Caught by the Hunter (Illustrated) (Distant Fairy Tales Book 2) Read online

  An accidental meeting leads to a connection that will last forever... if they ever meet again.

  Ejected from her home, Nyna is forced to run across the city to her grandmother’s house. If she had known it was the night of her first heat, she might have jumped into the sewers instead of trying to outrun the huntsmen of the Overlord of Y’tel.

  Trapped in a colony city, she runs as fast as she can wearing her red cloak. The canine heads of the Lyron hunters focus on her, but they are waiting for the bell that lets them hunt. She hates that damned bell.

  Sornoth sees the flicker of red, catches her scent, and waits impatiently, quickly beating the fellow huntsmen who would have pursued her before he chases after her himself.

  When he catches her, the taste of her burns itself into his brain, and after he marks her, he sends her on to her destination.

  It will be two and a half years before they meet again, and when he meets his son for the first time, things change.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Caught by the Hunter

  Copyright © 2021 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-990635-00-7

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  ©Illustrations by XJSIII

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com and other eBook sellers.

  Caught by the Hunter

  Distant Fairy Tales, Book 2

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Nyna looked at her mother and watched the curfew countdown. “I can’t go out there tonight. I will just lock myself in the shop.”

  Her mother sniffed. “Your brothers are expecting guests tomorrow, and we don’t want your stink here in the house. Go. Your grandparents are waiting.”

  Nyna saw the smug faces of her brothers over her mother’s shoulder, and she quickly grabbed supplies, put on her cloak and pack, and ran into the dimming night.

  She heard the first alarm to get indoors, and tears of fear sprang to her eyes. There was no way she was going to make it.

  Nyna ran flat out through the square, getting the attention of a few Lyron hunters, but they weren’t allowed to chase her down yet, and she was just a beta. They had to wait until the final alarm sounded, and that was still five minutes away. Their huge canine forms were terrifying, but they only punished the colonists who didn’t obey the rules.

  The second alarm went off.

  Her lungs were burning, but she was on her grandparents’ street. The manor house was glowing brightly, and there was a figure near the gate waiting for her. She fixated on that figure and kept running. The final alarm went off, and the Lyrons began to flood the city.

  Nyna ran for her life and her freedom.

  She was two blocks away when it all went to hell.

  She heard a huff, and then, she was tackled into the shadows.

  A large, hard body pinned her against the wall, and a muzzle pressed to her neck. “Hello, little girl. Where are you going tonight?”

  She swallowed and tried to sound calm. “To my grandparents’ house.”

  “It isn’t safe out here for a young woman who smells as good as you.”

  She shuddered as she could feel his erection against her ass. “I wasn’t given a choice. I had to cross the city.”

  He chuckled and leaned back, lifting her by the red cloak she was wearing. “This wasn’t well thought out. There were ten others who wanted to hunt you, and I had to deal with them before I could catch you.”

  He turned her to face him so he could look at what he caught.

  She smelled the blood on his hands as he raised her to see his muzzle and then the most beautiful blue-green eyes she had ever imagined. His fur was mostly clean, but there was blood around the front of his muzzle.

  “It is the only cloak I have, and it is nearly winter. I get cold.” She pitched her voice slightly higher than normal.

  He brought her in closer and sniffed. “Trying to make yourself seem younger?”

  “Um. Maybe.” Lying didn’t seem like a good idea.

  “How old are you?”

  She thought about lying, but all he needed to do was scan her ident band, and he would know how old she was. It was an illegal duplicate of an existing citizen’s, but he didn’t need to know it wasn’t hers. “Nineteen.”

  “Good answer.” He licked at her neck and groaned. “You taste like sex.”

  “Uh, my brothers are omegas, and they’re in heat.” She babbled as his slow licking continued. His claw slit the front of her shirt, and his muzzle pressed against her breasts.

  “Make your choice, kitten. You can either have me or have a night in the cells for breaking curfew.”

  His tongue was long, smooth, and wide. She shivered and reached to touch his head. She was illegal, unregistered, and her family wouldn’t defend her. There wasn’t really a choice. If she went to holding, she was under arrest.

  He looked at her and chuckled. “Go ahead. There is nothing your tiny hands can do to injure me.”

  “I wasn’t trying to injure you. I pick you.” Her whisper was soft, and when he returned to lick her, she whined.

  He chuckled. “Seems your brothers aren’t the only omegas in heat.”

  She stiffened. “I am not. My family only has male omegas. They are known for it.”

  He flattened his hand and slid it under her waistband, into her pants. He stroked her sex and pulled his fingers out, holding them up in front of her. “Then, what is this?”

  She stared in confusion. “That’s... not... I don’t...”

  “Aw, little kitten, you look so confused.” He chuckled and pinned her back against the wall, lifting her high. His claws shredded her pants, splitting the seam. “This might make it clearer.”

