Caelen’s sister paints my face and exposed skin with the markings of the Wild Hunt. Anticipation quickens my pulse as Nurala paints a fertility symbol across my lower abdomen. To think that once I was afraid of this. Now, my heart pounds in anticipation of being caught by my mate and ravished beneath the stars.
I peer at the sky. The silver light of the Hunter’s Moon beams overhead.
“The gods shine down upon your union,” she says. Gently, she squeezes my hands. “Go to the woods.”
According to Nurala, this part of the forest is much older than the one that surrounds the castle. The thick branches are heavily laden with glowing purple, heart-shaped leaves and flowing vines of softly, glowing white flowers wrapped around thick trunks and suspended from their boughs, swaying back and forth on the breeze.
A thick blanket of pale, glowing green moss covers the forest floor. It’s soft and spongy beneath my bare feet. The air is cool and crisp. The silken green dress only goes to mid-thigh and I’m completely bare underneath, as is the custom.
I pause. “How will I find Caelen?”
She grins. “He will find you.”
She hugs me once more and then heads back to the castle.
As I pick my way through the forest, wiry branches and thick leaves snag my dress as if trying to ensnare me for my husband. I tug at the fabric, tearing free.
The sound of footsteps racing toward me draws my attention, and my heart begins to tap out a frantic beat.
I turn and bolt in the opposite direction. A deep rumbling growl echoes behind me, lending speed to my steps as I race away from my husband—the Hunter.
This is all part of the chase—the Wild Hunt—that he told me about. Even so, nervous anticipation fills me as I rush through the woods.
I look back, but stop abruptly as I bump against something solid. I turn and find myself directly against Caelen. His gaze is feral as his green eyes rake over me, full of desire and hunger.
His lips pull back, baring his fangs as he lifts a strand of hair, allowing the silken lock to slip through his lethal claws.
“Give yourself to me.” He looms overhead, the silver light and shadows sculpting the thick cords of muscle that line his bare chest and abdomen. The symbols painted on his skin glow softly in the dark as his gleaming eyes lock onto mine. My heart stutters and stops as he stares down at me, fiercely handsome and lethal all at once. “You are mine,” he growls, “and I will claim you.”
“No!” I smack his hand away and rush in the opposite direction, as is expected during the chase.
The Wild Hunt is not meant to be won easily.
He races after me, jumping to block my path. I dart to the side, dodging him over and over again. He is faster than I am and I know he could easily catch me if he wanted, but this is all part of the ritual.
The longer the chase, the sweeter the surrender.
I dash away again and stumble into the middle of a clearing. The moon is bright above us, bathing the field in silver light.
Caelen stalks toward me, his chin lowered as he stares at me intensely. “Give yourself to me,” he rumbles. “You are mine, and I will claim you this night, beneath the light of the Hunter’s moon.”
He stops before me. I glance down behind him and notice a blanket spread out upon the ground. My pulse pounds between my thighs. This was all part of his plan. He chased me here so he could take me beneath the full light of the moon.
His chest rises and falls. My gaze travels over the painted markings of the Hunt across his bare chest and abdomen. Desire pools deep in my core as I recognize the same fertility symbol just barely visible above the waistband of his pants.
I raise my hand to bat him away, but he catches my wrist, trapping me. He moves behind me and wraps his arm tightly around my waist, pulling me back into the solid wall of his chest. He places a hand on my chin, tilting my head to one side as he scents my neck.
His breath is warm in my ear as he whispers, “Your scent calls to me, my beloved. I long to bind you to me: body, mind, heart, and soul. Tell me: Do you surrender? Will you take me as yours?” He dips his head to the curve of my collar. His sharp fangs graze across the thin skin over my artery. “Will you bind yourself to me in all ways?”
I am already bound to this man. I have been from the moment he gave me a choice, the day he offered me his blade in the throne room. And now, he offers another choice.
A shiver runs through me, not from fear but pleasure. My voice comes out barely a whisper. “Yes.”
I’m breathless with anticipation as he extends his claws and slices a line down the front of my dress, then slides the fabric off me.
He cups my breast, rolling the hard tip between his thumb and forefinger as he laves his tongue across the sensitive skin of my neck. His stav is hard against my backside.
Pleasure coils tight inside me as he turns me in his arms to face him and bears me to the ground. His lips and tongue are everywhere as he hovers over my body, worshipping me beneath the light of the Hunter’s Moon.
He parts my legs and dips his head between them, dragging his tongue through my already slick folds. “Your body is fertile,” he rasps. His emerald green eyes lock onto mine, a question behind them.
I touch his face, and he leans into my palm. “I want everything with you, my love.”
Desire burns in his gaze as he lowers his head back between my thighs. I writhe beneath his attention, threading my fingers through his hair to hold him in place as he concentrates his attention on the small pearl of flesh that drives my desire even higher.
He growls as I dig my heels into his back and arch against his mouth. My entire body goes taut like a bowstring before I cry his name to the stars as I find my release.
I’m breathless and panting as Caelen moves back up my body. He notches his stav to my entrance. He grips my chin, forcing my gaze to his. His eyes never leave mine, and my breathing catches at the delicious stretch as he slowly enters, filling me completely.
A soft moan escapes my lips as he sheathes himself deep inside me. He wraps his hand around my thigh, adjusting the angle of his hips and groans as he sinks impossibly deeper.
He stills and touches my cheek, tenderly stroking his thumb across my skin as he stares down at me, full of love and devotion. “You are my heart,” he whispers.
“And you are mine,” I reply.
He begins a slow and steady rhythm as he strokes deep inside me. I moan at the delicious friction of his stav in my channel. My inner muscles flex and quiver around his length as I draw closer to the edge.
He clenches his jaw, “So tight,” he rasps.
He runs his hand through my hair, gripping the dark strands between his fingers as he tips my head to the side, baring my neck. His fangs extend and sharpen as each stroke becomes longer, deeper, and more forceful.
I cling to his powerful form, feeling the muscles of his back flex with each thrust of his hips into mine. His stav expands and he knots deep inside me, locking us together. A small pinch of pain turns quickly to bliss as his tip seals over my womb.
He stares down at me, his gaze fierce and possessive. “You are mine,” he growls.
His words spark pleasure deep within as my body tightens around him. My head falls back and I cry out his name as my release roars through me.
He sinks his teeth deep into my neck as he claims me. Pain mixes with the ecstasy coursing through my veins.
The sting fades until I am only aware of the joining of our bodies. His stav begins to pulse in my core and he roars above me. “Mine!” Intense warmth erupts deep inside me, filling me with the delicious warmth of his seed.
He collapses on top of me, and I love the weight of his body over mine. He rolls us both onto our sides while he remains knotted inside me. He strokes my cheek and presses a series of tender kisses to my cheeks, nose, and brow before moving to my lips.
He rolls his hips against mine. “I want you again, my Lyana.”
I seal my mouth over his, kissing him thoroughly. “I’m yours, my love.”
