Cliff pushed his horse harder; he was on the road north toward Castle Fairfield. He had traveled south to meet the raiders that would steal Izzy back for him before he went west to find the others in his party. An hour passed and he rode closer to the dark cabin in the woods. It was hidden on a path that few knew about. It was two stories, but it blended in with the giant evergreens surrounding it.
He dismounted and put his horse in the stable next to the cabin before he walked in the door without preamble.
“Are you ready?” Cliff asked the three men standing inside the room.
All three men were dressed in all black, they had a wild look in their eyes. The same look Cliff sported when he watched Izzy from afar.
“Do you have her?” the closest man, Mikael, asked.
“She is being brought north as we speak,” Cliff said, nodding his head.
“You trust the Rangers?” Rikkard asked, the skepticism in his eyes.
“No, but they will do the job f
Izzy slept fitfully in the cabin, waking twice throughout the night. She screamed into the darkness, calling out for her sister and Susanna. They never came. She was far away from them and alone. They wouldn't be coming to comfort her tonight. She opened her eyes and saw the fate she had been destined for. She glanced around the room in fear, waiting for someone to jump out to attack her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, 'If they were going to attack me, they would have done it by now. They're taking me somewhere, I just don't know where.' She needed to find out where they were going, the only way to do that was to show them that she was ready and willing to cooperate with them. She could do that. She could be docile. She was Izzy, she made friends with a fence post if it would listen to her chatter. That was before the attack, yes, but she was alone now and she needed to fight this battle herself. She steeled her shoulders and gave hers
Izzy watched Cliff converge on her as she sat petrified on the bed. He was there, near her, in the flesh and she had nowhere to run. She didn't know what to do. She froze when he reached out to her and grasped her in his arms, drawing her to her feet and inhaling deeply. He ran his nose along her neck and into her hair, breathing in her scent in satisfaction. "Please, let me go," Izzy whispered. She relaxed in his arms, forcing her muscles to soften as she screamed internally. She couldn't handle the pain she had gone through the last time; she knew the more she tensed, the worse it would be. Her internal monologue had failed her, she was panicking inside. She let out small gasps of breath. She couldn’t move, she was petrified by the sight of him. "No," he murmured as he ran his lips across her shoulder and toward her chest. She took in a deep breath and in a sudden move of defense, she kneed him in the groin as hard as she possibly could. He le
Theo escorted Izzy toward the guest wing of the castle, walking slightly in front of her as he mutely led the way. They walked past many other Daikon, Theo nodding to each in greeting as he went. "Do you know when I'll be able to go home?" Izzy asked curiously, trying to get Theo to talk. Theo shook his head. "Who were you looking for?" Izzy innocently asked Theo as they walked through the castle halls. Theo glanced at her as they made their way toward the guest wing of the castle. He looked forward again as he started to talk, "The King is looking for his mate. He had reason to believe Cliff was with her recently and he sent me to collect her. You are obviously not her," Theo said as he glanced back and down at her while smiling slightly. Izzy grinned up at him. He was really tall. "No, I'm not." She considered Theo's words as he stopped in front of a door in the guest wing and knocked lightly before opening the door for Izzy and gestur
"That's quite the story, Nate," Evan said quietly as he took in all of the information that Nate had told him. It had taken almost an hour to go through the details that Nate knew, with help from the others. "I think Cliff is the one who has been raiding the caravans in the weeks leading up to The Hunt," Logan added thoughtfully. "He's in charge of fighting off the raiders, though," Seth added, his brows furrowed. "Who better to pretend to defend the people than the man attacking them," Susanna said sarcastically. "If he is attacking the caravans in the weeks leading up to The Hunt, what is he looking for exactly?" Kate asked. "Or who is he looking for, may be the better question to ask ourselves," Seth added. "You think he was after Izzy before The Hunt?" Kate asked, stunned. "No, he didn't meet Izzy until The Hunt," Susanna shook her head. "We met him together, he had an odd look in his eye when he met her, but there was no r
Cliff looked around the mountain range, he wouldn't be able to cross the shortcut, he would have to go around. If he followed the trail around the mountains, he could reach the dragon's castle in a week's time, but he didn't have a week to spare. He would have to postpone his conquest. Not capturing Izzy would mean she could potentially give him away and then everything he'd worked for would be destroyed. He couldn't let that happen either. He needed another option. "Gregory, I'm needed in the Fae Kingdom for Council business, I will have to leave you to track my mate and bring her back," Cliff said sternly to the leader of the raiders he had hired to bring Izzy to him. "Understood, we will recover her and return her to you," Gregory agreed. "The Daikon are a fierce people and they hate Shifters, this wasn't part of our original agreement, we will require additional payment." Cliff cursed, "I will get you the gold when you bring my mate to me."
