Master of the Hunt

Chapter One

Aeson stepped back, allowing his nephews to run past him, each babbling about something he could not understand. Their father, the king, and Aeson's eldest brother chased behind them, appearing winded. In the nearly four hundred years he'd known him, Aeson couldn't recall a time when Kabril looked so unraveled. His duplicate in looks in every way. It was as though Aeson were seeing himself in such a situation.

The sight was sobering indeed.

"Kabril, you are showing your age," Aeson said, enjoying goading his brother as often as he could.

"I am two minutes older than you," Kabril replied. He motioned to his triplets, who were pushing the age of three. "I know naught how our father did it. Eight sons." He looked horrified by the idea. "They are my heart and joy, but brother, they never tire. It is the equivalent to one laying siege to the castle nonstop."

Chuckling, Aeson nodded. "So I see."

"Brother, the moons hold great pull over them. When the moons are full, I swear my sons sleep not."

Aeson laughed. Four moons orbited their planet. One of the moons was large enough to be seen during daylight hours. Often, the moons were attributed to madness, or in this case, too much energy came into play. "I do not believe for a moment they are subject to the moons' pull. They are merely young boys—fledglings—Kabril. We are old. They are not. It stands to reason they would have more energy than us. It is good to hear the sounds of children in the kingdom. For too long, it was void of such noises."

Kabril motioned to the nanny charged with overseeing the boys before turning to face his brother. "No word of new births among our people has reached me. To date, only Rayna and I, and Sachin and his mate Paige, have been successful. You know, Rayna believes we should consult the Oracle on the matter. She thinks it may provide valuable insight into what our next move should be."

Aeson cringed at the mention of the prophecy-giving globe. From an early age, he'd learned to both fear and be in awe of the oracle's power. It was often consulted on matters associated with the gods or destiny. Kabril, unlike their father, wasn't superstitious. This made him a better leader, in Aeson's opinion, than their father had been, not that he'd been a bad one. "And I say you decree that all your loyal subjects must procreate like mad," Aeson said.

Kabril rolled his eyes. "Still chasing skirts in the taverns throughout the realm?"

With a sly smile, Aeson rubbed his stubble-covered jaw. "Not in this realm, brother. I'm unsure a maiden exists here that I've not bedded. Earth is another matter altogether."

That caused his brother to stumble over seemingly nothing. "You? The famed lover of women of our kind and hater of all things human now seeks out the beds of human women?"

"No. Not beds. But I do enjoy chaining them to walls and having my way with them," he replied. His cock hardened at the very thought of it. He did so enjoy women of all sizes and shapes. And he very much enjoyed taking them in different ways. "Did you know they have taverns or rather sex clubs, as they call them, devoted to that very thing? They rival our torture chambers, and the women there line up for it, wanting to be punished by a man's hand before being thoroughly pleasured." He motioned with his hands, framing an invisible woman with exaggerated measurements. He then pumped his hips in midair, simulating fucking said woman.

"If my wife hears you speak of such things," Kabril leaned in, "and of demeaning human women in such a way, she will skin you alive. She may be human, but she is something to be feared, brother."

Aeson tossed his head back and laughed. Rayna certainly was a fiery woman. She kept his brother in line nicely and brought out the best in him. He clasped his brother's shoulder. "Should I find one such as she, mayhap, I would wish to chain her to my bed, for I am not foolish enough to think I am immune to all women's charms."

"Do you not wish for a family, Aeson?" There was something off in Kabril's voice. "Do you not wish for love and happiness?"

He glanced in the direction his nephews had run off in. "I do not wish for such a thing." It was a bold-faced lie. One he was sure his brother saw through with ease.

"Because you have no desire for one or because you desire one so much that you fear it might not come true?"

His brother knew him well. Not only did they look much alike—nearly identical to those who didn't know them well—they tended to think on the same terms too. Though, Kabril had always taken things more seriously than Aeson had. Mainly because Kabril, as the firstborn son, had to do it. Second to the throne in a family that was close-knit, Aeson saw no point in worrying over kingly matters when the odds of him ever having the throne were slim. Even Keonae, the youngest of the triplets, saw no need to trouble himself with the day-to-day trials and tribulations of running a kingdom. For reasons too dark to dwell upon, Keonae now resided permanently within the human realm—a place Aeson found himself drawn to more and more as of late.

Kabril entered the Great Hall, and Aeson followed closely behind. Chains of gold hung suspended from the high ceilings. Open saucers with floating wicks were upon the ends of each, illuminating the vast room.

Aeson's brother took a seat on his throne. There was a reflective mixture in a bowl sitting to the left of the throne. Aeson knew it was used to help divine the future, something Kabril rarely did on his own, leaving the seers to do so for him.

Kabril eased back in his chair, his fingers skimming over the carved hawks in the dark wood. "Brother, it was not that long ago I found myself in your position. Wanting to deny what the Oracle had set forth for me."

