'The Hunt and the Hunted'
Disclaimer: SM is not mine although the story is.
Chapter Six
Beryl sat on her high seat facing the gilded mirror that hung on the wall behind her vanity. Her back stiff as she stared at her reflection with agony and pain but only felt hate. Her crimson eyes focused on the long gash down her cheek. A graze made from a bullet by the man she once loved ten years ago. A man who had rejected her for a mere mortal. Her hand which held her bottle of cream tightened until her knuckles turned white then it relaxed. With un-erred precision she applied her face cream smoothing it over her scar until her jaw line felt as smooth as it looked. Then she stared at her reflection again, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips. She was once a reputed beauty. The color of her eyes were rare among the wolffiends and even more so among the people. She had let her hair grow the length of her form and now.now her burgundy lockes fell to her ankles in a deep rich curl. Her body showed no signs of ageing and for that she was immensely pleased. Smiling Beryl stood up, at least Malachite had always been pleased with her body.
A soft knock on the door announced her long awaited guest. "Come in." she commanded standing erect a few paces from the door. She watched, feeling her anticipation climb with each breath she took and from the shadows of the hall a tall lithe figure emerged with all the grace and air of a royal. "Welcome home, my darling Emerald."
~*~
The ring.the ring.must find the ring. But how? Where do I start? And dammit, I even lost my ring. How could I lose it? It was my mothers. It was her mothers. Lita let out a long sigh shoving a hand through her loose wet hair. She had snuck out of the house and come down to the lake so she could get her thoughts in order but they were all a jumbled mess in her head and now she was beginning to sport a headache. Sitting on the grass she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs close. Two days until the feasting beginnings. Just over a week until the new moon. How am I supposed to get the ring, figure it out and stop them in such short time. I'm going to need a goddamn miracle.
So absorbed in her thoughts Lita didn't hear someone sneaking up on her but then she had let her guard down because she didn't think anyone knew about this place. It wasn't until she felt someone's hands on her shoulder did she let out a gasp and would have screamed if the hand didn't clamp across her mouth.
"No, don't. It's just me." The soothing tenor of his voice calmed her beating heart but did not stop her pulse from racing. The big body eased down beside her. "Promise not scream?" he asked her and when she nodded he released his hand from her mouth only to caress her cheek with his knuckles.
Coming to Lita's back stiffened. "What are you doing here? How did you find this place?" she said sounding anxious to her own ears. Glancing around her with shrewed eyes she didn't notice anyone lurking near them in the shadows and felt a sigh of relief flow through her body only to tense once more as the situation she was in dawned on her. God! She was alone with him.
Feeling nervous Lita began to fidget. "Look it's late and I have to go." Lita moved swiftly and was on her legs when she felt his strong arms grab her wrist and with a slight tug she fell onto his lap. "What! What do you think you're doing? Unhand me this minute. How dare you just go sneaking around in the middle of the night trying to.to seduce anyone who might just be..."
The air rushed out of her lungs when his lips touched hers, moving against her, gently. She felt the corners of his mouth tilt into a smile. "Ah, Lita Lita Lita, you have no idea how long I have wanted to do that, to hold you." He moved his head back slightly to have a look at her. From the scant moonlight that shone on her face he could see the dazed look in her expression, could see how her forest green eyes darkened to a shimmering emerald hue. To him it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her face was scrubbed clean from her recent swim leaving no trace of make-up but her complexion was remarkably fine. Her hair limp from wetness stuck to the temples of her head framing her heart shaped face.
"Why did you do that?" Lita whispered dazed by the feeling that overwhelmed her. She was mesmerized by the deep blue of his eyes. She could see in them a sparkle of amusement.
His lips hovered closer still until they were just a breadth apart. "It was the only way I could think of getting you to shut up and an even quicker way of getting you where I want you." Nathan replied huskily pulling at her lower lip with his teeth and began nibbling the inside of her lip before moving to kiss the corner of her mouth.
