Huntsman's Prey by Marie Hall Read Free Book Online Page B

licked his lips and Danika could sense he did not want to tell her what he was about to tell her.
    Cupping his cheeks in her hands, she forced him to look her in the eyes. “You can trust me with anything, Jericho, always. I vow it.”
    “I know, love, I know.” He inhaled deeply. “Siria did not simply curse the girl with moon glow, she extracted a sliver of her own soul and placed it within Chrysalis herself.”
    “Dear heavens,” Danika squeaked out, as suddenly every piece of the puzzle locked into place. “So the darkness inside of her, it is not—”
    “Her at all,” he finished for her. “Precisely. It is Siria.”
    “I did not know you guys could split your souls in that way.” She frowned. “That is a very dark art and not one easily learned.”
    “Agreed.” His lower lip jutted out in an adorable fashion, and even though the world felt like it was currently falling to pieces around her, Danika couldn’t help but snuggle deeper into his arms.
    When Jericho was with her, the scary monster didn’t seem quite so menacing.
    “What worries me about all this, is who taught her that? There are few inside of Kingdom who knows such potent magic.”
    His hawk-like gaze turned to her. “The Ten know it.”
    Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, Danika didn’t even want to nod in agreement. Because he was absolutely right. The Ten did know that type of arcana and if one of them had passed that knowledge on to someone outside of their sphere, they would be tried and found as guilty as Siria herself would be.
    “There is only one among the Ten who hates us enough to—”
    She snapped her finger over his lips, giving him a stern look that said it all. They both knew who it was, Galeta the Blue and the Head Mistress of all fae. Danika had learned long ago that walls had ears and secrets were never safe in Kingdom.
    Shaking her head, she said, “And now I understand why you do not wish to alert the council until we have proof and that is all that needs to be said about this, Jericho. For now. Promise me?”
    His lips thinned and she sensed his anger, but not at her. They’d both suffered because of Siria’s spite and Galeta’s constant need for revenge against Danika. But neither one of them were in a position to take on the power of the sun or the Blue right now.
    “I swear it,” he finally whispered against her lips and she gave him a quick peck on the lips.
    “I love you, and thank you, for you’ve given me so much hope tonight.”
    His eyes closed. “I am tired of our separation, Calanthe, I need you. Anything I can do to fix not only them, but us, I will do.”
    She rested her head on his shoulder.
    “There is one more thing,” he finally whispered into the stillness a moment later.
    “Oh Gods, I’m not sure I can handle anything else.”
    “No,” he shook his head, “this isn’t bad. Just something I learned of the girl that perhaps you did not already know.”
    She leaned back to stare at him. “I lived with her for years.” Which of course he’d know since Jericho had kept a constant vigil on her throughout their years apart. So what exactly did he know that she did not?
    Leaning in to whisper in her ear he said something that made her eyes widen in astonishment and then laughter bubbled from her lips.
    “This just got very, very interesting, my dear.”
    He nodded as his eyes twinkled back at her. “My thoughts indeed.”

Hands were on him. Soft, feminine hands. At first Aeric smiled, it’d been so long since he’d felt the touch of a woman.
    Knowing he was dreaming because Claudia was no more. And because it was a dream, he traced his hand up the length of her bare forearm. “Claudia,” his voice was full of grit and sleep, his sexy morning growl she’d used to call it.
    She shivered, and he wet his lips, cock going hard at the thought of filling, molding his hands to her ample breasts as her golden halo of hair cascaded down around the two of them. Palms itching to trace