The Dark Huntsman: A Fantasy Romance of The Black Court (Tales of The Black Court Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her, his captive, waiting in the drive.
    Trina’s foot lifted off the ground. She balanced there, one hand held the blanket, the other held the glass of mystery stuff. One foot ready to step, the other firmly planted on the cold rounded cobblestone.
    She could take this opportunity and slip away.
    He’d left her out here. Alone. Okay not alone. The hounds had scattered into relaxed, deceiving, floppy piles, every one of them tracking her with avid, citron eyes. She tried not to look too closely at them, afraid they would turn into the flash of something else that rippled under their skins. Running wasn’t an option. Not yet.
    The elf had gone into the house, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be out in a hot second if she ran. The man himself was probably faster than light. She’d never seen one this close but she knew elven blood lent all sorts of special powers, innate physical attraction, speed and agility among them. And, after seeing the way he’d torn down the hill, she knew there was no way in hell she could outrun the phantom disguised as a horse.
    Escape would have to wait.
    Her hesitant foot dropped to join the other, planted firmly on the ground. She needed clothing, and an idea of where she was. Trina swished and spit.
    The hangover feeling dissipated leaving her mouth minty fresh and tingling. She could market this. Magical Minty Mouthwash, made by elves.
    Her brain was still sluggish, but it was beginning to work. This couldn’t be Underhill. This was somewhere she fit, somewhere she belonged. Earthy and damper than Wyoming, but it smelled right, felt right. Maybe she stood a chance. She picked her careful way through the hounds to the door and crossed over the threshold into the tiny cottage. The door clicked shut behind her. Her gut twisted with the instinctive fear of a trapped animal. She turned and took an immediate step back, hitting her shoulder on the closed door as the heavy sound of the dead bolt slid across, locking her in.
    She wrenched on the dead bolt, and the knob, but neither budged. There was nowhere to go but forward into the hall. Taking a deep breath she looked around. This might not be Underhill, but it definitely wasn’t Wyoming either. From the outside, this appeared to be a two-, maybe three-, room building. But inside it was the size of a small mansion, full of color and dark, carved woods.
    She took a few cautious steps down the long hallway and into a large, lit room. Worn furniture of different ages and styles filled the room and the walls were crammed with everything from rustic artwork to modern collages. Masses of trinkets and clutter overflowed shelves and tables. Floating, clear globes with moving, lifelike scenes caught in them. A mummified, miniature dragon’s head. Framed, pinned butterflies that, upon closer examination, were actually preserved, tiny fae. It looked like hoarders gone fairy, not the house of an elven lord.
    Near the stone fireplace, her nemesis snapped his fingers and the dry wood crackled into flame. “That should help you warm up.” He turned and faced her, and for the first time all night, she could see her kidnapper clearly.
    He was tall. But not elven tall. Built like a pro running back, not lean, like the willowy elves she’d seen before. Still, there was no doubt, from the tips of his pointy ears to his silky blue-black shoulder-length hair, he was fae, and therefore, the enemy.
    “Come here, over by the fire. You can warm up while we negotiate.”
    She crossed to where he stood, looking up before she thought better of it, and got caught in the fae spell of his crystalline foreign eyes. The room grew hot, close. She swayed, drowning deep in icy turquoise, overpowered by the smell of crushed sage, leather, and the indefinable smell of male.
    He reached out a steadying hand and she jerked away, breaking the attraction.
    “Don’t touch me!” She winced at her waspish uncontrolled voice.
    His black brows twitched up.
    “I just need to sit,