The Huntress : The Alterealm Series Book 1

I sat down at the table and offered a sleepy smile to all the male faces watching me. “Morning.” Quinton passed me a steaming cup of coffee, I gave him an appreciative glance. While sipping it I noted the two empty chairs at the table. Neither King was present, again. I understood Chase needed some time and, I could forgive him for that, but Troy was another story. For the last three days I’d only caught a glimpse of him as he headed in the opposite direction I was as quickly as possible.

A few pairs of eyes looked at me briefly before everyone put their head down and became very interested in the food in front of them. My appetite, which never failed me, suddenly left me. Taking another sip of my coffee, I glanced around the table. “You’ll have to excuse me, I have something to take care of.”

“Everything alright?” Rafael asked leaning forward with a concerned look on his face. Michael sent him a deadly look making him sit back again and look embarrassed.

I nodded. “Yep, just fine. Enjoy your breakfast.”

****

I knocked on the door and waited until I was told to enter. When I walked in Troy was leaning against his desk reading some papers. He paused to look me over from head to toe then turned his attention back to the papers in his hand.

“Daxx, what can I do for you?”

I was a perfectly reasonable woman, in most cases, always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he really had pressing monarchy issues to handle. “I was just wondering if everything was alright.”

He barely glanced up from the pages. “Pertaining to?”

With that tone of his voice my reasoning faded a few levels. “You. Don’t you eat anymore? You haven’t been to a meal or practice in three days.”

He sent me another brief appraisal. “I ate earlier. I wanted to get a jump on my day.”

His tone, neutral and impersonal made me feel like I was being an annoyance. I didn’t like it. “Can I help with anything? I mean, it must be pressing for you to bypass on family meals.”

Troy’s jaw tensed, but his tone stayed even. “No, but thank you. I think I have everything under control.”

I began to move around, pretending I was looking at anything but him. In truth, I saw nothing but the flicker of red. “Have you spoken to Chase in the last few days?”

“Mmm, only briefly. Perhaps he is busy with his own matters.”

“Oh.” I wandered over and ran my hand over the frame of a picture of all eight brothers. “I just wondered how he’s doing.”

There was a rustle of paper, but I didn’t turn to see if I finally had his attention or not. “I thought…it seemed as if you’d patched things up at the dance.”

I smiled at the picture so he couldn’t see me. “Made peace is more like it.”

“I see.” The annoying regal tone was back.

Turning, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him. The pages rested on his knee, but his eyes were on me. “He asked my forgiveness and a few days grace to get his head together.”

Something entered his eyes, but he lowered his lashes before I could read what it was. “I thought perhaps…”

“We were going to kiss and make up?” I supplied for him.

He cleared his throat. “Something like that.”

Shaking my head, I took a few steps toward him and then chickened out and went over to the book shelf. “That’s not going to happen. What inkling of attraction there was between us is gone now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” His tone was sincere.

I read a few of the titles on the spines of the books, and wanted to yawn, they were that dreary. Turning around, I leaned back against the shelf. “So, enough avoidance for one day. Is there a particular reason you’re avoiding me like the plague?” Maybe not the best choice of words for a man that had been around for one or two real plagues, but I had his attention now.

His spine stiffened as he looked at me. Good for him, he could play coy until confronted. “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy…”

I grinned. “Don’t lie to me. We can plan imminent battles and still have time for horse play in the gym, so unless there’s a meteor arriving tomorrow to wipe out all living existence…you’re avoiding me.”

I watched his jaw clench as he thought about his next words. “Very well. I had hoped if I made myself scarce you would mend things with my brother.”

“There’s nothing to mend.”

He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms loosely over his chest. “I felt what he did, how can you say that was nothing?”

Damn this mind connection thing was a pain in the ass. “I’m not saying there was nothing then. With the blood bond, everything was amplified. He admitted it.”

“You weren’t drawn to him?”

“I didn’t say that. I’d have to be blind and brain dead to not be attracted to him.” My mind gave me a poke when I realized I’d pretty much admitted I was attracted to his twin, as in the look-alike whose eyes I was looking into.

A light came into his eyes. “Then maybe with a bit of time…”

I shook my head. “No. It’s not the man, it’s his habits…”

“He could change.”

“Why should he?” Were we really having this conversation?

“If he wants you, he will.”

I threw my arms up. “I’m not the toy surprise here. It can’t work between Chase and I.” I really didn’t want to talk about this with him. Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly. “Look, I came here to find out why you were avoiding me.”

“I’m not.”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed away from the shelf and walked over to stand in front of him. The tension in his body radiated from him in damn near visible waves. “You are. It’s affecting everyone and it’s not right.”

His eyes gave away nothing as he watched me.

“I think it would be best for everyone if I went home for a while.”

“How the hell is that the best for anyone?” His tone was suddenly lethal, not a regal note in it.

I shrugged. “Chase won’t come spend time here. Everyone is on edge and treating me like I’m about to burst into flames. You clearly don’t want anything to do with me, which makes all of your brothers…”

He stood up so fast, I almost stumbled backwards. Leaning down so he was right in my face. “I’ve been staying out of the way. If you were meant for my brother than I bloody well want him to have a chance.”

Well, I wanted a rise out of him but now that I had it I wasn’t sure what to do with him. “If I’d been meant for Chase things would have worked out differently.” I shrugged. “I’m not. Hey, we gave this prophecy thing a whirl…”

Troy pulled me by the back of my head and crushed his mouth down on mine before I even saw him move. I found myself crushed up against him with his arm wrapped around me like a steel band.

I lost all of my thought process as he quite literally plundered my mouth. By the time my body kicked in to try and catch up to his delicious brutal kiss, I was being lifted up against his body as he stumbled across the room.