Izzy looked around with trepidation, she knew from stories back home that the dragons didn't get along with shifters, but the hateful glares she was getting as she followed Marielle toward the front of the hall were astoundingly vicious. She smiled timidly at a few of the dragons before shifting her gaze to watch the head table. The King had not yet noticed she was in the hall, he was busy talking with Theo who sitting on his left-hand side. As the dragons in the hall stopped talking to glare at Izzy, she watched as the King looked around the hall searching for the cause of the silence and change in atmosphere. His gaze focused on Izzy and he gave her a welcoming smile. Theo glanced up, too, and seeing Izzy and Marielle he gave them a small smile and nod. He stood from his chair next to the King and went to meet Izzy and Marielle at the bottom of the steps of the dais. He offered Izzy his arm and gave her a soft smile. Izzy looked up at him nervously. She took his ar
Nate had been throughout the day. He had a sick feeling in his stomach, as if the world was at odds. He couldn’t explain it. The feeling lingered all day. He was desperate to get to Daikon. The longer the journey took, the more anxious he felt. “What do you think Izzy is doing in Daikon?” Kate asked Susanna as they rode behind Nate and Logan. Seth rode at the rear of their party with Kevin. “She’s probably hiding from everyone,” Susanna said. “Is the dragon’s event over by now?” Kate asked, turning to glance behind her at Seth. “I think theirs lasts the full month,” Seth answered. “A full month?” Susanna asked. “Yes, it’s not a simple hunt. The dragon alpha has to find the thing most important to his mate and bring it to her where she hides. If he gets it wrong, he has to correct his mistake. That’s why it’s called the Dragon’s Treasure. If you don’t know what your mate values more than anything else, you will never win her hand
Izzy sat on the bench, her head swirling with the information she had received about her mate. Nate was supposed to be her perfect mate. He was supposed to love her, no other. Why would he make promises to another when he had sworn to stay by her side? “Izzy?” a soft voice called out to her. She ignored the woman calling. “Izzy?” the voice called out more insistently. Izzy looked up and saw the kind eyes of Violetta staring back at her. “What is it?” Izzy whispered, barely able to focus on the words to say. “Marchessa is jealous of you. I don’t know if what she said is true or not, but the only way to find the truth is to talk to your mate. You can’t let this bother you until you hear the truth from his lips. She has loved Nate since the moment he walked into Daikon. She would do anything to make him hers,” Violetta said softly, running a hand down Izzy’s hair comfortingly. “There is truth to her words,” Izzy said. “They’ve slept toget
Hello and Happy Summer to Everyone!! The sequel to "The Hunt" is called "The Dragon's Treasure" and it is being posted one chapter at a time on the web app here on Good Novel! (The first chapter will post this afternoon - June 14, 2022) You won't be able to find the book on the mobile version for a few months yet (it has to go through approval and I don't want to make it pay to read quite yet as I work through the story development and editing phases). The web app version is FREE! It will remain free for the foreseeable future as a thank you for reading this far! You'll want to click on my name to find my other works in progress on the web app and if you click "follow" on the book title you will get notifications when new chapters come online! I'd love to see your comments for anyone following along with the sequel. I enjoy reading them all!! Let me know what you think as the sequel gets posted. Sending lots of love and thanks - M
Thank you so much for taking a journey with me through a magical world where dreams and nightmares both really do come true. I hope you've enjoyed the story. It's not the end! There will be a sequel, I’m writing it now! We will take a trip through the other kingdoms and follow Amelia as she tries to solve the mystery of Izzy and Cliff while evading the Dragon King. Will she succeed? Will Cliff continue to haunt so many? Only time will tell... stay tuned and follow me for updates! You can find me on Tw*tter at @michell76640823 I have a few other books in progress, I hope you'll take the time to check those out, too. The Praelia Chronicles: Hope's Despair is set in a dystopian fantasy world. Magical creatures were wiped out in a great war hundreds of years ago. Society has been structured into the upper, middle, and lower classes to keep the citizens in order. Every year, those of the lower classes wait in desperate anticipation hoping to be chosen during the rea
Amelia looked around the kitchens as she loaded her pack quickly. She knew she would need to make good time to reach the Fae Kingdom before the king was alerted to her absence, if he didn’t already know. She could have sworn he could read her mind when she saw him out the window just minutes before.She had left a letter in her room, she hoped it would be enough to keep the shifters from following her. She needed to escape. This was no life, living in the shadow of an abusive mate. She couldn't endure another overpowering; overwhelming mate and the king would prove to be just such a man.How could she live in the shadow of a man as powerful as the king? She couldn't, and she wouldn't. She would never be weak and helpless again. He gave up the right to a life with her when he left her at The Hunt seven years ago, his chance was gone.She hurried through the halls toward the front doors and jumped when she heard a loud trumpet blast. The army was off,
