It was time to start planning Operation Rescue Ethan.

That sounded real good. Now, if only I had some clue how to go about it … How was I, a sixteen-year-old girl, supposed to defeat the ancient leader of the Wild Hunt? A leader even the Queens of Faerie were afraid of? I fought not to let myself drown in the apparent hopelessness of the task.

I spent several hours mulling over the problem, not coming to any helpful conclusions. My mind kept insisting that the only way to convince the Erlking to release Ethan was to offer to take the Wild Hunt out into the mortal world. I can’t say there weren’t times I was tempted to give in, but I knew I could never live with myself if I did. The Erlking, with all his magic intact because of my presence, would make Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror seem small scale.

The phone rang late in the afternoon. I checked caller ID, but there was no name displayed and I didn’t recognize the number. I figured it had to be a wrong number, but I couldn’t help hoping it was Ethan, escaped from the Erlking’s clutches, maybe calling from a pay phone or a borrowed cell.

“Hello?” I said, knowing my hope was wishful thinking, but unable to suppress it. I held my breath as I waited for the caller to speak.

“Hello, Faeriewalker,” said the Erlking, and I gasped in shock.

“How did you get this number?” I demanded, although that was hardly important.

“My Huntsmen keep no secrets from me,” he answered, sounding amused.

My heart lurched in my chest. I didn’t know exactly what happened to people who were captured by the Hunt, what the Erlking did to them to keep them bound, but I should have guessed that anything Ethan knew about me, the Erlking would now know. Like my phone number.

Thank God Ethan didn’t know the location of my safe house!

I wished I could think of something clever to say, something that would cut him down to size and show him I wasn’t afraid of him. Instead, I just stood there like an idiot, holding the phone to my ear, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth.

“He is quite the catch, your Ethan,” the Erlking said. “Not as exalted as your brother, but his bloodline is more than respectable, and his powers are formidable.”

My hand clenched around the phone. “Did you call just to gloat, or do you have something important to say?” My voice came out hoarse and raspy.

“A little of both,” he replied. “But then, I suspect you know exactly why I’ve called, don’t you, Faeriewalker?”

“My name is Dana!” I snapped, not sure why I cared what he called me.

“Dana. Of course. Do you know why I’ve called, Dana?”

There was only one reason I could think of. “Now that you’ve got Ethan as a hostage, you want to set up a trade.” A trade my conscience wouldn’t allow me to make, no matter how much I wanted to save Ethan.

“Very good. In the old days, before Avalon seceded from Faerie, I could have taken you by force. Of course, in the old days, I was free to hunt in Avalon to my heart’s content, so I wouldn’t have needed to. In these modern times, neither I nor my Huntsmen can hurt you even slightly, so I cannot use you to enter the mortal world without your consent. Give me that consent, and Ethan will be free to go. He would be the first person ever to be released from the Wild Hunt by anything but death.”

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. If I had any sense, I’d end this call immediately. I don’t know if I ever would have been in any shape to negotiate with the Erlking, but I certainly wasn’t at that moment. The grief and shock of losing Ethan were still too raw.

“You know I can’t do that,” I forced myself to say.

“I know no such thing. Perhaps you would not be able to stomach granting me unlimited access, but I would be happy to negotiate. I am not an unreasonable man.”

No, because he wasn’t really a man at all.

“Make me an offer,” he said.

“Unless your plan is to go into the mortal world for sightseeing, I can’t do it. I saw you kill that man when you first rode into Avalon. There’s no way—” My voice choked off as I tried to block out the image of the Erlking bearing down on the fleeing Fae, sword raised and ready to strike.

“I am a hunter, Faerie— Dana,” the Erlking said, his voice gentling. “That is the essential core of my being. I’ve no interest in visiting the mortal world for sightseeing. If we strike a bargain to go there together, I will hunt, and I will kill. Let there be no illusions between us.”

A little sound, almost like a whimper, rose in my throat.

“I’m sorry that distresses you,” he continued. “I bear you no ill will. But I don’t think sugarcoating the truth will make it any more palatable. I am willing to consider making certain concessions in order to convince you to ride with me, but a hunt is not a hunt if the quarry does not die in the end.”

“Then we have nothing to talk about,” I said, though it was practically killing me. Bad enough that I already felt so guilty about what had happened to Ethan. Now the Erlking was rubbing my face in the fact that I could save him—if only I didn’t mind sacrificing who knew how many strangers for the privilege.

“Perhaps you need some time to think it over. I’m not demanding that you make a decision this instant. You have my phone number now. If you decide you might like to negotiate after all, don’t hesitate to call me.”

Once again, I found myself at a loss for words. I expected the Erlking to hang up, or maybe give an evil laugh or something. But I obviously hadn’t come close to figuring him out yet, because he did no such thing.