Lita could feel the warmth of him reaching out to her, enveloping around her. A tremor raced though her body when he returned to caressing her lips with his teeth. Feeling heady Lita fought to regain control of her senses. "What are you doing here Nathan?"
"I needed some fresh air so I came for a walk." he murmured while lightly kissing her face, "and I thought I had walked into a dream when I saw you."
Lita was beginning to see stars and her breath was coming out in short rasps. No one had ever made her feel this way before and it was frightening yet at the same time exciting. "You do realize." Lita began fighting the tingling feeling that spiraled from her abdomen to the mound between her thighs "that walking in the forest is dangerous. Especially during this time of the month." Lita warned.
Nathan continued his sensual caresses, "I'm not afraid." He murmured in her ear before his tongue darted in sending shivers through her heated body. Boldening his caress Nathan moved his hand to her ankle then slowly felt his way up her long slender legs making circling motions with his thumb.
These new sensations nearly overwhelmed her but Lita could do nothing to stop him. Did she want to stop him? "But you should be." She whispered, the huskiness in her voice lost on no one. "These creatures are real and they will kill you if they found you here alone. Make no mistake you are making their job easier."
"Am I to understand that you're worried about my safety, Lita?" he said her name in such an intimate way Lita was starting to lose her senses altogether. In an attempt to get free she pushed her hand on his chest. The tips of her fingers drew in the warmth of his body, feeling the strength of his muscles and she found herself wishing she could feel his hot flesh beneath her hand.
Her hand on his chest nearly let loose his control, he dipped his head and began small butterfly kisses down the length of her neck and when she arched her head back to give him more room he lapped his tongue on the hollow of her neck. A low moan escaped her soft mouth. Nathan left his hand on her thigh letting it rest there but still circling his thumb on her inner thigh. His other hand released her wrist and settled in the back of her head supporting her, arching her more so he could ravage her neck.
Lita's arms snaked their way around his neck, curling her fingers through the silky softness of his long hair. "I really should get back, Art might miss me." She murmured.
Nathan's arms stiffened and the next thing Lita knew he had shoved her off him. Looking up surprised she could have cringed at the cold stare he shot her. "Are you married Lita? Is that why you want to leave me so that Art might not catch you in my arms?" he hissed out at her.
Before Lita could answer he got up and disappeared into the darkness of the woods merging into the shadows just as quickly as he had appeared. Shaking herself out of her shocked state Lita felt naked. She felt an emptiness she had never felt before in the far reaches of her soul. Something was missing in her life and all she knew was that something had something to do with Nathan.
~*~
The two shadows donned on their cloaks pulling the hood over their head and pressing themselves against the tree. It was almost nightfall and they had been following her at a careful distance making as little noise as they were trained to do.
"Where do you think she's going?" one whispered to the other. She was silenced when a finger came up to the persons lips.
"I don't know but there's something suspicious about her." The other person replied never losing sight of there target.
"It's almost nightfall..."
"I know but you know what we must do."
The person was greeted with silence which suited her most. They would have to deal with the problems when night fell but if her calculations were right, they were heading into the heart of Crystal Mountain. Why would she be going there?
They had almost reached the base of the mountain and it looked like their target was looking for something. A trail. When she found it they continued their silent pursuit. They momentarily lost sight of her when she rounded a bend and they quickly ran to catch her. But when they reached the bend she had completely disappeared. Ahead of them a few feet there was a fork in the trail.
"Great we lost her." One muttered. "What are we suppose to do now?"
"Shh. Look for any signs which might give us a clue." The other said. They both hissed out in frustration when no trail or sight of their target could be found.
"He's going to kill us."
"We'll just have to explain."
"Explain!!! You know my brother and you know he won't accept our excuses. He abhors excuses. He's going to kill us."
Suddenly out of a brush someone lunged at one of them and brandished a knife holding the tip pressed to the captives throat. "Well, if he doesn't kill you then I will. What do you want and why are you following me?" she lashed out tightening her grip on the knife.
