Page 67 of A Hunt So Wicked
"And what does that mean?"
"That we were under the impression that every woman herewantedto be here!"
"And I wonder why that is?! Most of us come from nothing! The promise of a proposal or a payout is more than any of us could've hoped for!" My chest heaved as I raged at him. I needed to get it all out, and he was here, so he'd have to take it. "Do you even know what you've done!?"
Kael's smiling face appeared in my head, and I clutched my chest as the pain of losing him was renewed.
"Of course, I know!" Dair boomed, startling me. I scooted backward, my fear rising. Would he just turn into a bear whenever he wanted to? I watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths. "When we were out there, we had no idea what was happening. Even after we woke, our memories were not whole. The first chance I had, after learning of the horrors that had been committed, I came to find you. Because I do remember now." He paused and glanced up at me. Slowly, he made a fist with his right hand and pounded it slowly three times against his heart, a gesture of respect in Quintaria. "I am so very sorry, Evie."
A sob slipped out, unable to be contained.
"I would never harm my people. I am disgusted. With myself, with the crown, with... all of it."
I fiddled with the hem of my skirt as he spoke since I found it hard to look at him. Honesty was shining through, unable to be denied. If I didn't look, I wouldn't have to accept it.
"After we were rescued,” I rolled my eyes, “we were taken to the dining hall and given food and water. King Eamon and Corvus showed up and congratulated us.Congratulated!" Dair winced at my tone, but I still couldn’t believe the audacity. “They said we’d proven ourselves and that we could be trusted now with the secrets of the royal bloodlines. That we should feel proud and honored to still be in the running for the ceremony.”
“Did anybody react…” he searched for a word, but I already knew what he was going to ask.
“Unfavorably?” I finished his question, and he nodded, looking at me knowingly. “No. Nobody caused a scene. We were fucking exhausted, injured, and in shock."
Dair’s eyes scanned me with concern. "Are you injured? Did you sleep?"
I shook my head. "Just bruises and scrapes. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, but once my head hit my pillow, I was out. The thing that ended up waking me was hearing screams from one of the other girls who was having a nightmare. That was early this morning.”
Silence stretched between us, but I knew I had to ask him. Steeling my nerves, I raised my face and stared directly into his deep green eyes. “Why didn’t you kill me?”
"I nearly did. But you— You reachedmesomehow. The man inside of the bear. That hesitation was the only small glimpse of clarity I had the entire time, and it faded fast."
"I didn't want to believe it, Dair. I didn't want to believe the crazy idea I'd concocted in my brain because it was just that. Crazy. That the royals brought common folk to this secluded island to hunt them for sport, but it became clear that was exactly the truth of it. And then, the animals on the royal crests began appearing, one by one. Including fucking dragons. DRAGONS!" I laughed dryly. "Turns out, when something is as inconceivable as this hunt, the unbelievable becomes the truth."
"There are no words I can offer that would be enough," Dair said. "From what I understood from the kings, this is all due to a curse placed on the royal families. We used to be in control of our shifts, but no longer. A curse was cast against every royal house, prohibiting the males in the bloodline from shifting until we were—" He held up one finger, "Over the age of eighteen," another finger, "during The Recurrence on the first full moon of the month, and," he lifted a third finger, "human blood must be spilled to solidify the bond between man and beast."
I felt ill and must've shown as much because Dair's normally serious eyes grew soft with concern. "I would not have done this, Evie. Aside from the dances we shared, I know you don't know me, but I felt… this connection." He rubbed his chest and stared into my soul. "With you. I thought that perhaps, you may have felt it also."
"I didn't come here for marriage," I admitted. "I came here for the money, and I nearly died for it. I should have listened to my father."
"Your father?" he asked, puzzled. "What did your father say?"
I laughed. "He was prepared to fight the guard escort that came to bring me here. He forbade me from coming and encouraged me to run. And I would have, but then I saw the money prize. He's getting older and needs medical care, and my school is in shambles. I did what I had to do, for my family and for my village. So, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to collect on that and return to him. Immediately."
He sighed and began to stand up. Once he was up on both feet, he extended a large hand to me. Was he going to help me leave? Guarded, I placed my hand in his and felt the warmth of his body, a temperature that would normally have been alarming in a normal human.
"Are you going to help me?" I asked quietly, hopefully.
"There's no easy way to say this, Evie." My stomach fell. I knew I wasn't going to like whatever he was about to say next. "There is no returning home."
The air whooshed out of my lungs as though it had been stolen. "What?"
"The remaining women will either end up with a proposal of marriage, or they will be sent to the eastern realm. I'm told your families will receive the money, and they'll be told you secured a marriage with a royal in another realm."
My father needed me. Not return home? No. There was no way that I'd simply accept that.
"Whatever you're thinking, you need to stop."
I'd run. I could sneak out of here tonight, swim for the ships. The magical barrier probably dropped once the royals returned to human form.
I jumped when Dair's palms landed on my shoulder.
