Page 6 of Orion: Galaxy Huntress

“Yes. Is that weapon known by another name in this strange land?” I stopped short of telling him I needed the weapons to protect my sisters.

He scratched at the tip of his proud nose with his thumbnail, and my eyes absorbed every motion, every flex of his muscles. “Why do you want a bow and arrow? You just magicked an awesome dagger. You a witch or something?”

Oh. I’d forgotten all about my starlight. This gorgeous stranger made me lose my head. Made my mind spin like a chunk of rock that had separated from an asteroid belt and drifted alone in space.

Time to stop talking and leave, but my feet were glued to the ground.

The witch’s gaze jumped between us and she smirked like she knew something I didn’t.

Stormy’s eyes sharpened on me expectantly, and I didn’t like the intensity of his stare. Something about it called to me on a deep level, igniting parts of my body that had long been neglected.

No. I had to leave. Stormy would just be a complication I didn’t need. One that would break my heart, incinerate it, and turn it to ash. Beyond that, my hunter senses screamed run, and they’d never been wrong. Heartbeat spiking, I backed away, never letting him escape my gaze. Never look away from a monster. That was how a hunter ended up dead.

He took a few steps after me. Light, stalking, predatory. His eyes flashed silver again, signaling for me to start running, but I couldn’t leave the witch alone.

“Come, I’ll take you home.” I urged the witch with a tug on her elbow because she needed to move to make me go with her.

Her gaze jumped between us, and a smile slowly curled her lips. Eventually she gave in and moved along with me.

Stormy held out his palm to stop us. A warning growl rumbled at me, prompting my heart to shudder with delight. What was wrong with me? I was acting like a lovesick fool. Hadn’t felt like this since … no, never mention that name again. The shifter grabbed his hair and tugged at it. His eyelids slammed shut, then sprung open, his ashen eyes glowing silver. The smell of nature, pine, loam, and fur scented the air.

Claws extended from his fingers, reaching for me. “You’re my mate, and you’re not going anywhere.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked when he captured me in his forceful hold.

I didn’t need to know the answer. Now everything made sense. The flash of silver in his eyes. Deep rumble in his chest. His inhuman speed in attacking one of the men. This was no ordinary man. He was a beast. A wolf sent to capture me. I should have known it. Smelled it. But this strange place stank of pungent gas fumes and delicious food that swamped my senses and made it difficult for me to distinguish the foul scent of monsters. I backed away, not letting him know I was a huntress and had killed many of his kind. He’d snap my neck for betraying his brethren.

“Get away from me, shifter.” My warning was chilling and hard.

Disregarding my threat, he lunged forward with that inhuman speed demonstrated from earlier. Sharp teeth bit my shoulder and I let out a startled cry. Warm flesh lapping at my neck told me he licked at me. Licked! This fiend went beyond his manners. Another clicking sensation went off in my chest, as if a piece of my heart had set into place. Electrical pulses kissed every nerve ending and skittered across my flesh. My body and legs went languid under his latched grip. Fire burned across my flesh as if I’d been branded like a slave by its master’s mark.

“Whoa! Love bite.” The witch cheered him on, gesturing to my breasts.

Pain slithered along my chest, pulling me out of the delirious feeling he set off, and I snapped back to attention. Panic thread around my lungs as I ran shaky fingers along my skin, finding scar tissue curving into a pattern. A glance down at my chest exposed the horrid wolf’s paw scorched on my breast. Hades! I scratched at it, as if that would remove it, but it only made the red, raw marking sting and burn more.

“Mine now.” Liquid silver burned in his gaze.

“Let me go, beast!” I hit at him with my fist, but he’d latched on again, tighter. His fangs sank in my flesh, fingers digging into my arms, refusing to let me go. The huntress had become the hunted.

“My mate.” Claws stroked one arm tenderly. Giddiness struck me as a sweltering tongue lapped at my neck, soothing the prickle of his bite. Approving rumbles from his chest vibrated through my body. His thickness hardened as it ground against me, desperate to mate and claim me.

Hades.Mate? I wasn’t his damn mate. Wasn’t even the same species to be his mate! Orion didn’t take mates or men. I got along fine without them ruining everything for me. Yet, I couldn’t tear myself away from his grasp.

“Fuck, you must be cold. Have my jacket.” He stripped his off and threw it over my shoulder while my mouth hung agape, my body limp, melting in his hold. His gaze dipped to my breasts tucked into my tight dress and he growled as if he disapproved. “I don’t want anyone looking at your …” Quickly he buttoned up his jacket that covered me.

“Oh, God, that’s sweet.” The witch’s murmur shook me from my daze.

Starlight swarmed in me, swelling and stretching. The same power that had fashioned my dagger. Pearlescent starlight glowed on my palm, emerging outward, taking shape into my bow, and settling into my waiting hand. A weight draped over my shoulder and chest. My arrow pouch. I removed an arrow and stabbed the shifter between his neck and shoulders, forcing him to break free of me.

He whimpered, pressing a hand over his bleeding wound. “Why the fuck did you do that, mate?”

“I’m not your mate,” I growled back at him, the brush of feather in my bow bringing my startled heart rate down. Not many things spooked me when I’d seen and encountered pretty much every beast on Earth. But the shifter had bested me, and I hated him for it.

He compressed his other palm to his forehead, rubbing furiously and blinking. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

I pulled back the string, testing the tension of the bow, ready to kill the beast.

“No!” the witch shouted, coming between us, palms raised. “Don’t shoot. He protected us. That deserves your mercy.”

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