A small silence enveloped them all. The other person released her hood and stepped forward. With the remaining light that seeped into the dense thickness of the trees Lita could see her golden tresses falling down her back to her waist. She held herself rigid her cerulean blue eyes mirrored the fear she had for her friend which was quickly replaced with a bland expression. "Mina?"
Mina sighed. "Yes and you're holding my friend. Her name's Rae."
Lita didn't loosen her hold of the person she now knew as Rae. "Why were you two following me? And who is this 'he' you guys are talking about? Is he the one who sent you to follow me? I want answers dammit and I won't let her go until I get them."
Slowly nodding her head Mina wondered just how much she should reveal. "Okay, 'he' is our boss. And yes he sent us to follow you."
"Why?" Lita snapped back.
"When you asked for information on the wolffiends I got suspicious. No one ever asked for books about them. No one ever believed they existed. Everyone always thought it was a myth and that all the killings were done by wolves. But there are a few who believed, that's why the sanctuaries were built by our grandfathers and their grandfathers before them. People laughed at them until all the strange things keep happening but some are still too stubborn to believe even if there were evidence of these creatures."
"Okay, what's this got to do with me? And what are you?"
"A few years back my grandfather was killed. It destroyed my grandmother and she vowed her revenge."
"I'm listening."
"She started gathering information, finding everything out and she found out that these creatures were invincible. That was until she learned that silver could pierce the heart of the creature. Pure silver could kill them. She started out killing them but they just kept coming. Eventually she taught my mother who in turn taught me to kill."
"You're one of the hunters." Lita asked incredulously. She had heard of them but never thought they existed until now.
"Huntress. Rae is one too. Her brother 'our boss' is a hunter. He learned from his mother who was a friend with mine. There are a few of us. I keep the library job to find out about things, unusual things."
"So when I asked for the books you got suspicious." Mina nodded.
"I told Dar.our boss and he was curious why you wanted information so he told me tail you. You are not known in the village which only made him more curious about you."
"So it was you who followed me home the other day?"
Mina nodded. "Can you release Rae now. I think I've answered your questions."
Lita stood still contemplating what to do then she finally let Rae go sheathing her knife in her boot. "Okay, but it still doesn't explain why you're following me."
Rae rubbed against her sore throat finding no cut marks she sighed in relief. "My brother asked us to follow you. Find out everything about you. Your name. Where you live. That kind of thing."
"Wait, you think I'm a wolffiend. Is that why you're following me?" Lita was once more incredulous. What were they thinking?
"Well maybe you could tell us why we're heading up Crystal Mountain?" Mina asked defiantly.
Rae gasped. "But this place is sacred. Anyone caught here would be killed."
Lita's forest green eyes narrowed at the slender but masculine form of Rae. Her long raven lockes were braided to keep from falling in her face and her violet eyes mirrored her fear. Genuine fear of this place. "I have a mission to do and I haven't got very long to do it."
With that she walked up the trail and took the left. She felt the soft crunching of feet padding and groaned in frustration. Twirling around she glared at the two hooded figures only a few feet from her. "Why are you still following me? Go away."
"We have a mission to and we're not leaving until it's done." Rae answered no trace of her earlier fear found in her voice.
"It's too dangerous." Lita almost yelled.
"We can look after ourselves." Mina retaliated.
"Fine." Lita snapped. "Just don't get in my way."
~*~
Beryl watch from her place in the room with satisfaction as her daughter stood gracefully surrounded by many admirers and hopeful suitors. Emerald had inherited her beauty but her fathers dark hazel hair which when the light was right was hinted with a green streak. She was happy and content. It was only a matter of days until the new moon and then.she would rule all wolffiend and wolfdietrich. Her daughter after securing her position as Queen of Wolfdietrich would also secure her position of Queen of Wolffiends but until then Beryl smiled, she would rule. Sensing his presence Beryl turned her gaze to the tall man who had entered her home. Her future son-in- law. A smile wreathed her face. At last. She looked back at her daughter and her smile widened.
