instantly regretted making her dredge up. “If I fought against him, he showed me what it meant to be a submissive wolf.” Tears clung to her eyelashes, though they never fell. “For two years I surrendered to him. I did what was expected of me, played the perfect little mate, so that he wouldn’t—” Her jaw tightened, muscles leaping as she choked on her words. “But I couldn’t. Not anymore. He liked pain with his...” Her voice cracked and faded away.
“Pleasure,” Hunter whispered when she couldn’t, his ruined fork dangling from his fingers. Suddenly he wasn’t as hungry.
Her head bowed forward as she nodded. His fingers itched with longing to touch her, to calm her, but logic knew such a gesture would not be welcomed at a moment like this, not with such brutal memories haunting her mind.
“I ran,” she mumbled into her hair. “I almost died in my attempt, but my wolf took over. She showed me how to survive. She kept me alive when I couldn’t, protected me when I had no one else.”
Silence settled between them, broken only when Hunter lowered his mangled fork down onto his plate with a gentle clink. “You have me now,” he whispered. “I...won’t let Seth touch you, ever again.”
Laughter shook her shoulders, the bitter sound spilling from her lips quite abrasively. “Don’t you get it?” she scoffed. “ No one can protect me from Seth. No matter where I go, he follows. For eight years I’ve run from him, and for eight years he’s always found me. Always. Do you understand? He will kill you to get to me. There’s no stopping it.”
Such desolation in her voice, such devastation. The table rocked back when he surged to his feet and drew her out of her chair, folding her into his chest. “Not if I kill him first,” he promised her, his lips burying in her hair. She trembled against him, small drops of wetness dampening his shirt. “You have me now,” he repeated once more, his eyes staring out the window behind them.
Hunter hoped Seth would come. And when he did, he certainly wouldn’t leave alive.
* * *
Angel tipped her head back against the bed frame, staring out the window over the vast land Hunter owned. Eerie shadows whisked over her walls, blending with the silvery night.
Before becoming one of them, her life had been much simpler—happy even. But that had all changed the day she’d met Seth. Whatever hellion he’d changed her into, nature herself seemed to fear her. Never had she heard a forest so quiet as when she stepped into it. It was as though death followed her. Animals took wing, vanishing entirely. So for eight years she’d surrounded herself with cities as a means of evading him, yet he’d always found her. Typically she ran, as she’d intended to today, but perhaps the time for running was long past. Running gave him power over her and she was so tired of feeling weak.
Lost to her thoughts, sleep was proving elusive. No matter how often she dared to close her eyes, his face swam through her mind’s eye, twisted with such fervent hate. All she longed for was her freedom, the right to live where, when and how she chose. This life—it wasn’t hers; it was Seth’s. Something he’d forced upon her with little concern for her desires. He cared little for others and focused entirely on himself, a habit she’d soon learned was typical among his werewolves. Perfectly miserable creatures, those beasts, taking what they wanted and when.
She could recall the first time she’d laid eyes on Hunter as though it had been yesterday. At first glance, he’d stolen her breath, something that frightened her more than anything. Another wolf, another dominant—that which she hated more than anything. Wretchedly handsome, but still a monster, like them all. Stunning peridot eyes had swept over her as though she was nothing more than a mutt—a common occurrence for one such as herself. Had she known that he’d actually taken notice of her, liked what he’d seen, she
“Pleasure,” Hunter whispered when she couldn’t, his ruined fork dangling from his fingers. Suddenly he wasn’t as hungry.
Her head bowed forward as she nodded. His fingers itched with longing to touch her, to calm her, but logic knew such a gesture would not be welcomed at a moment like this, not with such brutal memories haunting her mind.
“I ran,” she mumbled into her hair. “I almost died in my attempt, but my wolf took over. She showed me how to survive. She kept me alive when I couldn’t, protected me when I had no one else.”
Silence settled between them, broken only when Hunter lowered his mangled fork down onto his plate with a gentle clink. “You have me now,” he whispered. “I...won’t let Seth touch you, ever again.”
Laughter shook her shoulders, the bitter sound spilling from her lips quite abrasively. “Don’t you get it?” she scoffed. “ No one can protect me from Seth. No matter where I go, he follows. For eight years I’ve run from him, and for eight years he’s always found me. Always. Do you understand? He will kill you to get to me. There’s no stopping it.”
Such desolation in her voice, such devastation. The table rocked back when he surged to his feet and drew her out of her chair, folding her into his chest. “Not if I kill him first,” he promised her, his lips burying in her hair. She trembled against him, small drops of wetness dampening his shirt. “You have me now,” he repeated once more, his eyes staring out the window behind them.
Hunter hoped Seth would come. And when he did, he certainly wouldn’t leave alive.
* * *
Angel tipped her head back against the bed frame, staring out the window over the vast land Hunter owned. Eerie shadows whisked over her walls, blending with the silvery night.
Before becoming one of them, her life had been much simpler—happy even. But that had all changed the day she’d met Seth. Whatever hellion he’d changed her into, nature herself seemed to fear her. Never had she heard a forest so quiet as when she stepped into it. It was as though death followed her. Animals took wing, vanishing entirely. So for eight years she’d surrounded herself with cities as a means of evading him, yet he’d always found her. Typically she ran, as she’d intended to today, but perhaps the time for running was long past. Running gave him power over her and she was so tired of feeling weak.
Lost to her thoughts, sleep was proving elusive. No matter how often she dared to close her eyes, his face swam through her mind’s eye, twisted with such fervent hate. All she longed for was her freedom, the right to live where, when and how she chose. This life—it wasn’t hers; it was Seth’s. Something he’d forced upon her with little concern for her desires. He cared little for others and focused entirely on himself, a habit she’d soon learned was typical among his werewolves. Perfectly miserable creatures, those beasts, taking what they wanted and when.
She could recall the first time she’d laid eyes on Hunter as though it had been yesterday. At first glance, he’d stolen her breath, something that frightened her more than anything. Another wolf, another dominant—that which she hated more than anything. Wretchedly handsome, but still a monster, like them all. Stunning peridot eyes had swept over her as though she was nothing more than a mutt—a common occurrence for one such as herself. Had she known that he’d actually taken notice of her, liked what he’d seen, she
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