"Good thing we have yet to consult it for me then, yes?" A nervous chortle broke free of him.

Pressing his mouth in a thin line, Kabril motioned for one of the attendants. "Bring the Oracle."

"What?" Aeson paled. "Kabril, no."

The attendants hurried off, nearly knocking over one of the suspended oil lamps in their haste to please the king.

His brother smiled. "Ah, it would appear you are too late."

Grunting, Aeson gave his brother a pensive look. "I have no wish to hear talk of things that may not come to pass. Worse yet, it tells me I'm to wed a woman with a hunched back or who is missing her teeth."

"Think it likely?" Kabril questioned. "We have such an abundance of them? We may not have many females in our realm, but none are as you described."

He took in a deep breath, wanting very much to strangle his eldest brother. As the attendant returned with two of the priests and the globe of the oracle, Aeson crossed his arms over his chest.

The priest on the left bowed first. "Your majesty, you seek the Oracle's guidance?"

"No, follower of the path of the Epopisdeus," Kabril said. "My brother seeks its wisdom in regards to a mate."

The other priest gasped. "Such advice is frowned upon, my lord."

"Yet none of you hesitated to force my hand in finding a mate in that very fashion," Kabril reminded them. "You will do so for my brother."

"But, Your Majesty, what if the Oracle says he has no mate or that she once was but has perished?"

Aeson stiffened, his gaze locked on the white globe. He steeled his nerves and nodded. "Ask it. I wish to know regardless of the outcome."

"Brother, you are certain?"

"Yes, Kabril. I am certain."

"Very well." His brother waved his hand dramatically in the air. "Priest, ask the Oracle."

The priests bent their heads, each humming and putting their hands over the globe. Aeson had seen it consulted enough to know no actual words were spoken. It was more of a telepathic thing. The priests were seers—men able to connect with the oracle mystically.

The priest to the right turned his head towards Aeson. "It is most odd, my lord. The oracle tells us your mate is alive, but she will not be for long should you not find her."

His breath caught.

Kabril came up and off his throne, the smirk gone from his face. "What else does it say? Where is she? In what village does she reside? What does she look like? Her name?"

The priest to the left slumped his shoulders. "Your majesty, the Oracle responds in much the same way as when we ask it of other seers. It is vague. It is giving us only hints of it all, images, feelings, but they are short and incomplete."

"But that cannot be," Kabril said. "There are no female seers within our realm."

"Yes, there are none within our realm, your majesty, but legend speaks of seers born unto the human realm who are female."

Aeson still couldn't pull his mind from the knowledge his mate was alive, but not for long.

His brother ran a hand through his hair, which was a nervous habit of his. "Aeson's mate is human?"

"Yes. It would appear so," a priest answered.

The other tipped his head as if listening to the Oracle. "Sparrow? It is showing us the image of a sparrow. This means something important. It is representative of her."

"But how can she be a shifter and born unto humans?"

"Your majesty, it does not present the image in that of a shifter form. It is simply a sparrow. No more. No less."

Aeson grabbed for the priest. "Where do I find her? She needs me."

"My lord," the priest said, trying to free himself from Aeson's clutches. "Please, we know not."

"Brother." Kabril broke Aeson's hold on the priest. "Priests, is there anything more you can offer him?"

"It is strange. The Oracle wishes for him to go where he has been drawn to so much as of late. We cannot say why."

Aeson's eyes widened. "It wishes me to go to the sex dungeon, erm, club in the human realm?"

Kabril rubbed the bridge of his nose and the priests looked horrified at the idea of such a thing existing. "That is all. You may go."

They rushed off, taking the oracle with them.

"Brother, they are men who have dedicated themselves to the bird gods and who have forsaken carnal pleasures," Kabril said. "To talk of such a thing before them is unwise and cruel."

"And my mate is about to die," he answered. "I'll take the time to give a damn about the priests' celibacy when I know she is safe and well."

"I will gather men to accompany you," Kabril said.

Aeson shook his head. "This task is for me and me alone. Should I require assistance, I will send for it."

Kabril knew better than to argue the point. "Be well, brother, and may you find her healthy and eager to accept you."

Chapter Two

Aeson leaned against the wall of the darkened club and watched as the humans began their games. Music, or at least what humans claimed to be, played throughout the darkened club. He'd grown used to the pulsing sounds and beat—though much louder than music of his home realm. His people held tight to old ways. They clung to simpler ways of living rather than the human's need for more technology, more drama, more everything.

Once, many, many years ago, the two realms had been similar—granted, humans had always lacked wings. When humans of yesteryear would catch sight of them, Aeson's kind was labeled gods, demons, or even angels. Those were simpler times. Times when mankind could be warned away from pursuing who and what his kind were. With the advent of the internet, should one of their people be caught shifting forms and flying, there was a better-than-average chance the video would go viral.

