The Huntress : The Alterealm Series Book 1

When I stepped into the practice room that looked was more the size of a coliseum, I stood there trying to take it all in. This is what heaven looked like to me. It was a gym, with all the usual equipment in it, large mats and all the necessary items. Except the wall on the far side was medieval meets guns and ammo—all types of weapons hung on it.

Chase brushed past me, chuckling and headed over to the wall. When he reached it, he looked back and studied me. Turning, he moved past the guns and went to the wall with blades, knives and batons hanging on it. Picking up a long thin sword, he turned and looked me up and down again and then shook his head and placed it back in the holder. Moving his hand over the wall as if the right weapon would speak to him, he paused with his hand over what looked like a police baton. Grinning at me over his shoulder he pulled it down and turned to watch me walk toward him. He waved it around, spinning it and showing it off. I shrugged; having one like it at home it was at least familiar to me. When he bent the handle, a four-inch blade popped out the end and I know my jaw hit the floor.

Wiping the imaginary drool off my chin, I held my hand out like a child would in a toy store, wanting to touch it. Retracting the blade, he tossed it to me while I was still five feet away. I caught it with ease and turned it over in my hands. The total length when held by the small handle to the side was no longer than my forearm. Reaching behind me, I measured it against the length of my spine. It was perfect.

Leone and Rafael were standing a few feet away giving me an odd look. I grinned. “It will fit the strap I have a home for my wand.” I said excitedly.

Quinton came over and looked down at me, an odd look on his face. “You have your own tonfa and carry strap at home?”

I nodded, still excited.

Shaking his head, he started to move to the wall. “Maybe you should be guarding us.”

Troy tossed his jacket to the side and rolled his shoulders. “I’d ask if we’re doing this in some sort of organized fashion, but I think I’d be wasting my breath.”

Chase picked up a Bo that had to be six feet long. He grinned at me and then sent his twin a serious look. “Maybe you should let our Huntress know we heal quickly? Wouldn’t want her to hold back or anything.”

I snorted, with their size I wouldn’t be holding back anything.

Quinton came over and flipped the knife out of the holder at his side and held it out to Chase. “Why don’t you show her?”

Chase shrugged and took the knife from him. Winking at me, he slid the blade along his forearm, leaving behind a bloody red mark. Tossing the knife back to Quinton, he held his arm up. I stood there, mouth probably hanging open and watched the slice fade away.

“That’s handy,” I said with quiet awe.

“It is.” Chase agreed as he shrugged out of the vest he was wearing.

“No one uses a blade with Daxx.” Quinton said in a loud voice. Turning to me he grinned. “Feel free to use yours, little Queen.”

I bared my teeth at him for calling me that again and turned to watch the brothers walk out into the middle of the room. Quinton stayed beside me. I looked up at him. “Aren’t you going?”

He shook his head. “They won’t spar full out with me.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t heal like that anymore.” I couldn’t miss the sad note in his voice and for some reason I didn’t think it was caused by the healing part.

Jabbing him with the end of my wand, I grinned at him. “I have no problem kicking your ass, Quinton.”

His brown eyes searched mine for a second before he grinned. Undoing the sheath for his knife, he tossed it to the floor and reached around behind me and grabbed a thick wooden sword. The thing had to be wider than my arm around and at least the length of my legs. Motioning to the floor, he waited for me to lead the way.

I glanced around at the other men ducking and lunging at each other and decided this wasn’t such a bad thing. Fighting was something I could do all day. When you grow up doing something to stay alive, it becomes second nature. When I was sure we were far enough away from the others, I turned and looked up at him. Tossing the wand to my left hand, I reached around and touched my raptor, just to make sure it was right where it should be in case I needed it. Widening my stance, he still stood there. “Make a move, big guy.”

He took a deep breath, hesitating and my patience left as he exhaled. Shaking my head, I lunged forward and hooked his ankle with the handle on the wand and pulled hard, diving out of the way when he hit the mat.

In a real fight, I would have been all over him like paint on the wall, but this was sparing and pummeling your practice partner to a pulp was frowned on, no matter what realm you’re in.

Quinton got up and rolled his shoulders, the hesitation in his eyes was now replaced with a glint that said he was over his fear of fighting me. He crouched down and swung the wooden sword up into a ready position.

Batting my eyelashes at him, I motioned with my free hand for his to come at me. With a big grin, he did just that. I blocked the sword with the wand, and rolled to the other side but before I could hook him again, he turned and was facing me with a look that said he wasn’t going to fall for any repeat performance.

