That, and to make an example of him. To instill bone-deep fear into the rest of the Queen’s would-be challengers.
Just then, a shadow hunter made himself visible directly in front of them, where a moment before, he’d been completely blended into the shade of a tree.
“My Queen,” he reported in a quiet rasp, “we have discovered a cavern at the edge of the eastern perimeter. We believe it to be the location of the liger’s pregnant Mate. What are your orders?”
The Queen’s eyes flashed with cruel delight, her lips twisted into a sadistic sneer.
“To the east we will go,” she said.
“What better way to lure and capture the big Beast than to hold the lives of his Mate and unborn young in the palm of my hand. Keep her trapped until I arrive. Make sure you block all entrances and exits. No mistakes.”
The Hunter inclined his head.
“Aye, my Queen.”
As soon as he uttered the words, he dissolved once more into shadow, moving quickly into the recesses of the forest.
Zai ground his back molars at this development.
This was the part of the Hunt that he hated most of all—the torturing and killing of females and young.
“The bigger game isn’t in the east,” he attempted to shift the Queen’s attention, his voice gritty from lack of use.
“The liger we hunt is moving west. Surely you desire the glory of bringing him down personally, my Queen.”
“I do desire it,” she said as she slid him a considering, sideways look.
“And I will have the pleasure of capturing him for my very own, right after I make him watch my Hunters gut his pregnant Mate before his very eyes.”
Her own eyes glowed with burning red centers, unholy excitement and anticipation glinting sharply within.
“Imagine the frenzy the liger beast would be overcome by. Imagine his rage and pain. I cannot wait to witness it. To use it against him. He will fight me to the end. And I will revel in tearing him down piece by bloody piece.”
“It is too dangerous,” Zai tried again to dissuade her. “You don’t know what he’s capable of. You are gambling your safety, my Queen.”
She smirked dismissively and looked away.
“I have not built this empire without taking risks. Besides, Master Hunter, you are here to protect me.”
She speared him with a penetrating glare that brooked no further arguments.
“Do your fucking job.”
And so, with a foreboding that made his shorthairs stand on end, Zai followed the Queen and her handful of guards as they rode toward the eastern perimeter.
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
It was almost too easy.
Sin leapt soundlessly over a boulder, taking a Dark Hunter entirely by surprise, knocking him off his horse and squashing him beneath Sin’s massive front paws.
The crunch of ribs and the man’s muffled shriek were music to his ears. With a subtle twist of his head, Sin ripped out the Dark One’s jugular, and didn’t bother to wait for his ashes to flutter and fall before bounding into the forest in pursuit of another Hunter.
Since sun up, he’d taken out over two dozen Hunters already, between stealth attacks and frontal assaults. Sometimes he worked with other Beasts that happened to cross his path. Most of the time he hunted alone.
This forest was his. He knew it like the back of his paw. He knew all the hiding places, all the best ways to camouflage himself and lie in wait. His tawny striped and speckled coat blended in seamlessly with the dappled sunlight and leafy shade.
A couple of Hunters had managed to wound him, but one arrowhead embedded in his hind quarters and a slash in his side didn’t slow him down. He barely felt the nicks. His coat was thicker than other Beasts, his hide tougher, his muscles harder, and his bones nigh indestructible.