Emerald had noticed this tall dark stranger enter and her smile froze on her face while her heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. His tan complimented his features setting his deep blue eyes. His hazel brown hair gave him an almost dangerous look but it appealed to her. He looked to be deep in thought. Emerald didn't see any of the men who surrounded her while her eyes were fixated on the man in her view. She watched in a pleasant surprise as her mother welcomed him. Please let it be him. And then her mother was walking towards her, a smile plastered on her face and behind her mother the man followed silently.
"Elenora dear, meet Nathan. Nathan my daughter Elenora, your fiancé." Emeralds heart almost stopped. This was the man her mother was telling her all about. This was the man she was going to be married. The King of the Wolfdietrich. Emerald wanted to swoon but held herself together. Extending a delicate hand she acknowledged him.
"It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, sir." Emerald murmured with all the sultriness she could muster looking at him through lidded eyes.
"The pleasure is all mine, milady." His rich voice echoed in her ears and her heart was beating extremely fast.
"Well I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Beryl said making her excuse. She was absolutely delighted in her daughters response to this man and knew her dreams were almost coming true. Smiling smugly to herself she went to mingle with her guests.
Nathan looked at Emerald appraisingly. She was a beauty but he could feel nothing for her. He guessed all her beauty was due to the thick layer of cream and make-up which was apparent only to those with keen eyesight. Her eyes were a pale green with a tinge of grey, not like the intense emerald green that belonged to Lita when she was fired up in passion and her hair was a dull hazel where as Lita's brunette hair shimmered gold when the sun hit it. He sighed at his thoughts. Damn the girl for bewitching him.
"Shall we." He said emotionlessly bowing then extending an arm for her.
"Thank you." She murmured snaking her hand though his.
They walked out to the back balcony arm in arm, the silence between them which grew to a lengthy uncomfortable few minutes. Emerald was too embarrassed with her emotional turmoil she didn't know what to say and Nathan kept thinking about the green eyed hellion he had held in his arms just last night.
"So." Emerald began. "I hope you are not disappointed with my mother's choice of wife for you, Nathan. Is it alright I call you that?"
Nathan's brow creased then smoothed back. "Yes it's alright you may call me Nathan as long as I can call you Elenora."
Emerald smiled, then waited for him to continue. Sensing this Nathan said, "I could not have asked for a more beautiful bride."
Emerald blushed at his compliment. Yes, he would do nicely. "Thank you. I am flattered."
~*~
After extricating himself from Emerald Nathan headed for the woods. She would be there waiting for him. When he got close to the lake he stayed behind one of the trees and waited. He recalled watching her from this very spot last night. He remembered how he had picked up on a distant sound. The sound of splashing. And his keen ears had led him straight to this eden. He didn't even know it existed. Then standing in the very spot he stood in now his keen eye sight showed him more than he had bargained for.
Standing on top of a boulder by the waterfall covered in nothing but the sheen of light from the moon Lita stood absolutely still then she plunged into the depths of the water. He had felt himself harden as he drank in the sight of her and he didn't move but watched mesmerized by her graceful movements. She washed herself then disappeared for a long moment that Nathan had almost ran from his spot hidden in the shadows to go look for her but she had emerged from behind the waterfall and he had calmed his racing pulse. He watched her don on her simple garment and sat on the grass staring out to the nearly full moon. She looked entrancing. Deep in her thoughts she hadn't seen him walking towards her like a magnet pulling him.
Nathan cursed under his breath. He looked at the moon which had shifted position. He had been waiting for almost an hour and she still hadn't come. A fleeting thought crossed his mind. What if I had scared her off? He cursed again. But his body had reacted so strongly when he saw her that he had to know what she felt like in his arms. What she tasted like. And she felt good, tasted good.
His member stirred and he let out a low groan. He wanted her more. One taste of her was not enough. One taste of her will never be enough. Nathan let out a predatory howl which echoed into the stillness of the darkness that surrounded him. Than he trodded of back to the village.
AN: So what did you think? I know it took me a while to update but yeah. I hope you like this chapter and maybe I'll get the next one out soon.which I seriously doubt. Read and review!!!
