Brayden flinched, looking out into the forest as the ground started to move and shake.
“Shit,” Brayden growled, running shirtless, wearing only his jeans as he tackled into me, scooping me up once again. I had just shifted back and was only wearing my bra and underwear, holding the rest of my clothes in a pile. Brayden grabbed Leah as well, sprinting like a football player for the lamp.
Leah grunted, clearly taken off guard by his sudden tackle and grab. I however had been shocked into silence as I watched the hundred-foot treescome alive.
I stared at the thick trunk of the one nearest us just as arms sprouted out of it and then legs. The tree ran forward like a warrior, coming right for us, and I yelped as Brayden crashed into the lamp and then we were sucked into the portal.
He’d come through with so much momentum that when we landed in the broken-down cabin, he fell forward, tripping over the coffee table and tossing me on the couch before falling on top of me. Leah slumped to the ground with a groan as Brayden and I realized at the same moment that he was lying on me. Him topless, me almost naked.
Holy hell, I needed to be doused in ice water.
His bare chest against mine caused an inferno to come alive inside of me, and I looked up into his eyes to see that he watched me with a hungry gaze.
“What the hell happened back there?” Leah untangled her feet from the coffee table and stood, snapping Brayden and I from our trance.
Brayden cleared his throat, slowly sliding off my body just as Maddy walked in and took in the whole scene with wide eyes.
“Ohh-kaaay.” She shielded her eyes as I sat up so fast and threw my arms over my chest that I almost cracked heads with Brayden, who was still getting off of me.
“It’s not what you think!” I blurted.
“She shifted,” Brayden stammered.
“The fae dude was dead,” Leah added, and that got Maddy moving.
She pulled her hands from her eyes and stepped towards us. “What? The Elder Fae is dead? That’s not possible, right? Only a handful of people are powerful enough to kill him…”
I pulled my shirt over my head, and then slipped into my jeans in record time.
“It was Novus,” Brayden declared, and for some reason the name felt familiar.
Maddy was standing near an entryway table and had to reach out and grab it. “No.”
A chill formed in the air and I knew that whoever this Novus character was, he was bad news.
“Novus?” Leah asked, for which I was grateful. I hated being the newbie that asked all the questions.
Brayden ran his fingers through his hair and let out a shuddering breath. “The leader of the Wild Hunt. A fae so old and powerful he would wipe the floor with the Fae Lords who now rule my kingdom.”
I swallowed hard. “The Wild Hunt, like the ghostly guy who rides around hunting pretty women from folklore?”
“Pretty women?” Maddy barked out a laugh. “And ghostly? Oh no. Novus’ body is fully corporal. Only his wolves are ghost spirits of the dead Greywolves he’sconsumed.”
Consumed. She saidconsumed. I gulped.
“He… eats Greywolves?” My voice cracked.
Brayden let a small growl release from his throat. “He killed my grandfather and my grandmother. Both of their wolves’ spirits are now bound to his ruthless pack, forced to do as he says.”
My heart pinched. This Novus guy ate Brayden’s grandparents? Not cool. He needed a throat punch and a bullet to the brain.
“How do you kill him?” I wanted to get right down to the valuable information here in case this guy ever came looking for us. We were Greywolves after all.
Maddy snort-laughed. “We don’t. For every creature he consumes, he gains their power. If he just ate the insides of the Elder Fae, which is his trademark, along with leaving behind maple syrup, then he’s now gained the Elder Fae’s power.”
My stomach dropped at that. He eats their insides and gains their power? That was some dark magical crap I wantednothingto do with. Even Leah looked unnerved. We’d finally gotten to a subject that frightened her.
Brayden started to pace the shaggy carpet, flicking nervous glances at Leah.