That being said, there had been a point when there wasn't much difference between the two places. Now, humans referred to those years as the Dark Ages. They were anything but. They were a time when humans understood how precious and short their lives were, and they lived them to the fullest. They did not hide away in their homes, speaking with others through varying forms of technology. No, they did so face to face.

Aeson's gaze traveled over the club once more. Some things had not changed much at all. Humans still sought out pleasures of the flesh—even with all their so-called advances. Soon enough, the club would be what could only be called a giant orgy. It wouldn't matter that people would have paired off in groups of two or more. Everyone would be having some sort of sex and the debauchery would take place at the same time. Normally, he found the idea quite wicked and pleasing to his senses. Not tonight.

No, tonight he was anxious, wanting to be off and in search of his mate rather than here. The thought of countless naked bodies seeking pleasure from each other did nothing for him as concern for his mate flowed through his veins. Still, he stayed the course, believing the Oracle would not tell him to follow his pull to the club for no reason.

Would that it had given him something —anything more than vague hints and strange impressions. An image of her face would have been most helpful. Instead, he was left with nothing more than sparrows to go from.

Exhaling, he glanced at a young couple lying on one of the many sofas. They were opposite one another, the male lying one way and the female the other, as they pleased each other orally. They held no concern for those around them—for the prying eyes, Aeson's included.

More often an observer than not, Aeson enjoyed watching the other club members sample one another. On occasion, he'd permit one of the all too willing human women to suck him off as he soaked in the sights and sounds around him, feeling charged by the sexual energy in the air. Human women, much like the females of his realm, found him irresistible and wanted to please him.

A hard life indeed.

Being a prince is so difficult.

One such human woman approached, going to her knees and dipping her head. She lifted her hands, coming just shy of making contact with his thighs. She wanted permission to touch him, permission to unsheathe his cock and take it into her mouth. It wouldn't be her first time doing so. She seemed to crave the taste of his cock. He was not a man to turn down a good suck. He was about to grant her permission to do just that when the air around him suddenly changed, and a new sensation burst through him. Heat and then a wave of dizziness hit him. It took a moment for him to catch his bearings. He'd been alive nearly four hundred cycles and had never experienced anything such as this.

The Oracle's advice was not lost on him.

He visually scanned the club, desperate to find the source of the disturbance. Then he saw her. Light from the lobby area of the club spilled in behind her as a man led her into the establishment. Her lithe body had a fluid grace about it. Her blue eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity. They narrowed quickly as one of the waitresses at the club strolled past, clad only in leather straps and thigh-high boots.

Aeson stepped away from the woman on her knees before him and moved with determination in the direction of the newcomer, making it only a couple of paces. The sight of her siphoned the blood from all areas, causing it to pool in his cock. It hardened. The woman on her knees reached for him, her palms gliding over his cloth-covered erection.

He caught the woman's wrist, his gaze never leaving the newly arrived beauty. It was she who brought his cock to life. She who demanded his attention. Her light brown hair was kissed with streaks of gold and fell to her mid-back. She turned just a smidge, and a breeze from the opening door ruffled her hair, her scent instantly finding him.

His body burned for the change. He wanted to shift forms—to allow his wings to sprout and to charge forward and seize what he wanted. The need to shift was great and growing at an alarming rate. He stopped, needing to take a breath and compose himself. It was hard to cage the animal side of himself, but it had to be done.

The breeze lifted her short blue dress, revealing a glimpse of matching panties. Aeson moaned and grabbed the chair nearest him, clutching the back so tight it began to splinter. He'd never responded this fiercely to anyone or anything. She had to be the one the oracle spoke of. She had to be his mate. But he needed to be sure. He needed confirmation.

The club's owner walked past, and Aeson grabbed the man's arm, mindful of his strength. "That woman. Who is she?" he managed, just barely.

"The one in the blue baby doll dress?" asked the manager.

He nodded, unsure what he was agreeing to.

A baby doll dress?

The owner shrugged. "I don't know. I can tell you that the guy she's with is a weird one. Got all jumpy when I told him I needed references for him to have his own room. Even tried to get me to take a huge wad of cash if I didn't ask any questions. I told him no references no room. Really thought the asshole was gonna take a swing at me. Kept mumbling about a masterpiece or something. Anyways, his references told me he's a voyeur—he likes to bring in girls of his choice to be fucked by another guy."

Aeson attempted to read the male with the woman in blue. One of his many gifts was the ability to sense intent. It had proved useful when weeding out traitors among them. While it was often hard to control around his own kind, humans were normally easy. But the harder he tried, the blanker things became.

Curious.

The man's mind was dark.

Incredibly dark.

Almost void of anything.

The man in question yanked hard on the woman, jerking her through the mass of bodies. The fierce and unexplainable need to protect her came over Aeson, and he was powerless to stop himself from charging forward.