Disclaimer: SM is not mine although the story is.
Chapter Six
Beryl sat on her high seat facing the gilded mirror that hung on the wall behind her vanity. Her back stiff as she stared at her reflection with agony and pain but only felt hate. Her crimson eyes focused on the long gash down her cheek. A graze made from a bullet by the man she once loved ten years ago. A man who had rejected her for a mere mortal. Her hand which held her bottle of cream tightened until her knuckles turned white then it relaxed. With un-erred precision she applied her face cream smoothing it over her scar until her jaw line felt as smooth as it looked. Then she stared at her reflection again, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips. She was once a reputed beauty. The color of her eyes were rare among the wolffiends and even more so among the people. She had let her hair grow the length of her form and now.now her burgundy lockes fell to her ankles in a deep rich curl. Her body showed no signs of ageing and for that she was immensely pleased. Smiling Beryl stood up, at least Malachite had always been pleased with her body.
A soft knock on the door announced her long awaited guest. "Come in." she commanded standing erect a few paces from the door. She watched, feeling her anticipation climb with each breath she took and from the shadows of the hall a tall lithe figure emerged with all the grace and air of a royal. "Welcome home, my darling Emerald."
~*~
The ring.the ring.must find the ring. But how? Where do I start? And dammit, I even lost my ring. How could I lose it? It was my mothers. It was her mothers. Lita let out a long sigh shoving a hand through her loose wet hair. She had snuck out of the house and come down to the lake so she could get her thoughts in order but they were all a jumbled mess in her head and now she was beginning to sport a headache. Sitting on the grass she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs close. Two days until the feasting beginnings. Just over a week until the new moon. How am I supposed to get the ring, figure it out and stop them in such short time. I'm going to need a goddamn miracle.
So absorbed in her thoughts Lita didn't hear someone sneaking up on her but then she had let her guard down because she didn't think anyone knew about this place. It wasn't until she felt someone's hands on her shoulder did she let out a gasp and would have screamed if the hand didn't clamp across her mouth.
"No, don't. It's just me." The soothing tenor of his voice calmed her beating heart but did not stop her pulse from racing. The big body eased down beside her. "Promise not scream?" he asked her and when she nodded he released his hand from her mouth only to caress her cheek with his knuckles.
Coming to Lita's back stiffened. "What are you doing here? How did you find this place?" she said sounding anxious to her own ears. Glancing around her with shrewed eyes she didn't notice anyone lurking near them in the shadows and felt a sigh of relief flow through her body only to tense once more as the situation she was in dawned on her. God! She was alone with him.
Feeling nervous Lita began to fidget. "Look it's late and I have to go." Lita moved swiftly and was on her legs when she felt his strong arms grab her wrist and with a slight tug she fell onto his lap. "What! What do you think you're doing? Unhand me this minute. How dare you just go sneaking around in the middle of the night trying to.to seduce anyone who might just be..."
The air rushed out of her lungs when his lips touched hers, moving against her, gently. She felt the corners of his mouth tilt into a smile. "Ah, Lita Lita Lita, you have no idea how long I have wanted to do that, to hold you." He moved his head back slightly to have a look at her. From the scant moonlight that shone on her face he could see the dazed look in her expression, could see how her forest green eyes darkened to a shimmering emerald hue. To him it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her face was scrubbed clean from her recent swim leaving no trace of make-up but her complexion was remarkably fine. Her hair limp from wetness stuck to the temples of her head framing her heart shaped face.
"Why did you do that?" Lita whispered dazed by the feeling that overwhelmed her. She was mesmerized by the deep blue of his eyes. She could see in them a sparkle of amusement.
His lips hovered closer still until they were just a breadth apart. "It was the only way I could think of getting you to shut up and an even quicker way of getting you where I want you." Nathan replied huskily pulling at her lower lip with his teeth and began nibbling the inside of her lip before moving to kiss the corner of her mouth.