We continued on like this for several minutes, with each block of his sword, my arm stung and I knew I’d feel this later, but wasn’t about to let up for a second. The adrenalin was pumping and I was a definite junky when it came to this. I gained the advantage again and had him back-stepping across the mat, while out of the corner of my eye I saw Troy and Arius move out of our way. Ducking his swing, I stepped forward and jumped into a spinning kick and sent him crashing to the mat.

Realizing I’d just managed to kick him in the head, I rushed over and dropped down beside him. “I’m sorry.” I said quickly. He blinked a few times and then looked at me with humor shining from his eyes.

“Good move,” he whispered between breaths. “I’m out.” He rubbed the side of his head.

I stood up and looked around to see everyone had stopped and were looking at me. Did I apologize for knocking their sibling on his ass?

“My turn.” Chase started walking in my direction with a grin on his face. Something told me he wasn’t going to hesitate, so I side-stepped away from Quinton and watched him swing the bo around as he got closer. It dawned on me then that these men had been doing this for hundreds of years that made the ten years under my belt seem like a minute.

He wasn’t going to be delicate about this at all is what the light in his eyes told me. I inhaled and readied when he was almost within reach with the weapon in his hands. He glanced at my feet at the last second and I knew where he was going to strike first. As he swung, I jumped and pushed off his shoulder with my feet, sending him completely off balance. Before he had time to recover I hooked his foot and sent him crashing to the mat.

Before I could mentally pat myself on the back, he rolled and came at me again. Between his height and the length of the Bo, he could reach me without being anywhere near me. I sneered at him. “Afraid to get to close, your highness?”

I heard a few snickers from behind us and watched as he looked over my shoulder and nodded. I wasn’t about to turn and see who was there. Tossing the Bo to the ground, he caught a wand similar to the one I held that came flying through the air.

“Does this please you, kitten?” He grinned and waved the wand, flicking his wrist.

“Immensely,” I whispered as I lunged at him. He came close to connecting with my head as I ducked out of the way and jabbed the end of mine into his stomach.

He grunted, but kept moving toward me. “You can use your cute little knife, I won’t cry.”

I debated on it for a split second, but decided if I was taking him down, I was doing it on a fair level. “Too easy.” I said as I rolled away just before his wand connected with my flesh. Before I could get to my feet, he hooked my leg and I landed flat on my back. I saw the satisfaction in his eyes, as he was about to drop and pin me to the floor. Timing it right, I kicked up with both feet and hit him square in the chest, sending him flying onto his back with a loud whop when he hit the mat.

Rolling, I jumped up and dropped down with my knee across his throat, flipping the handle of wand, the blade flicked out the end an inch above his face.

Dropping his hands to his side, he smiled up at me. “I’m out.”

Straightening away from him, I turned to see the rest of the brothers standing watching me. Apparently, we had been the main show. I looked around at them. “Anyone else?” I looked at Rafael.

He shook his head. “Hell no, I’ve seen you really fight in my visions and I like life.”

“Are we too late to practice?”

I turned to watch the long white haired Welsley saunter into the room. Beside him walked a woman as tall as him. She had long black hair and looked like a runway model that snacked on steroids, judging by the size of her biceps. “Not at all.” I said making eye contact with the neon green eyes of the man I wanted to stab when I first met him.

He stopped and looked at Chase lying on the floor. “I am not fighting a woman.”

The tone in his voice immediately set me on edge. I looked over at Troy, who stood there glaring at him.

“Please.” The tall woman pushed past him and came over and stood in front of me. “I have no problem fighting her. Look how small she is.”

“Shelby.” Troy said through clenched teeth.

The woman turned and gave Troy a once over look, obviously some history there. “I promise not to hurt your precious Huntress, Troy.”

Well that did it for me, I didn’t care who she was or thought she was supposed to be, she had just enough of the wrong attitude to piss me off. I sized her up while she was still glaring back at Troy. I’d fought bigger, at least I thought I probably had somewhere along the way.

Quinton stepped toward me. I shook my head and he stopped. “Shelby, is it?” She turned and gave me a look filled with hatred. “I wouldn’t want you to break a nail or anything, and your hair might get a bit mussed…”

With a battle cry that would rival a Viking she came at me. I didn’t see any weapon but just her size was dangerous enough. One thing I learned a long time ago, anger has no place in a fight. When she would have touched me with that large hand of hers, I dropped down to one knee and made myself small, causing her to stumble right over me onto the mat on the other side.

Jumping to my feet, I turned to face her and found myself lying flat on my back on the mat; clearly I hadn’t gotten out of reach enough. She straddled me and grabbed my wrist, pissing me off further; this was supposed to be sparring not wrestling. Kicking my leg up, I caught it around her throat and pulled her down off me. Before she had time to recover this time I made sure there was enough distance between us that I could see her coming.

