eyes on your little project again.”
Kaleb nodded stiffly, finally letting go of the Huntsman’s wrist. Though there was no mark on the Huntsman’s skin, Kaleb's hand was blistered. Red, raw, and weeping.
I opened the door, fumbling with the ancient key and wiggling the handle before I could get out. Kaleb followed, cradling his hand to his middle.
Neither of us spoke until we reached the staircase overlooking the lawn.
“Why did you do that?” I whispered.
His expression was strange, as he had been presented with a puzzle he couldn’t quite work out.
“How quickly do wolves heal?” I asked, looking at the gummy flesh of his melted skin. “How did he do this? Is his skin made of acid or something?”
“A hound cannot harm the Huntsman,” Kaleb murmured.
“But he can harm us just fine, right?” I frowned, trying to ignore the throb in my aching cheek. It was going to bruise, I could tell.
Kaleb lifted one shoulder and let it drop in a noncommittal shrug.
“Who do you think told him about the stag?” I let his hand go. “I don’t think it was Wyatt. He doesn’t like me, but he belongs to Dean. He wouldn’t sabotage the Locket pack.”