Lita could feel the warmth of him reaching out to her, enveloping around her. A tremor raced though her body when he returned to caressing her lips with his teeth. Feeling heady Lita fought to regain control of her senses. "What are you doing here Nathan?"
"I needed some fresh air so I came for a walk." he murmured while lightly kissing her face, "and I thought I had walked into a dream when I saw you."
Lita was beginning to see stars and her breath was coming out in short rasps. No one had ever made her feel this way before and it was frightening yet at the same time exciting. "You do realize." Lita began fighting the tingling feeling that spiraled from her abdomen to the mound between her thighs "that walking in the forest is dangerous. Especially during this time of the month." Lita warned.
Nathan continued his sensual caresses, "I'm not afraid." He murmured in her ear before his tongue darted in sending shivers through her heated body. Boldening his caress Nathan moved his hand to her ankle then slowly felt his way up her long slender legs making circling motions with his thumb.
These new sensations nearly overwhelmed her but Lita could do nothing to stop him. Did she want to stop him? "But you should be." She whispered, the huskiness in her voice lost on no one. "These creatures are real and they will kill you if they found you here alone. Make no mistake you are making their job easier."
"Am I to understand that you're worried about my safety, Lita?" he said her name in such an intimate way Lita was starting to lose her senses altogether. In an attempt to get free she pushed her hand on his chest. The tips of her fingers drew in the warmth of his body, feeling the strength of his muscles and she found herself wishing she could feel his hot flesh beneath her hand.
Her hand on his chest nearly let loose his control, he dipped his head and began small butterfly kisses down the length of her neck and when she arched her head back to give him more room he lapped his tongue on the hollow of her neck. A low moan escaped her soft mouth. Nathan left his hand on her thigh letting it rest there but still circling his thumb on her inner thigh. His other hand released her wrist and settled in the back of her head supporting her, arching her more so he could ravage her neck.
Lita's arms snaked their way around his neck, curling her fingers through the silky softness of his long hair. "I really should get back, Art might miss me." She murmured.
Nathan's arms stiffened and the next thing Lita knew he had shoved her off him. Looking up surprised she could have cringed at the cold stare he shot her. "Are you married Lita? Is that why you want to leave me so that Art might not catch you in my arms?" he hissed out at her.
Before Lita could answer he got up and disappeared into the darkness of the woods merging into the shadows just as quickly as he had appeared. Shaking herself out of her shocked state Lita felt naked. She felt an emptiness she had never felt before in the far reaches of her soul. Something was missing in her life and all she knew was that something had something to do with Nathan.
~*~
The two shadows donned on their cloaks pulling the hood over their head and pressing themselves against the tree. It was almost nightfall and they had been following her at a careful distance making as little noise as they were trained to do.
"Where do you think she's going?" one whispered to the other. She was silenced when a finger came up to the persons lips.
"I don't know but there's something suspicious about her." The other person replied never losing sight of there target.
"It's almost nightfall..."
"I know but you know what we must do."
The person was greeted with silence which suited her most. They would have to deal with the problems when night fell but if her calculations were right, they were heading into the heart of Crystal Mountain. Why would she be going there?
They had almost reached the base of the mountain and it looked like their target was looking for something. A trail. When she found it they continued their silent pursuit. They momentarily lost sight of her when she rounded a bend and they quickly ran to catch her. But when they reached the bend she had completely disappeared. Ahead of them a few feet there was a fork in the trail.
"Great we lost her." One muttered. "What are we suppose to do now?"
"Shh. Look for any signs which might give us a clue." The other said. They both hissed out in frustration when no trail or sight of their target could be found.
"He's going to kill us."
"We'll just have to explain."
"Explain!!! You know my brother and you know he won't accept our excuses. He abhors excuses. He's going to kill us."
Suddenly out of a brush someone lunged at one of them and brandished a knife holding the tip pressed to the captives throat. "Well, if he doesn't kill you then I will. What do you want and why are you following me?" she lashed out tightening her grip on the knife.