  He started to lick, his canine tongue burrowing deep as he draped her thighs over his shoulders and her back pressed to the brick.

  She whimpered, and as he continued frantically licking at her, twisting inside her and then rubbing her clit with his thumb, she felt something hot rushing inside her, and then, she let out a short shout, and she curled around, and she could smell her own heat.

  “There you are, kitten. I won’t hurt you. Your scent is making me crazy. I thought I smelled this when you were running, but I couldn’t be sure. To think a little omega in heat was thrown into the night just before curfew. I am lucky.”

  She blinked at him, not really understanding what had happened. Her own forays into touching herself had given up light tremors and pleasant energy. With his tongue, she had been set on fire, and then, her senses exploded.

  He lowered her to the alley floor, turned her, and placed her hands against the wall. “Press hard, kitten, whenever it feels like it will be too much.”

  She swallowed, and there was more tearing of her clothing, then a slick pressure, and he started to enter her. He brought a hand around to her clit and rubbed it, then he pulled back her cloak and licked at her neck while she fought to not tighten as he made his way into her.

  His wolf head rubbed her cheek, and she panted as she tried to remain still. She whined again, and he growled in response. He gripped her hips, and he thrust in to the edge of
his knot, and she shuddered at the imminent threat of being locked to him.

  He murmured against her ear and licked it. Now, one hand was braced next to hers, and the other was cupping and rubbing her breasts.

  Her sex burned as it tried to accommodate him, but she let out a needy sound that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

  “Yes, kitten, you can have all of me.”

  He started thrusting, and she curled her fingers into the brick as her sex made slickly moist sounds that humiliated her, but that tense heat was building up inside her again, and she cried out, bucking back to take him in, and his knot dipped into her and then left. She panted, but he kept moving, and when he roared, he drove his hips forward and held her tight. The knot stretched her, moved into her, and then swelled as jets of cum warmed her. She sobbed as everything was too much. Too big, she was too sensitive, and the brick was rough under her cheek.

  She felt the tears on her cheeks, and he turned her head to lick her face. “There, kitten. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  She sniffled and swallowed. “Is it over?”

  He paused. “That wasn’t your first, was it?”

  She nodded, looking up at him, “Yes, hunter.”

  “Aw, kitten. I could have taken more time.”

  She swallowed and looked past him, “Why are they watching?”

  He didn’t even look over his shoulder. “They want you next. Don’t worry, kitten. They can’t have you.”

  “I can’t outrun them. Not like this.” She could feel the open air on the centre of her body, and the wet parts of her were getting cold.

  “I will occupy them, kitten. Don’t worry. This will be the last encounter of the night for you.” He nuzzled her cheek and neck. “You will get to safety?”

  “Yes, hunter. I am close.”

  He chuckled. “Good, kitten. I will occupy all of your would-be suitors.”

  He continued to slowly caress her, and she had to ask, “How long will I be stuck on you?”

  He laughed. “I would like to say forever, but if you are talking about the knot, another minute or two, and it should let you go.”

  She sniffled and nodded. “All right. Then, I run?”

  He chuckled. “Yes. My scent on you will cause a few to pause, so use that and get safe.”

  She nodded. “Right. It’s a straight shot from here. I just need three minutes.”

  He chuckled. “So close to escaping me. Poor thing. I have to ask, are you duly chastised for breaking curfew?”

  She nodded. “If it is within my power, I won’t do it again. If it had been in my power, I wouldn’t have done it this time.”

  He murmured. “You can report your family for forcing you out.”

  “I know, but I just want to get out of here, leave the city, and start over.”

  He straightened. “You are leaving? Where are you going?”

  She sighed. “You don’t need to concern yourself; it will just be a city without a curfew.”

  He growled and nuzzled at her neck, pulling her hood clear and moving her hair aside. She didn’t know what he was doing until she felt him licking at her neck and then felt a sharp nip.

  “Ow!”

  He chuckled. “Now, I can find you if I need you, and it will keep more of my kind away from you.”

  “What was that?”

  “A tiny mark. It will fade in a few months or years. When it’s gone, you will be free to choose again.”

  “Wait, you just locked me up?”

  He chuckled and rubbed his muzzle against her hair. “I have put you on hold, scent-wise. You won’t be flagging again like you were tonight.”

  “Flagging?”

  “Smelling like sex.” He licked her ear.

  Between her thighs, the knot receded, and he withdrew. A rush of heat slid down her thighs.

  He adjusted himself behind her, but she didn’t have any fabric left to cover herself. The cloak wrapped around her with his arms holding it together.

  “Come on, kitten. When you are in the clear, run.”

  She nodded and pulled her hood down so that most of her face was hidden.

