Free Lord of the Hunt by Shona Husk Page A

Verden. He knew the Court better than her…but could use that against her if he chose. Verden was playing his own game, and as much as she wanted answers, she had to be careful. He already knew too much about her and why she was here. “Would the King like to learn a new game?”
    “I think he would like anything you showed him.” The edge was back in his voice.
    So she hadn’t imagined the King’s interest. “Would it be enough to trade for the pardon?”
    “It depends on his mood, but probably not.” He lifted his gaze from his cards. “How far are you willing to go, Taryn? Did your mother warn you of the cost? Did Felan?”
    “It’s my parents. I have to do everything I can.” She looked away and pretended to study her cards; the game was meant to be fast and she was thinking too hard about every move. “But I don’t want that kind of attention.”
    She didn’t want to be the King’s newest plaything. Verden had said sex was traded for favors, but she couldn’t. She was fairy but not that fairy. Never that fairy.
    “He can give you what you want, return your parents before his reign is over.”
    Verden was right, yet when she looked at him, he didn’t seem happy about it. Maybe this was a chance for her to press harder and learn something more about him. “Since you know what I want and the workings of the Court, what would you do in my place?”
    “I would play the game without getting caught by it.” He touched her cheek, traced her jaw. His fingers were cool, but her skin still heated beneath his touch. Were fairy men really that different from human men?
    Many human men just wanted sex and nothing else. Verden’s touch betrayed what he wanted even though his words denied it. He might have bet that she wasn’t going to sleep with anyone, but that wasn’t stopping him from wanting her. At least at Court he kept the desire hidden. Here it burned in his eyes.
    “And how do I do that?”
    “I don’t know. Not yet anyway. It will take time to unravel, and if you misstep, the Queen will make sure you vanish.”
    “And you?” She shifted to face him. “The real reason you brought me here wasn’t just to be nice and help me learn to play cards.”
    “It was in part, but I also wanted to get to know you better.”
    “How much better?” Her voice was softer, revealing what she felt. The card game was forgotten as they watched each other.
    “More than would be safe at Court with everyone watching.” His hand brushed her knee.
    “With the King watching,” Taryn corrected.
    Verden didn’t reply; he just placed his cards down. “We can’t be friends at Court.”
    “What happens in the mortal world stays in the mortal world?” She understood that after just one day there. Having something private meant protecting it fiercely, so others couldn’t use it again her. Secret meetings with Verden would give her something to hold on to as she made it through each day. Already she was constructing a game where she would win. She’d get the pardon for her father and keep Verden for herself…well, until he got bored, but until then, she had someone who’d take her away from Court and teach her the games in private so she stayed ahead of the demands of Court.
    He frowned for a moment, then smiled. It was a real smile, not the one he wore at Court. “Exactly. We can do whatever we want away from those who watch and plot.”
    In the pale morning light, his gray eyes were almost luminous. She leaned forward. Their lips met, but it wasn’t tentative, the way first kisses should be. His hand wrapped around the base of her skull and his fingers threaded into her hair. Claiming. But instead of resisting, she opened her mouth and let him take what he wanted. He tasted of fairy wine, sweet and sharp all at once. All around her she could smell the earth and eucalyptus trees. Her hand brushed his leg as she tried to steady herself. Beneath her hand there was muscle. The Lord of the Hunt, one of the most