A small silence enveloped them all. The other person released her hood and stepped forward. With the remaining light that seeped into the dense thickness of the trees Lita could see her golden tresses falling down her back to her waist. She held herself rigid her cerulean blue eyes mirrored the fear she had for her friend which was quickly replaced with a bland expression. "Mina?"
Mina sighed. "Yes and you're holding my friend. Her name's Rae."
Lita didn't loosen her hold of the person she now knew as Rae. "Why were you two following me? And who is this 'he' you guys are talking about? Is he the one who sent you to follow me? I want answers dammit and I won't let her go until I get them."
Slowly nodding her head Mina wondered just how much she should reveal. "Okay, 'he' is our boss. And yes he sent us to follow you."
"Why?" Lita snapped back.
"When you asked for information on the wolffiends I got suspicious. No one ever asked for books about them. No one ever believed they existed. Everyone always thought it was a myth and that all the killings were done by wolves. But there are a few who believed, that's why the sanctuaries were built by our grandfathers and their grandfathers before them. People laughed at them until all the strange things keep happening but some are still too stubborn to believe even if there were evidence of these creatures."
"Okay, what's this got to do with me? And what are you?"
"A few years back my grandfather was killed. It destroyed my grandmother and she vowed her revenge."
"I'm listening."
"She started gathering information, finding everything out and she found out that these creatures were invincible. That was until she learned that silver could pierce the heart of the creature. Pure silver could kill them. She started out killing them but they just kept coming. Eventually she taught my mother who in turn taught me to kill."
"You're one of the hunters." Lita asked incredulously. She had heard of them but never thought they existed until now.
"Huntress. Rae is one too. Her brother 'our boss' is a hunter. He learned from his mother who was a friend with mine. There are a few of us. I keep the library job to find out about things, unusual things."
"So when I asked for the books you got suspicious." Mina nodded.
"I told Dar.our boss and he was curious why you wanted information so he told me tail you. You are not known in the village which only made him more curious about you."
"So it was you who followed me home the other day?"
Mina nodded. "Can you release Rae now. I think I've answered your questions."
Lita stood still contemplating what to do then she finally let Rae go sheathing her knife in her boot. "Okay, but it still doesn't explain why you're following me."
Rae rubbed against her sore throat finding no cut marks she sighed in relief. "My brother asked us to follow you. Find out everything about you. Your name. Where you live. That kind of thing."
"Wait, you think I'm a wolffiend. Is that why you're following me?" Lita was once more incredulous. What were they thinking?
"Well maybe you could tell us why we're heading up Crystal Mountain?" Mina asked defiantly.
Rae gasped. "But this place is sacred. Anyone caught here would be killed."
Lita's forest green eyes narrowed at the slender but masculine form of Rae. Her long raven lockes were braided to keep from falling in her face and her violet eyes mirrored her fear. Genuine fear of this place. "I have a mission to do and I haven't got very long to do it."
With that she walked up the trail and took the left. She felt the soft crunching of feet padding and groaned in frustration. Twirling around she glared at the two hooded figures only a few feet from her. "Why are you still following me? Go away."
"We have a mission to and we're not leaving until it's done." Rae answered no trace of her earlier fear found in her voice.
"It's too dangerous." Lita almost yelled.
"We can look after ourselves." Mina retaliated.
"Fine." Lita snapped. "Just don't get in my way."
~*~
Beryl watch from her place in the room with satisfaction as her daughter stood gracefully surrounded by many admirers and hopeful suitors. Emerald had inherited her beauty but her fathers dark hazel hair which when the light was right was hinted with a green streak. She was happy and content. It was only a matter of days until the new moon and then.she would rule all wolffiend and wolfdietrich. Her daughter after securing her position as Queen of Wolfdietrich would also secure her position of Queen of Wolffiends but until then Beryl smiled, she would rule. Sensing his presence Beryl turned her gaze to the tall man who had entered her home. Her future son-in- law. A smile wreathed her face. At last. She looked back at her daughter and her smile widened.