  The hunter walked her to the edge of the alley, and she could see their noses twitching. A few looked at each other and walked off; the remaining two started a low growl. The hunter she had been with cut the two off, and she started to walk away from the alley toward the house. She had made it half a block when she heard sounds of a fight, and she ran. The figure at the gates jumped up, and as she approached with the thudding of feet behind her, the gate swung open. She dove in, and the gate clanged shut a moment before a dozen Lyron hunters slammed against it.

  Nyna looked up at her grandfather, and he got white, seeing her shredded clothing. She pulled her cloak over her, and he helped her up and into the manor house. She was sent to her room, bathed, dressed, and her abrasions treated.

  She was sitting in one of the tearooms with her grandparents when her grandmother asked, “What happened?”

  “Mother kicked me out three minutes before the first curfew bell. I tried, but I didn’t make it.”

  Her grandfather grunted, “Why did she kick you out?”

  “Virn and Heclor are going to have suitors tomorrow. She didn’t want my scent near them.”

  Her grandfather’s hands tightened. “One of the Lyron bit you.”

  She pressed her hand to her neck. “It’s just a nick. He said it will wear off but should deter more of his kind in the meantime.”

  Her grandmother said, “We will take you for medical scans in the morning. If you are receptive, we will have it taken care of.”

  “What?”

  Her grandfather snorted. “If you are going to carry a Lyron spawn, we will finish it, and you can begin your life as a young lady of good breeding, despite what your mother wants.”

  Nyna pressed her hand on her belly, and she felt every aching part of her. A baby? She silently snorted. What were the odds that that encounter in the alley would yield a child?

  * * * *

  Two weeks later.

  Sornoth brushed at his formal uniform, and at his request, the gate swung open. He was wearing his human form to set them at ease.

  His honour guard came with him, and he walked up to the manor and passed his ident card to the servant that opened the door. He lifted his head and paused. Something was wrong. Her scent was too faint for her to be here.

  He was led into a tearoom that still had her scent in it. Three days ago, she had been in this room and sitting at this table. He folded his legs and sat. The mature couple that arrived had faintly similar scents to that of his kitten.

  They sat across from him nervously and fidgeted. The male said, “Prefect, I don’t know what we have done to earn the honour of your visit.”

  “Where is she?”

  The woman began looking ill. “Who?”

  “The young woman who ran here after curfew two weeks ago.”

  The older man turned grey.

  Sornoth looked at him with a scowl. “Is she well? Has something happened?”

  “She’s gone, sir,” the servant—an older woman—stated. “They ordered her to get rid of the pregnancy, and she ran.”

  Sornoth paused. “She is carrying?”

  “We just used a home test, but it seems so. She left three days ago, and there has been no contact.”

  Sornoth snorted. “Track her using her implant.”

  The grandparents looked worse, if that was possible. The grandmother said, “Her parents refused to get her tagged. She was a sickly thing, and they didn’t want to waste the money if she was just going to die and take it with her. She isn’t even legally recorded. Her parents didn’t want a daughter.”

  Sornoth scowled. “Where would she go?”

  The servant said, “Any city without a curfew, and now, one with a blended population.”

  He got up and beckoned to her. “Come with me, madam
. I need to ask you a few questions.”

  The grandfather scrambled to his feet and said, “Prefect, are you the father?”

  He resumed his natural appearance. “If you are asking if I took your granddaughter against the wall, yes, I did. I also marked her. Did she tell you that?”

  The older man nodded. “She did, but I didn’t think you would actually come for her.”

  Sornoth tilted his head. “Did she?”

  “What, sir?”

  “Did she expect me to come for her?”

  The servant nodded. “She didn’t know how to find you.”

  Sornoth took the woman into the kitchen and transformed back to human again. “Tell me what you know.”

  “Nyna isn’t a legal birth by the Lyron treaties. She has fake id and travel documents. Makes friends easily and can do just about any type of manual labour you can imagine. She was terrified and happy when she found out she was pregnant but will be able to get along for a few months before she is forced to seek out prenatal care. If you really did just graze her for a temporary mark, she will know how to cool the skin when she goes for scans so she won’t pop as having a link to anyone.”

  “Will she go off-world?”

  “Not pregnant. No. This may be a bit of a nightmare for her, but it is still her home. She also will not do any travel that risks the pregnancy. The furthest she would get would be the station, and she wouldn’t go there with a mixed-species baby.”

  He exhaled slowly. “So, she is anywhere else on this world except for this city.”

  “Yes, sir. Oh, her grandparents sheared her. Her hair is now about two inches long.”

  Sornoth growled. “Sheared?” He had heard of the mark of shame that the humans inflicted on women who had slept with Lyrons.

  “Yes, sir. I kept a lock of her hair from the cut, but right now, she looks like an adolescent boy.”

  He had a thought. “Do you have any images of her?”

  The servant smiled. “Just a moment, sir.”