Huntress: Origins

By Sarah Hawke

“From the best-selling author of THE AMAZON'S PLEDGE comes a new erotic novella exploring the origins of the love-hate relationship between the mage-slaying huntress Valuri Sorvaal and the fugitive sorcerer Jorem Farr. Packed with Sarah Hawke’s typical mix of fantasy action, wry humor, and explicit sex, HUNTRESS: ORIGINS is an exciting interlude that should satisfy new and old fans alike.”

As a sorcerer in a city that hates magic, I’ve spent most of my life on the run from the Inquisitrix’s hand-picked assassins. Part vampire, part succubus, and all crazy, the Senosi Huntresses would be sexy as hell if they weren’t constantly trying to kill me.

When one of them finally caught up with me, I thought I was dead—but it turned out she just wanted to make a deal. Together we’re going to track down the city’s biggest criminal mastermind, a lotus-peddling slaver who used to be my boss. In exchange, she’s going to help me escape the city.

Is this plan insane? Yes. Will we get ourselves killed? Probably. Can I possibly turn down a woman in tight leather and high heels who wants to suck me dry?

Not a chance.

HUNTRESS: ORIGINS is an action-packed erotic fantasy novella that serves as a prequel to THE AMAZON'S PLEDGE series (26,000 words).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jade Fantasy
• Release date: Jan 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370044115

Sarah Hawke

Sarah Hawke is the author of dozens of science fiction and fantasy novels and novellas, including WINGS OF THE SERAPH and THE AMAZON'S PLEDGE. In her spare time, she is an avid tabletop gamer and RPG player.If you would like early access to her books - including the ability to vote on erotic scenes! - consider supporting her on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/hawkenovels

Book preview

Huntress: Origins

An erotic fantasy novella

Published by Jade Fantasy

Copyright © 2018 Sarah Hawke

Cover Art by Reinbach

Map created with Inkarnate software

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or used fictitiously.

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

A Loving Note to my Readers

2017 was such an amazing year that I wanted to thank everyone who has helped support me, from my awesome patrons to my equally awesome readers. And a special thanks to my high-roller patrons: David, Justin, Lamar, Kevin, Charles, Michael, Kallnar, Sam, and Robert. You are the best!

Always remember that I love hearing from you. The idea for this book—an origin story about a popular character from The Amazon’s Pledge series—came from a back-and-forth with my patrons. If you have other ideas, you can always hit me up on Facebook, Patreon, Tumblr, or even email!

For everyone expecting The Amazon’s Pledge #6: Wrath of the Inquisitrix, don’t worry—it will be out in February! Until then, enjoy a short little tale featuring everyone’s favorite huntress with a fluid fetish.

-Sarah

Content Warning

This erotic novella contains explicit sexual content. If you are offended by adult language, rough sex, and/or the idea of a sexy mage-slaying huntress who gets her power from feeding off certain bodily fluids, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this! Consider yourself warned!

And perhaps intrigued…

The Northern Reaches

Prologue

The fugitive sorcerer crossed through the shadow-infested alleyway, his dark eyes flitting back and forth with the casual paranoia of a man who had lived his entire life on the run. In many parts of the world he would have been treated like a living god, but here in Vorsalos, the crown jewel of the Shattered Coast, his gifts only made him prey.

My prey, specifically. And it was long past time for my hunt to begin.

I crept along the edge of the rooftop above him, the soft patter of my footfalls completely drowned out by the rain. I had no trouble following him when he dipped into an adjacent alley and vanished into the rising fog. I knew precisely where he was going, for one, but even if he unexpectedly changed his route I didn’t need my eyes to track him. His Aether-infused blood was like a beacon in the darkness; I could actually feel the latent magical energy pumping through his veins. If I ever got close enough, I would probably be able to smell it, too. My mouth was already watering at the prospect of a fresh meal.

You’re better than this, Valuri. Keep your hunger under control—if he commands half the power you think he does, you’ll be able to sate yourself soon enough.

Grinning in anticipation, I vaulted from one rooftop to another. The sorcerer emerged from the fog exactly where I knew he would, and I continued my pursuit. I had been stalking him for almost a week now, and I had already memorized his habits and routines. Last night he had spent his entire evening drinking and gambling at one of the seedy taverns on the edge of the district, but tonight he would be visiting the brothel. Once inside, he would meet up with a blonde whore named Rayna, share a glass of wine with her at the bar, and then take her back to her room and fuck her senseless. He would emerge a few hours later, drained and drunk, before stumbling back to his home in the cistern.

If I hadn’t known anything else about him, I would have assumed the sorcerer was every bit as pathetic as the other dregs infesting this part of the docks. But he wasn’t actually a drunk or a whoremonger—at least not during the day. He spent the vast majority of his time as a healer-for-hire aiding the many children, immigrants, and refugees who had nowhere else to go. Devoted worship of the gods was rare in Vorsalos, making the demand for magical healing incredibly high. A sorcerer with the proper skills could make piles and piles of coin, assuming he offered his services to the rich and powerful. This man did not.

Not anymore, at least.

The brothel is just around the corner. It’s now or never.

I took a deep breath and braced myself as the sorcerer made a final turn into yet another alley. He would be completely alone and isolated for the next half a minute or so, which meant it was finally time for me to strike. I drew the slender crossbow from the holster on my left hip and mentally counted off the seconds until he passed beneath me. Once I was staring directly down at his head, I vaulted off the roof and dropped down behind him—

At which point he whipped around, sank into a crouch, and shot me with a crossbow I hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

The bolt pierced my leather armor with ease, and the sheer force of its impact ruined my carefully-planned fall. I landed flat on my back in a deep puddle, and my skull cracked the cobblestone hard enough that my vision went back. I clutched my chest and cried out in pain, shocked at just how much blood was already hemorrhaging from the wound. Any normal human woman would have bled out on the street in a matter of minutes…but thankfully, I wasn’t a normal human woman.

I was a Senosi Huntress.

Clenching my jaw, I ripped the bolt from my chest and leaned up just as the sorcerer sprinted clear of the alley and lunged into the street. My vision was clouded and my head was still spinning, but I wasn’t worried. I plucked one of the slender green crystals from my belt and crushed it in my palm. My Senosi hunger greedily devoured the latent magic energy stored within, and the pain in my head and stomach faded away.

Clever boy, I said, glancing over at the sorcerer’s discarded crossbow. Hunts were always more interesting when the prey put up a fight; I would have been genuinely disappointed if I had taken him down so easily.

Flipping back to my feet, I rushed into the street and did my best to ignore the panicked shouts of the people when they spotted my glowing green eyes. If they hadn’t known I was a Huntress before, they certainly did now. The demonic visage we gained after feeding was genuinely terrifying. If only we could grow real wings…

I raced forward at superhuman speed, dodging or leaping over anything that got in my way. I felt more than saw the sorcerer duck into a side street, but rather than follow him I vaulted up onto another rooftop and tried to cut him off instead. He didn’t shoot me with another concealed crossbow when I landed this time, though he did whirl around and blast a pile of nearby refuse with a jet of sorcerous flame. The smoke stung my eyes and slowed my pursuit more than the actual heat. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I rushed forward and tackled him from behind, knocking him flat against the ground.

But