When my back hit the bookshelf, I could have cared less. All I knew was that his kisses hit me like a hurricane as we both spun out of control. I gasped for air when he lifted his mouth but didn’t get much as his lips quickly found mine again.

Grasping my legs, he wrapped them around his waist and roughly moved his mouth to my throat. “I stayed away…” his sharp teeth bit into my skin, the pain sent shocks of pleasure straight to my very core. “…because I want you more than my next breath.” He licked over where he’d bitten and I moaned a sound I’ve never made in my life.

When his lips found mine again, I grabbed his hair with both hands and held on, not wanting him to move away until the lack of oxygen threatened both of our lives. As I ran my tongue over the fangs in his mouth, another rush of heat burst through me.

Growling, he pulled his mouth from mine and lowered it as he yanked my shirt free from my jeans. As his teeth scraped over my collarbone, I dropped my head back and gasped, it felt that good.

My bra snapped and it excited me even more when I realized he’d bitten through the strap with his teeth. Pulling his hair not so gently, I guided his mouth to an aching breast. I wanted his mouth all over me.

When he closed his mouth over one hard nipple and his fangs pinched together I moaned and rocked my body into his hard one, needing more of him.

He tore his head free and stood there gasping for breath, his glowing red eyes raking over me. I shuddered with the intensity of the look. As he continued to stand there, reality slipped back into my brain. My head was spinning and body throbbing in a whole new way and I was one move away from having sex against a bookshelf in an office.

With a long shaky breath, he lowered my shirt to cover my bared skin and gently held my legs so he could lower me to the floor. Holding me so our bodies weren’t touching, he let out a loud breath, “I don’t…” He blew out another one, trying to slow his breathing. “I’ve never…”

“Yeah,” I gasped. Neither of us had planned on that kind of reaction. I moved my eyes down over his body and had to fight the urge to reach out and touch.

Troy took a small step back so there was more space between us, his eyes were still red and they didn’t leave my face. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Feelings were flooding my system but pain wasn’t anywhere on the list. “You didn’t.”

Standing with his hands on his hips, he nodded abruptly once. “That was a little intense for a first kiss.”

Rubbing my hands down the legs of my jeans I could only nod. I didn’t want to stand here and just look at him, I wanted to climb him like a jungle gym and play. My heart was still beating so fast that I was sure he could hear it.

His now hazel eyes, raked over me and then settle on my face, moving to my mouth more than my eyes. “I …” The phone on his desk rang. With a curse, he shook his head at me. “I have to take this, I’m waiting on…”

I raised my hands and stepped away from the bookshelf. “I get it. I’ll get out of your hair then.”

Giving me another apologetic look, he went over to the desk.

Feeling confused and just a little needy, I walked to my room on wobbly legs. As I rounded the last corner near my room, Quinton was walking in my direction with two cups in his hands. He paused and looked me over slowly, his brows knitting together with a look of concern. I glanced down and figured out why, I’d been walking around with an open bra and my shirt sitting over it. Groaning, I went to the door without a word to him and went in, leaving it open behind me.

Turning, I watched him set the one cup down and then focus on the liquid in the cup he still had. Without a word, he took a sip like there was nothing to say.

I snapped. Ever since I’d found out this place existed I’d been walking around feeling like a dog in heat and was sick of it. “What does a girl have to do to get laid in this realm?”

The drink he’d just taken was spewed out of his mouth in the air. He coughed and looked at the cup like it was evil and set it down beside the other one. “What?”

“What is wrong with me?” I held out my arms and watched as he looked me over again. “Am I not good enough to have sex with on this side or what?”

“I don’t…” He shook his head. “I’m not…” With a loud sigh, he went over to the couch and picked up a blanket and then came over and wrapped it around me. His face was flushed red and he avoided looking at me. Heaving out a breath he stepped back and then looked at me. “What happened?”

I snorted. “Nothing!”

His eyebrows raised and then he reached over and patted my hair down. “You don’t look like nothing happened.”

Feeling defeated, I dropped down onto the couch and slumped, holding the blanket around my shoulders. “I tracked Troy down to ask why he’s avoiding me.”

He looked at me with an amused look on his face.

I glared at him. “He won’t come near me because he wants me to pick Chase, so I explained that’s not going to happen, that it won’t work.” I growled. “He’s so annoying when he’s being all pompous and proper, it’s really annoying…”

Quinton held up a hand to stop me. “So, you want Troy?”

I gave him a duh look and glanced down at the blanket wrapped around my chest. “I don’t go around acting like that with every male.”

“Thank God,” he mumbled and then sat down on the table and leaned forward on his knees. “So, obviously, he’s… into you, actually I knew that by the way he watches you, but what happened?”

Closing my eyes, I dropped my head back against the couch. “He just stopped and basically apologized.”

When he sighed loudly, I opened my eyes and looked at him. “If I know Troy, he’ll fight it every step of the way.”

“Why? I thought he believed in the prophecy and everything.”

Quinton nodded and sat up. “He does, but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to roll over and accept it all at once.” Standing up, he pulled me to my feet and wrapped me in his big arms in a bear hug. “Go grab a shower and then we’ll go see if we can find some of Marcus’ followers to beat the crap out of.”

I snuggled against his chest. “That would make me feel better.” It wouldn’t really, but I could at least than unload some frustration. Straightening I wrapped the blanket around me and turned toward the bathroom. “I’ll be ready in ten.”

“I’ll be back then. And hey, don’t make it easy on him, Daxx, he deserves a little hell.”

Nodding, I kept walking into the bathroom and closed the door.