Izzy looked up into the kind eyes of her mate. How had she ever feared him? He was gazing at her lovingly as she moved back into their room. She turned to face him, aware that it was broad daylight and not caring one bit that the sun shone brightly around the room.She started to unbutton her dress and let it fall gracefully to her feet. Her chest rose and fell with each beat of her heart, her nerves getting the best of her. She stood in her shift and undergarments as she kept her eyes on Nate. He licked his lips, straining to stay in control. She smiled softly as she pulled the shift over her head and walked toward him. Her stomach twisted with nerves, but she kept her resolve. She was not helpless; she would not allow herself to be helpless again."I think it's time," she whispered to her mate. He looked down at her with confused eyes, unsure whether he should grab her and kiss her senselessly or put her clothes back on her. It hadn't been that long ago that sh
Cliff found his release and sighed with the temporary relief he felt as he pulled out of the petite barmaid. She trembled as she rolled over onto the bed. The next shifter mounted her, ready to fulfill his darkest need before they had to leave. She froze on the bed and let him push his way into her. His groan filled the air and she pushed the pain away as she felt him fill her.“The shifters should be at the border by now, the Daikon will ride to meet them. They will have no reason to fight once they learn the truth of Izabelle but if all goes as planned, she will be left behind in Daikon. We will find her within the week,” Cliff said as he pulled his pants back on. He was not sated but it was enough to take the edge off and he would be able to ride to Daikon and find Izzy.“You think we will have her by week’s end?” Rikkard asked as he thrust into the barmaid, his hand wrapping around her neck as he held her firm against his brutal assaul
Izzy stared after the king, her gaze flickering to Amelia's room in concern."Do you think we should check on her?" Kate asked nervously.Izzy nodded firmly and took a step forward, knocking lightly on the door before opening it. She called out as she stuck her head around the large wooden slab, "Amelia? Are you alright?"Izzy heard a rustling in the room but didn't hear anything else. She could tell someone was moving around quickly in the room."Amelia?" Izzy called out as she walked into the room."Izzy?" Amelia looked up in surprise, her eyes wide as she glanced around at the other shifters that were walking toward her. She was moving about the room, putting things in her pack. It was obvious she intended to go somewhere. She had been muttering to herself as she worked and Izzy sat on the bed, watching Amelia walk around."What are you doing?" Kate asked. Izzy shot her a look."I'm pretty sure that's obvious," Izzy sai
The king walked through the soldiers. They were lined up to march south. The shifters were making better time than he could have predicted so they were marching out that night. He didn’t want the shifters to get so close to their women and children, they would fight to keep them back.Most of the warriors were men, but several women stood among the ranks. Daikon didn't care so long as you could fight. He came upon Matthias surveying the troops."How are we looking?" the king asked, glancing at Matthias, his brows drawn in question."Not as good as I would like, but we are prepared for battle," Matthias said as he nodded as if to reassure himself, they were sufficient."Make sure we have provisions, we leave as soon as we are ready," the king said as he walked off to talk with Theo.Matthias nodded in submission and walked away to check on the supplies they would bring with them on the march to the mountain pass.The king walked through
Firam was determined to have Emilie. He couldn’t march to war and potential death without letting her know that she was his. She would be his until his dying breath, no matter how long or short his life may be, no matter how desperate she was to leave him. She was his.He stormed up the stairs toward her room. They marched out at dawn and he had no idea what fate lay ahead of him with war looming. He knocked on her door and waited. His heart was racing, he didn’t want to mess this up but he needed her to know. He needed her to understand.The door opened slowly, a small crack. There was just enough room for him to see her wide, terrified eyes looking out at him.“Can I come in?” he asked gently, his heart was in his throat but he somehow managed to keep his voice calm. It was a miracle that she nodded and opened the door, retreating back to the bench in front of the fireplace.Firam opened the door wide and stepped inside, closing
Amelia could feel the tension in the air. Something was going on, something that she wasn’t privy to. It was an odd feeling not to be in the inner circle, to know firsthand what was happening.The generals had rung the war bell an hour earlier and dragons had descended on the courtyard from all over the kingdom. Word had spread and warriors were accumulating in droves. There were easily a thousand men and women being organized into groups, waiting for orders.Amelia knew something big was happening. The murmurs and dark looks being sent their way made her shift uncomfortably on her seat. She could feel the fury from the dragons. She could feel the lack of welcome. She decided the only option to get information was to seek out those who could tell her. She saw a dark-haired woman walking toward Susanna and Logan. Amelia decided she would listen in on the conversation.“We need shifters to go with us to the border, to stop the war before it even starts