The Huntress : The Alterealm Series Book 1

When I opened my eyes, I had one of those moments when I wasn’t sure about what was going on. Then again those seemed to be all the moments I had for the last day. Looking around slowly I took in the dark furniture and high ceiling and everything came back to me. It hadn’t been a dream, I was not waiting to wake up in a hospital. I was really in a place called Alterealm. What I was going to do about that, I still didn’t know.

A light knock had me bolt up and stare at the door. “Come in.”

I was expecting Quinton to look around the door, and was more than pleased to see a woman peek through the opened door. This was the first female I’d seen since coming here and part of me was very relieved to see her. Stepping into the room she smiled at me. If this was a normal place I would have said she was in her forties, but since no one I’d met so far seemed to look their age, which was a good thing considering the ages they were, I had no idea how old she was. She had strawberry blonde hair, all pulled up into a hairstyle that I was going to say as being from the nineteen fifties. Not only was she the first female, but she was also the first body that wasn’t well over six feet in height. I pegged her as being a few inches taller than my petite five foot four.

“Hello. I’m Mitz. I take care of the boys and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have a female here, finally.” Moving over, she opened up one of the doors I hadn’t looked behind. “We had no idea your size, so this will be like stepping into a fitting room I’m sure.”

I sat there, just staring at the huge closet she’d opened. It made the two foot one at my place look like a cubbyhole. Inside clothes lined the walls and shoes the floor.

She looked back out at me. “I’ve told the boys to start without you, and then you don’t have to hurry.” Holding up a pair of slacks, she shook her head. “I expect you’ll want to wear jeans or something similar for the practice session before you go over to find Wanda.”

Adjusting the robe so I could get out of the bed without being all tangled up, I slid to the edge and stood up. “Practice session?”

She peeked out from behind the clothes she was holding up. “Mmmhmm, the Kings insist on all of the family training together.” Shaking her head, she hung up the jeans and pulled another pair off the rod. “It’s been a relatively peaceful time for the last century, but they don’t want to be caught with their pants down if there’s ever an uprising again.”

I know she was speaking English, because I understood the words but once again I had no idea what she was saying. “I don’t understand.”

Giving me a sympathetic look, she came over and held a pair of jeans up against me. “These will work, I think.” She looked down at the robe pooling around my feet. “I love that our huntress is a normal sized woman, by the way. I had nightmares seeing a seven-foot-tall Amazon queen.” I smiled, not knowing what to say. “The boys, or the royal brothers all gather each day for at least one meal, sometimes two if I can wrangle them all together that long and then they go to the gym and practice hand to hand weaponry.”

Now, she had my attention. If there was one thing I was good at in my messed-up life it was fighting. “Really? I’m allowed to join in?”

She laughed softly. “You, love, are allowed to do whatever your heart desires. You are after all our Huntress Queen and that title will only ever be given to you and you alone.” She hustled off back to the closet and started going through tops. “I think you should wear something that displays your tattoo, don’t you? So there are no questions about who and what you are.”

“Sure,” I whispered even though I felt like I’d just been hit upside the head with a baseball bat. I could do whatever I wanted in this realm? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad place after all.

****

Mitz left me standing in the door of the dining room, which in my eyes seemed more hall than in the room category. The walls were lined with portraits of gorgeous men and beautiful women, relatives I imagined judging by the resemblance to the seven men sitting around the table. The table looked to be the length of a basketball court to me, with the men all sitting down at one end and at least fifteen more chairs sat empty at the end closest to me. How big was this family?

Honest to Gods, seven giant muscular men sat around the table, all but two I had seen up to this point. I didn’t quite get how the day ruler and night ruler were so close; as far as I could tell they were on the opposite teams. Then again, I had no idea the rules of the game so maybe they were civil by dawn and dusk and tormented each other in between. I didn’t see Quinton, which made me even more nervous as he was the only one I felt a small measure of comfort around. Yes, that struck me as odd too.

The talking stopped when everyone turned and looked at me. Seven chairs scraped back from the table as they all got to their feet. I suddenly felt like a dwarf again in this room full of tall people. Leone pushed his chair back further and turned to face me, I watched as he lowered his head. “If you bow or kneel, I will cut off your knee caps.” I said in a shaking voice. Lifting his head, he looked at me with his eyes wide.

Chase chuckled and shook his head. “Good. Here I thought it was only the shock of arriving that gave you that kick ass attitude.”

Troy glared at him and then motioned to the empty chair at the head of the table. “Please, take a seat, Daxx.”

Feeling like I was walking to the other end with a big spotlight over my head, I moved quickly to the chair. Murmurs followed me; I glanced over my shoulder to see all eyes on my back. The tattoo. When I got to my seat, I turned my back to the men and brushed my hair out of the way making sure they would get a good look. When I turned back around I glanced around at them. “Everyone happy now?” There were several nods. Pulling the chair out, I sat down and waited.

As the men sat back down, Mitz came through the door carrying a plate. She smiled and set it in front of me. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I’ve given you a little of everything.”

I looked at the plate that was like a mini buffet on a silver platter. Eggs, toast, bacon and sausage along with fruit and potatoes sat before me. My stomach growled, reminding me my last meal had been a long time ago. “It’s perfect, thank you.” With a big grin on her face, she went back out the door.

The men, now all settled back in their chairs continued eating. I was just picking up the fork when Quinton came through the same door Mitz had. He was carrying a plate and with his eyes down, walked to the far end of the table and pulled out a chair. All movement in the room stopped as all eyes were on him.

Glancing around, noting the shocked looks I came to the conclusion that Quinton rarely joined his family at meal time. Why he had sat with half a dozen empty chairs between himself and the others, I wasn’t sure. I also wasn’t going to eat with him sitting down there like an outcast.

