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
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,
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
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
"KATE! IZZY!" Susanna called out in excitement. She rushed through the tent city; Maria was close on her heels. Kate and Izzy, twin sisters, looked back as Susanna caught up to her two best friends. "Maria, you're coming, too? How exciting!" Izzy exclaimed, giving the little girl a gentle squeeze. "How ever did you convince your dad to let you come along this year? You know you’re still ten years away from your own hunt.” Izzy winked at Maria and kept her arm wrapped around the younger girl’s shoulders as they made their way through the tents, following behind Susanna and Kate. “Daddy is not a problem,” Maria said primly as the other girls laughed. “We’re all going to share a room!” Maria added excitedly. “Of course, we are!” Izzy agreed, “Who else would we have in our room, silly?” Izzy was Maria’s favorite of all the women in the Ellisvale tribe, Susanna excluded, and Maria was going to miss her so much if she found her mate and left during this hunt. “What am I going to do if yo
The first day of travel passed quickly for Izzy. Her nerves couldn't decide if they were bursting out of sheer excitement or bursting from the nervous energy at the overwhelming prospect of finally participating in her own Hunt. She had been waiting years for her turn to participate, always listening with rapt attention to the regales from mates that returned with hunters to Ellisvale in prior years. The caravan made camp that night halfway to Castle Rouge having escaped an altercation with raiders thus far. They had made their way through the forest and were camping next to a large river, a campground that Ellisvale used each year when they travelled to the Hunt with their hunters and prey. Izzy's excitement had waned slightly, though for having sat on a wagon seat for the last 10 hours, she was still annoyingly chipper. There was no dimming her shine. Kate and Susanna were grumpy and didn't have quite the same outlook as Izzy after 10 hours of jostling on the seat
The caravan from Ellisvale finally made its way to Castle Rouge at dinnertime the following day. Trunks, bags, provisions, and other personal effects were taken inside the castle. Each tribe was assigned a separate wing of the castle. Izzy, Kate, Susanna, and Maria were assigned to one room with two large beds, their trunks having been brought in and set up at the foot of each bed. The girls proceeded to pull out their festival clothes to air out and hang up in preparation for the upcoming festivities, shaking out the wrinkles in the fabric as they did. Izzy laughed as she looked around the room, assessing the dresses and reordering them by event. “It looks like a modiste shop here!” Susanna smiled and glanced around the room. She was filled with trepidation, she didn’t want to leave her best friends or her sister. She knew her mate would be good to her, but change wasn’t always welcome. Even if there was an adventure to be had. “Come on, Katie, let’s get som
Tables were packed with plates and cutlery, meats and roasted vegetables, greens and desserts. They were laden with flowers spread among the dishes, decorations gracing the tables. The festival was a show of immense wealth meant to impress the shifters present. The food seemed endless, and staff continued to refill the dishes as they ran low. A constant stream of replenishment streamed from the kitchens to the grounds where the feast was set up. The tables of food were standing throughout the courtyard in the back of the castle. More tables stood in the fields beyond, benches attached for the participants to eat after their day of travel. All of the tribes had arrived and were mingling throughout the grounds, the game of cat and mouse had begun. The hunt brought thousands of guests, which required hundreds of additional tables. The wooden tables were fashioned specifically for the events of The Hunt, having been made years prior and stored in an underground, unused dungeon in betwee
Many yards away, hidden behind the center fountain in the middle of the courtyard, three men were observing the trio with curiosity, making their own observations. "Well, I must admit, Nate, I do find your mate quite attractive," Seth said with a smirk. His eyes followed another blond in the trio. "Say that one more time," Nate threatened as he grabbed Seth by the collar his eyes sparking in anger. He shook Seth’s collar, but Seth shrugged him off, brushing his shirt clean as he laughed. Logan laughed at Nate’s antics and patted him on the shoulder, "Nate, old man, calm down. If I'm not very much mistaken, it would appear your beauty has a sister. Judging by the look Seth has in his eyes, it would also appear you two may have been fated to mate with twins, which to be fair is entirely fitting and incredibly humorous." Seth laughed loudly at Nate's face, "Yes, he's right. Her sister is my mate. Look, they are nearly identical, same blond hair, same he