The Huntress : The Alterealm Series Book 1

Promising I’d stay put while they, being Rafael, Victor, Michael and Quinton, went to check on something, I discovered I got bored really easy when left with nothing to do for long periods of time. Why hadn’t I discovered this about myself before now?

To kill time, I’d gone to the library to take a look at that book of prophecies again. At the library, I found about a gazillion books and the very first old looking person I’d seen on this side. He reminded me of an old wizard, with the crazy long white beard and hair. He seemed to know what I wanted before I even asked him and handed me that book with the leaves on the cover.

After talking with him for a few minutes I discovered there were more than twenty books of prophecy and any time I wanted I could read those that had come true in the last ten thousand years or see what else the future held. It was hard to just walk out of there with the one book. I mean who wouldn’t want to see what was going to happen a thousand years from now.

An hour later I was still in my room skimming through the book trying to find the part that would allow me to prove it was, well, hog spittle as Victor had so adequately put it. So far the book was winning.

It was divided into sections, each one pertaining to one of the nine brothers, but I just skimmed the start of all the others and didn’t get into any of the details. I’d been told it had been translated into modern English only eighty years ago, like that was yesterday, but it still read cryptically to me. Not as difficult as Shakespeare had been for me in school, but it didn’t give me much along the lines of hints as to how this was going to go down.

Pacing, I muttered again that this was all a dream and I needed to go home. I knew it wasn’t a dream anymore, but I still wasn’t feeling like the prophesized Huntress Queen. Shouldn’t I be feeling all powerful or something?

Glaring at the book open on the desk I went back to it. Maybe if I broke it down it would make sense to me. The beginning was kind of boring, but I read it again.

For the King’s sons numbering nine

Lives will change when new blood merges with those that reign.

Okay, so the new blood was human or at least some from my side. They had me there I couldn’t find anything to argue with in this part.

Without mates, shall all sons remain until the time of the Huntress Queen comes to be.

At a time with lawlessness and chaos, to be bred the huntress shall be born to keep the balance.

Hidden in another realm she hunts those lawbreakers and brings them to justice. Her destiny is concealed until the time of her need is upon Alterealm.

In an obscure way that sounded like me. I dragged runners back to jail, so again I couldn’t argue with any of it. Why couldn’t I just be this huntress person? Why did I have to be anyone’s mate? It didn’t sit right with me and I didn’t see that changing at anytime in the future. Sighing loudly, I went back to the stupid fancy writing in the pretty book.

Neither of this world or her own, but of both.

When the marking unveils between her shoulders the sundial will validate she is true and waiting to be found.

Had I ever been waiting to be found? I don’t know what I was but waiting for something, maybe, but not being found I didn’t think.

The sundial will protect her from all manner of trickery and evil force and shield her from powers of all.

Her beauty and skill of the hunt will win the hearts of the brothers nine.

Beauty? Now they were really stretching it. I wasn’t a dog as far as looks went, but merely average, which was a good place to be.

The Huntress Queen Daxx will stand equal with the throne and none shall fail to notice her right to be there.

Nine brothers must lay in wait for her to choose her King.

From this point is where I didn’t like what I read. The rest before it I could accept and other than a few minor details was okay with it, but the whole choosing one brother, one twin brother over the other didn’t sit well with me at all.

True mate to either twin King if the bond be made, she must select one or the other that can hold her heart right.

See that part with being both true mates had me twitchy. Shouldn’t it just be one only and the other couldn’t be? So far, I liked both twins. Troy was a little more proper and standoffish than his twin, but then Chase was a little blunt at times for my taste. But overall, they both seemed like good choices, if one wanted to choose, which I didn’t.

Leaning over the book, I forced myself to continue.

The Huntress’s reign alongside her King will change the realms forever controlling the evil of both sides and bring peace to sun and moon.

And everyone lived happily-ever-after. I snorted and paced away again. It went on for pages and pages, describing the other eight sons and their true mates. All of it was cryptic. When they translated it, you think they would have made things a little clearer.

What was this bond that could be made? Was it something I’d know so I could stop it from happening? It said nothing more about it. How was I supposed to know which twin would hold my heart right?

A knock at the door made me spin around, eager for anyone right now, anything to take me out of this deep thought mode. “Come in.”