Grabbing my plate and fork, I stood up and then froze as all the men at the table stood again, including Quinton. Their mama had beat some manners into them early on to be sure. Moving quickly, I went down the table and set my plate at the empty place beside Quinton. Smiling up at his shocked brown eyes I sat down again.

Feeling like I was in that damn spotlight again, I lowered my eyes to the plate and decided to eat and pretend I wasn’t being watched. Chairs scrapping against the floor and dishes clanging made me look up as the entire group of men were lifting their plates and cups and moving down the table. It was kind of sweet and a little odd, but I was going with it. I looked up at Quinton and watched the humor fill his eyes. “Are we gonna eat, or what?” I asked him.

With a grin, he picked up his fork and dug into the pile of bacon on his plate.

“Amen,” I whispered and did the same thing.

The others settled back into their meal. I looked around the table and realized there were two I didn’t know, not that I was going to say anything about it just in case it involved kneeling and everyone stopping eating again.

Quinton nudged me with his elbow and brought my attention back to him. He leaned down and whispered. “The scowling red head is Victor, the eldest and the one with the black hair and scar on his face is Michael.”

I smiled at him and mouthed ‘thanks’.

“Two more last night.” Chase said looking across the table at Troy.

Troy paused with his cup raised. “Really?”

Chase nodded. “Do you think Wanda knows why?”

Eyes turned to me. “Hey, I didn’t exactly have a conversation with her.”

“She knows something we don’t.” Rafael said before he stuffed more toast in his mouth.

“I’m coming with you.” Leone informed Troy.

“We should take Welsley…”

Chase shook his head at Michael. “We won’t need him on that side, we have Daxx now.”

I swallowed and then waved my fork around. “Excuse me.” All eyes turned back to me. “First, walking around on my side with two giant yummy’s…” I motioned to the twins, “is going to make it really hard to blend and move unseen.”

Quinton leaned down to me. “Yummy’s?” He snorted.

Ignoring him, I continued. “Second, no one that has a built-in nightlight radiating from them is going back with me.”

“She speaks as blunt as a Queen.” Arius added.

“One without refinement.” Victor said with a note of disdain in his voice.

“Watch your mouth.” Quinton said loud enough I jumped.

I patted his arm to settle him again. “It’s okay, Quinton, really I have had worse things said about me, trust me.”

“That will change.” He muttered and picked up his glass.

“Daxx, we don’t look out of place in your realm. You’ll see us for true, but no one else will unless they’ve crossed.” Troy informed me.

“Really?”

He shrugged. “You could have had one of us for a roommate up until you came here yesterday and you never would have known.”

Even though I found that oddly comforting, it still creeped me out as I thought about it. I waved the fork at all of them. “No more talking. Just let me pretend this is a normal day while I stuff my face.” Pointing the fork at Troy and then Chase I lifted one eyebrow at them. “Letting me believe you lived only on emotion and whatnot was bad.”

Chase smiled, but Troy gave me a serious look. “We’re actually pretty normal, in a lot of ways, just that exception of a few abilities and sustenance requirements.”

I took a sip of the coffee, Quinton had poured into my mug and almost moaned. Coffee was my necessary sustenance. “Not that I’ll remember any of this when I wake up from this wild dream, but how many of you are daywalkers?”

Chase raised his hand with a smirk on his handsome face. “I guess mother’s genes prevailed.” He lowered it and motioned to his siblings around the table. “Any one from this family can come to my side; it’s just safer if I come here.”

More questions were filed for a later date. “I’ll have to come check out your side sometime.”

“It would be an honor to have you.” He grinned.

“Is that really a good idea?” Rafael asked hesitantly.

Chase clicked his tongue and shook his head. “My dear boy, if you think Daxx’s only weapon is her cute little blade and sounding pissed off, I have the feeling you’re in for a big surprise.” He flashed a smile at me. “I suspect she might just kick some ass when she’s in full swing, even large royal ones. Isn’t that right, kitten?”

It sounded like a compliment, until he added the cat reference to the end. “I guess we’ll see.” Setting the cup down I glanced around at the men watching my every single move. “Will you be staying on for practice, Chase, or are you needed on your side?”

He chuckled and raised his cups to me. “Oh, I think anything pending can wait this evening. I wouldn’t miss the chance for you to kick my ass for anything.”

Challenge accepted, I toasted him with my cup and took a sip.

“You will not hurt her.” Quinton said with a deadly tone.

Patting his arm, again, I winked at him. “I won’t hurt him either.”

Serious brown eyes studied me for a minute and then they widened. “Oh.” He reached into his pocket and held out a small cell phone. “This is for you. I put all of our numbers into it for you.”

I took the phone and looked at it. Top of the line and something I would never have been able to buy for myself. “This will work on both sides?” He nodded. I turned it on and tried to navigate through the menu screen. “This is so great. Thank you. I lost mine last week in the river when I had to jump in and haul a runner to shore…”

“You what?” Michael inquired.

I glanced at him and then back to the phone. “Bail jumper. He thought he could just hop off the ferry and get away from me.” I found the contacts section and opened it. “I hauled his shocked ass to the shore, which wasn’t easy while he was trying to choke the life out me, let me tell you, if I hadn’t broken his nose I might not have got it done.”

“Please, no more.” Michael held up his hand.

Chase was chuckling again and giving me a look of what I could only describe as pure adoration. Troy was studying the food left on his plate and smiling at it.

Reading what was on the screen, I looked up at Quinton who shrugged. Under Victor he had put ‘Victor uptight head of justice’. I scrolled to his number listing and glanced at him again when I read ’Quinton rescuer of damsels.’ I exited the screen and tucked it into my back pocket before anyone could see how their brother saw them. “Thanks.” I added quietly.

“Of course.” He said from behind his mug.