Page 21 of The Wild Hunt (Sold to the Fae Duet #1)

Hours pass. Rain drills relentlessly at our fragile roof.

It is a wonder that the ferocious winds have not ripped any of the umbrella petals free yet.

We have a few leaks, but we huddle together, chattering teeth and goose-bumped flesh, away from the puddling water.

Every boom of thunder has us jumping ten inches off the ground, and every zap of lightning illuminates the terror-filled whites of our eyes.

Every rustling leaf, snapping branch, and whispering blade of grass has us clutching one another tighter.

It’s fucking terrifying.

A part of me is relentlessly insisting I leave the stone circle. Wondering through the dark and stormy forest would have to be better than sitting and waiting and shitting myself at every sound. Perhaps I’d head out for a bit, just to burn this nervous energy sizzling beneath my skin.

But another part of me, the coward, screams for me to stay. The fae are not the worst creatures out there. Not by far. And they would all be looking for us. Hunting us.

I also couldn’t possibly leave Akari alone. She’d probably die of heart failure before her searching males even had a chance of finding her.

Some hours later, the storm relents. The wind eases, and the thunder and lightning make no reappearance.

The rain remains, but it’s a gentle pitter-patter.

The full moon must make its appearance known, too, as our hiding space lightens infinitesimally.

I can just make Akari’s features in the dim red glow that the umbrella petals create in the moonlight.

A branch snaps. Close. Akari’s nails dig into my skin, and we stare at each other intensely.

I raise a finger to my mouth, my lips pouting to form a silent ‘shhh!’ Not that I needed to.

There was no way Akari was going to make a sound.

Unless a startled fart escapes. On that thought, I clench my ass cheeks, just in case.

I could just see my downfall coming by from the squeak of a stinking fart.

The clenching unintentionally intensifies when a deep and humored laugh echoes through the stones.

Fuck . Someone was out there. Perhaps it was the High Lord of Light.

I smother a hiss as Akari ’s nails break through my skin. I cringe at the thought of all that mud that coated my skin, sinking into my bloodstream. If I survived tonight, I would be fighting a nasty infection, what with all my other open wounds already soaking in the disgusting dirt.

“Come out, come out, little humans,” a husky male voice croons. I instantly know it’s not Draekoh. “Come and play.”

Akari whimpers, and I tighten the arm I have wrapped around her shoulders. I have to save her. I have to. My very nature insists on it.

“Would you rather I come in instead?” The male asks with a laugh in his voice. “I’d much prefer for you to join me out here, though. More room to play .” The sadistic fucker has my hackles rising. When we make no move, he sighs. “Look, I only want the feisty one. The cowering one can stay.”

With that, I make my decision.

I turn to Akari .

“I’m going out there.” She whimpers and clutches me harder, head shaking so fast I worry her brain might dislodge. “He only wants me. You will be safe. Just stay inside. I will lead him away. And then I will come back. I promise.”

Akari bursts into tears, and I hug her tightly. Then I take a deep breath and move.

“Close this behind me?” I ask as I remove the stick and rocks holding the umbrella petal door in place. She doesn’t reply, and I don’t glance back to see if she’s heard me. She’ll close it.

Sure enough, as I rise to stand outside, I hear the scraping of rocks being moved from within.

I take a deep breath, my heart racing, and step free of the vines protecting the circle. Gentle raindrops caress my skin.

It’s slightly brighter out here, with the moon shining large and bright, like an observing face in the sky. The male stands in the center of the clearing, his silhouette dark and imposing, his arms hanging loosely by his sides.

A stupid part of me is disappointed when I confirm it’s not the High Lord. But the hairs on my arms rise as I recognize exactly who it is. The red-eyed fucker. The one that licked me. The one I had slapped.

“There she is,” he croons.

“Surely this isn’t how you plan to capture me?” I tease. “You don’t seem like the type of male who likes his prey willing and meek.”

The male tilts his head to the side, and I spy his glistening canines in the moonlight. He is enjoying this .

“You do get me, don’t you?” he asks. “I saw something in you the moment you walked by me on Earth. And I saw it again when you slapped me in the field. I tasted it on your skin. You will be mine. I can’t fucking wait to bring you home, feisty one.”

“You can’t just have me, though, can you?” I insist. Fuck, I am walking a dangerous line. “What if I just let you take me? Here and now?”

He pauses, and his eyes flash. “That would be… most unsatisfying.”

“Right,” I say. If I played this right, I might have a chance of surviving, of staying free of him. “So, this is how this is going to play out. I’m going to run. And you are going to chase me.”

He grins. “Perfect.”

“But you have to give me a head start. This is a game, remember? You have to make it fun.”

The male groans and clutches his groin. Gross.

“You certainly know how I like to play.”

I hold back the repulsed shiver that wants to rack my body.

This was so fucked up. I was fucking terrified.

I didn’t want to do this. I wished the male had walked on by without scenting me.

I wish I’d forged a weapon of some sort when I had the chance.

I wished my fucking father wasn’t the useless prick he was.

There was no point in hopeless dreams and what-ifs. This, here, right now, would decide my future. This was my moment of fate. And I’d fucking fight for it.

I take a deep breath. “Come catch me then.”