She grabbed the wand that Chase had dropped and came at me, swinging it like a golf club. This woman needed to be medicated. I didn’t know where my own wand was and I didn’t exactly have the time to look around for it. I started to reach for my raptor, but hesitated too long as the wand clipped the side of my cheek. The pain radiated right up into my eye, blinding me for a half a second.

Backing away, my foot hit something wooden, without taking my eyes off her I reached down and grabbed my wand. This bitch had a serious payback on its way. She came at me again like a mad woman; I blocked two swings and had to clench my jaw as the blow vibrated up into my shoulder.

With a jab, I shoved the end of mine into her ribs and was rewarded with a very satisfying feeling as she grunted and bent forward. With a quick step, I swung my foot and caught her in the side of the head, sending her sprawling on the mat.

Backing away, I kept as much distance between us as I could. Behind her I watched Chase hold Quinton where he was, shaking his head. Chase understood I was not going to lose this by interference.

“Shelby that’s enough!” Troy bellowed.

Straightening up, she took one look at me and started to come at me again. I braced myself. I made brief eye contact with Chase. “Does she heal?” I more or less snarled at him.

Chase just grinned at me and nodded.

When she was close enough, I waited for her swing and blocked it with the wand. Lunging down to one knee, I hit her in the stomach with my shoulder and sent her onto her back. Dropping down I held her there with one knee on her chest and the wand across her throat, my raptor was already in my other hand and resting against her cheek before she could blink.

I looked into grey eyes that were wishing me dead. “I don’t know what the fuck that was about, lady, but you ever come at me like that again you better hope to hell you take me out with one move.” I took a ragged breath. “I may not have been here very long, but I sure as hell know that when your King speaks to you, you damn well better listen.”

Hands reached under my arms and lifted me off her. Victor came over and pulled Shelby to her feet. “Doing my job for me?” He was actually smirking.

“Just helping where I can.” Huffing out a breath, I dropped the wand and let Chase guide me away from them. Troy and Quinton were heading towards Shelby. Three of the others were having what looked like some serious words with Welsley. Stopping by the door, Chase turned me so my back was to everyone else in the room.

Leaning down, he lifted up my chin and looked at my cheek. “Jesus, kitten, that’s got to be burning like a bitch.”

“Only when I move,” I added drily, “Who the hell was that?” I let him lift my left arm and look at it. I knew it was red from blocking so many hits without even looking down at it.

“Troy had a thing with her once, a long time ago.” He muttered as he lifted my hair to look at my cheek again.

“I don’t think she knows it’s over.”

He grunted. “She seems to think he’ll come around, although you’d think after fifty years she’d give up.”

I shook my head and then squinted and lowered it. “Yeah.”

“Quinton is going to take one look at this bruised up mug of yours and demand justice.” His hazel eyes were filled with almost as much pain as I was feeling.

“Well, I don’t have presto healing like you guys so I’ll have to suffer through it.”

Reaching down he pulled my raptor out of my hand, I hadn’t even realized I still held. Leaning around me he put it back in the sheath and then dropped down onto one knee in front of me. His face was almost level with mine. “I can help you heal.” His hazel eyes searched mine.

“What do you have the healing touch or something?”

He grinned. “No.” He touched just below the throb in my cheek. “My blood, any of my brothers’ blood would heal you.”

“As in drink it?” I would have scrunched up my face but it hurt too much to move.

Giving me a nonchalant shrug, he nodded.

“Uck.”

Grinning, he touched my jaw so I had to look at him. “It wouldn’t be that bad.”

Biting my lip, I wondered if I could do something like that. A pain shot into my eye as I looked at him. “Would it do anything else to me?”

“Like grow horns and a tail? No that’s later on.”

I smiled and then winced when it sent a lightning pain through my jaw.

“The small amount you’d need won’t do anything else, you have my word.”

Before I could answer, he stood up and looked over my head. I turned slowly to see Quinton, Troy and Rafael coming quickly towards us. “Crap.” I muttered.

“Brace yourself for a lot of coddling.” He gently held my shoulder and turned me to face them.

When all three of them stopped in their tracks, I wondered just how bad my face looked. Quinton stomped over and placed a shaking hand under my chin and tilted my head up. Turning, he shoved through the other two men and broke out into a run going to the door on the other side.

“Shit.” Troy stopped and looked at my face and then to the door that was banging shut after Quinton’s fast exit. “Take Daxx to her room, Chase.” He turned and jogged in the direction his brother had gone.

Rafael stood there looking at my face, with pain in his eyes.

“Go help Troy wrangle Quint.” Chase said.

Rafael nodded and ran after him.

“Come on, kitten let’s get you to your room.”