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“Miss Nooriya, there you are!” Another maid with sleek auburn hair and tan scales that peeked up from her collar came racing toward her.
Nooriya hated she felt as if she was constantly being looked for. “Miss Chelsea. What has happened?”
“Nothing, don’t be alarmed. Gideon sent me to fetch you to join the other unmarried ladies on the hunt.”
“Hunt?”
“Yes, the unmarried men and women can take part. You get to run, and the men chase you. And then, if one catches you, you can consent to the claiming. If you don’t, then he needs to back off.”
“But I have no interest in being claimed.” As Nooriya spoke, she heard a familiar voice speak her name. Lord Aurleon didn’t need to raise his voice. It was like her body instinctively knew he was there.
“Miss Sella,” he uttered her name in a low tone, one that made her stop breathing. “Have you decided if you will run tonight?”
Anxiety gripped her instantly. “I am not sure. I hadn’t intended on it. In truth, I’m ignorant about all this entails.” She hoped she didn’t sound as breathless and naïve as she felt.
“I see,” he said simply. “I can educate you, if you wish?”
At her nod, he continued. “This hunt is a kind of naga tradition, so to speak. During the New Moon closest to the Spring Solstice—so today—we host a feast like this, and when the sun sets and darkness settles, the unmarried women run and hide in the forest.” Lord Aurleon pointed to the woods that bordered the Valentano estate. “Then, the host of the hunt will sound the horn, and the unmarried men will hunt for a maiden to claim.”
Every word out of his mouth set fire to her nerve endings. Suddenly, her dress was too scratchy against her sensitive skin. Her nipples, especially, were so taut they threatened to cut through the fabric of her bodice.
“Miss Chelsea said that if the maiden doesn’t want to be claimed, the hunter needs to back off?”
The speckles of red in his eyes glittered like rubies. “Yes. No male is allowed to mistreat or harm the maiden.”
That put Nooriya’s anxiety to rest. If she ran, she would be safe from resisting a man’s offer. However, if Lord Aurleon would take part...
“What if the maiden submits to a claiming? What then?”
A rakish smile split the viscount’s face. “They both spend the night in each other's company, glorying in the delightful pleasures of the flesh.”
Nooriya felt her pussy dampen at his words. He made the idea sound thrilling yet terrifying.
“I want you to know, Miss Sella. If you decide to run, I will be glad to give chase.” His eyes smoldered her. “You should know that no matter how fast you run, I will overtake you. No matter where you hide, I will find you.”
She didn’t know how to respond to him, so entranced was she by his fervor. “I am sure that you will.”
Tilting his head toward her, he asked, “Does that mean you submit to being hunted, Miss Sella?”
Her throat dried up as her heart pounded like war drums in her chest. Whatever she answered, she knew in her heart her life would be different after tonight. “Yes.”
Something akin to hunger flickered over Lord Aurleon’s face as a bass note rumbled through the air. It was the signal for the volunteer maidens to gather at the boundary. “You have made me extremely happy, my lady.”
Nooriya nervously twisted her hands together. “I believe I need to join the others now.” Heat rushed her face, and she turned from the viscount, allowing herself to be swept away with a group of excited young women. As she waited for the next horn to sound, she replayed the conversation in her head.
Did he call me ‘my lady’?
She didn’t have a chance to explore what it meant, because the next horn sounded. The women squealed in excitement and sprinted into the forest.
Kurzon would savorhis intended bride for days. No question about it. Her scent had frayed his threadbare control.
He watched with a satisfied smile as Nooriya flew away like a frightened deer, her feet barely touching the ground. His gaze tracked her lithe figure as she twisted and turned through the trees, her dark hair streaming behind her like a wild river before it disappeared from view.
With her gone from sight, every primal instinct within him raged to run after her. The one rational thought that kept him in check was the knowledge that if he broke the rule, they would hold him back until the other hunters reached the forest.
That would not do. He would not risk losing Nooriya, nor inadvertently killing all the unmarried males of the town under his father’s protection.
As soon as the horn blared, Kurzon shot into the forest with preternatural speed. He could almost feel the tension in the air as the hunt progressed. Though he had lost sight of Nooriya, her scent trail was a beacon luring him forward.