Emerald had noticed this tall dark stranger enter and her smile froze on her face while her heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. His tan complimented his features setting his deep blue eyes. His hazel brown hair gave him an almost dangerous look but it appealed to her. He looked to be deep in thought. Emerald didn't see any of the men who surrounded her while her eyes were fixated on the man in her view. She watched in a pleasant surprise as her mother welcomed him. Please let it be him. And then her mother was walking towards her, a smile plastered on her face and behind her mother the man followed silently.
"Elenora dear, meet Nathan. Nathan my daughter Elenora, your fiancé." Emeralds heart almost stopped. This was the man her mother was telling her all about. This was the man she was going to be married. The King of the Wolfdietrich. Emerald wanted to swoon but held herself together. Extending a delicate hand she acknowledged him.
"It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, sir." Emerald murmured with all the sultriness she could muster looking at him through lidded eyes.
"The pleasure is all mine, milady." His rich voice echoed in her ears and her heart was beating extremely fast.
"Well I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Beryl said making her excuse. She was absolutely delighted in her daughters response to this man and knew her dreams were almost coming true. Smiling smugly to herself she went to mingle with her guests.
Nathan looked at Emerald appraisingly. She was a beauty but he could feel nothing for her. He guessed all her beauty was due to the thick layer of cream and make-up which was apparent only to those with keen eyesight. Her eyes were a pale green with a tinge of grey, not like the intense emerald green that belonged to Lita when she was fired up in passion and her hair was a dull hazel where as Lita's brunette hair shimmered gold when the sun hit it. He sighed at his thoughts. Damn the girl for bewitching him.
"Shall we." He said emotionlessly bowing then extending an arm for her.
"Thank you." She murmured snaking her hand though his.
They walked out to the back balcony arm in arm, the silence between them which grew to a lengthy uncomfortable few minutes. Emerald was too embarrassed with her emotional turmoil she didn't know what to say and Nathan kept thinking about the green eyed hellion he had held in his arms just last night.
"So." Emerald began. "I hope you are not disappointed with my mother's choice of wife for you, Nathan. Is it alright I call you that?"
Nathan's brow creased then smoothed back. "Yes it's alright you may call me Nathan as long as I can call you Elenora."
Emerald smiled, then waited for him to continue. Sensing this Nathan said, "I could not have asked for a more beautiful bride."
Emerald blushed at his compliment. Yes, he would do nicely. "Thank you. I am flattered."
~*~
After extricating himself from Emerald Nathan headed for the woods. She would be there waiting for him. When he got close to the lake he stayed behind one of the trees and waited. He recalled watching her from this very spot last night. He remembered how he had picked up on a distant sound. The sound of splashing. And his keen ears had led him straight to this eden. He didn't even know it existed. Then standing in the very spot he stood in now his keen eye sight showed him more than he had bargained for.
Standing on top of a boulder by the waterfall covered in nothing but the sheen of light from the moon Lita stood absolutely still then she plunged into the depths of the water. He had felt himself harden as he drank in the sight of her and he didn't move but watched mesmerized by her graceful movements. She washed herself then disappeared for a long moment that Nathan had almost ran from his spot hidden in the shadows to go look for her but she had emerged from behind the waterfall and he had calmed his racing pulse. He watched her don on her simple garment and sat on the grass staring out to the nearly full moon. She looked entrancing. Deep in her thoughts she hadn't seen him walking towards her like a magnet pulling him.
Nathan cursed under his breath. He looked at the moon which had shifted position. He had been waiting for almost an hour and she still hadn't come. A fleeting thought crossed his mind. What if I had scared her off? He cursed again. But his body had reacted so strongly when he saw her that he had to know what she felt like in his arms. What she tasted like. And she felt good, tasted good.
His member stirred and he let out a low groan. He wanted her more. One taste of her was not enough. One taste of her will never be enough. Nathan let out a predatory howl which echoed into the stillness of the darkness that surrounded him. Than he trodded of back to the village.
AN: So what did you think? I know it took me a while to update but yeah. I hope you like this chapter and maybe I'll get the next one out soon.which I seriously doubt. Read and review!!!