Troy came through the door. “I’m not interrupting you, am I?”

I shook my head. “No, just driving myself crazy with thinking.”

“Ah, a dangerous thing to be sure,” he smirked. “I heard you’d been left behind and thought you might be a little forlorn because of it.”

Raising my eyebrows at him, I crossed my arms and studied him. “Are you aware your speech goes from normal to stuffy without warning?”

His lips quirked. “You are in an analytical mood, aren’t you? I preferred old English when I was younger and sometimes I find myself switching back and forth.” Moving further into the room, he glanced around and then paused when he spotted the book open on my desk. “Doing a little light reading, Huntress?”

“There’s nothing light about that.”

His lips quirked. “Unraveled all of its hidden meaning yet?”

Staring at the floor, I shook my head. “I haven’t even gotten past the first few pages, but I’m thinking Victor’s assessment is right on the money.”

Going over, he ran his finger down the page left open. “What assessment was that?”

“It’s all hog spittle.”

Throwing his head back he laughed. “I’m sure Victor will be thrilled to know you agree with him now.” Leaning back against the desk, he crossed his arms and looked at me. “Is it that bad, Daxx? To have my brother or I for a mate to dote on you and fill your every whim because when all is said or done, you know that’s what will happen. We’ve been without true companionship for closer to thirty decades, would it be so rough to have a man that not only desires you but will go out of his way to please you?”

When he put it in those terms it didn’t sound half bad, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I shrugged.

“It could be worse you could be me, I have two possible options in this book and to be truthful I’m not entirely sure which one I’d prefer.” Turning he flipped the page and read the next part out loud. “For our King not chosen a mate lies in wait, born of human blood. She will rule over his compulsion as no other could and bring him life times of eternal peace.” He lifted his head and turned around. “While that for the most part sounds intriguing and appeals, does it mean I would have to wait a few more hundred years for this mate to appear to me? And what of this compulsion she’s to rule over? Is that a good or bad thing for the king that’s hers?”

He started walking towards me and my nerves started doing that fluttering thing again. “I don’t think you’re getting the bad end of the deal Huntress.” I’d had fair warning to move, but had stood my ground and now he was right in front of me standing so close I could feel the heat of his body.

Lifting my chin, he lowered his face closer to mine. “Would spending the rest of your existence with me be such a bad thing?”

I got lost in his eyes as they held mine. As much as I could I shook my head. “I don’t want to be the one to choose.”

Something went through his eyes so briefly I wasn’t sure what. “It has to be you. My brother and I may be twins, but we are still very much male and look out for our own interests where a female is concerned. Would you rather we battle as they did years ago and the survivor gets the girl?”

I didn’t reply, mostly because I couldn’t focus on what he’d just said. I could feel his breath brushing over my lips and just his nearness made me forget what my problem had been. We stood like that for what felt like an eternity, his eyes, now red roamed my face, his lips only an inch from mine.

“I think you should go over and spend some time with Chase,” he whispered and then slowly released my chin and straightened back up but didn’t move away.

I’d been so mesmerized by his closeness I almost swayed when he wasn’t there. Placing my hands on his chest, I looked up at him. His hand played at the back of my head and I was waiting for more.

“Daxx…” Rafael burst through the door. “Oh— Shit, sorry,” he mumbled and looked down at the floor. “I figured you were alone.”

Troy’s hand brushed down the back of my head once more before he stepped away. “Perhaps knocking to be sure would be a way to find out.”

“Sorry I interrupted.” Rafael sent his brother a hesitant look.

“It’s of no matter, we were just discussing Daxx going over to Chase’s kingdom tomorrow.”

I turned and looked at him. We had? I didn’t recall any sort of discussion taking place. Troy stood there looking at me, that look on his face I couldn’t read was back in place. His eyes moved over my face once, pausing long enough on my mouth that in reflex I licked my lips.

With a soft word uttered under his breath, he nodded at Rafael. “Was there a reason you burst in here?”

Rafael nodded and then looked at me. “We found two more.”

Troy cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you to it then and will see you both at dinner.”

I watched him walk out and had no clue what had just happened. Shaking it off, I turned to the man giving me strange looks. “Let’s go see what Arius can get out of them.”