We reach the horses and climb on their backs. I am pressed up behind Rhain on top of Phantom and Devin is sitting astride Israel.

“What are we to do? We don’t have time to return to Nostra’s place,” Rhain says, panic in his voice. The horses whinny in unison.

“Nostra said the horses will take us somewhere safe if there is no time to return,” Devin explains, patting Israel on the side. Israel moves forward in a canter and Phantom follows. Behind us the sun begins to rise in earnest. I glance back to see it pushing against the shadow of night. The sun reaches the edge of the Light field and I have to shield my eyes from the glare as it passes over the first row of cylindrical shapes. Prisms of light erupt the moment it touches them. I watch in both fascination and horror as the light shatters through to the next row until the whole field is nothing but a bright, white light. It’s as though the sun has fallen from the sky. Instinctively, the horses run faster, reacting to our fear. I press my face into Rhain’s back, my arms squeezing him tighter. Just as the sun reaches within a few meters of us the horses turn a sharp right and gallop across an open field towards two small brick buildings in the distance. We are chasing the darkness whilst the sun chases us. Phantom stops at the nearest building, just as the sun catches our skin. I feel the burn on my hand as I jump down from his back. Rhain and I run into the house and slam the door as the sun streams through the window. I stand to the side and look outside to see Devin entering the other building. He is safe.

Are you okay? I ask, hoping that our connection hasn’t been severed.

I am fine, Devin replies. The sun caught my arm, but I will heal.

Thank goodness.

Accacia?

Yes, Devin?

The Claiming is a beautiful thing. Do not be afraid of it.

I nod my head, unable to answer.

“You are hurt.”

I turn to face Rhain, who is looking at my hand. He’s right, I am. The pain is only registering now he has pointed it out. “Ow.” I suck in a pained breath as Rhain inspects my skin.

“I am sorry, Cia. This is my fault.” His eyes meet mine and they are full of guilt.

“The fault is mine as much as it is yours,” I say, placing my uninjured hand against his cheek. He closes his eyes on the touch.

“I know you will heal eventually, but you should bathe the wounds, it will help with the pain. Through that door is a bedroom and bathing room.”

“You know this place?” I ask, surprised he has been here before.

“Yes, this was Ezra’s home before the curse…”

“But it is still so well kept.”

“Ezra returns here often. He misses his wife and child. Time has not diminished his love for them.”

“Of course,” I say softly, understanding Ezra a little more now. Rhain drops my hand and lets me leave the room. As I walk away, I feel the tension rise, and the desire within me becomes stronger. Yet Rhain remains restrained, waiting for me to be ready.

I pass through the bedroom. In the centre of the room is a large double bed covered with silken throws and soft bedding. A smaller, single bed is tucked away in the corner. Tears well in my eyes as I realise who must have slept there. The room is heated by an open fire, and before it lies a large sheepskin rug. This was Ezra’s home, the one he had shared with his loved ones. Somehow I feel closer to him being here.

I open the door on the other side of the bedroom and am surprised to find a huge sunken bath in the centre of the room. It is already filled with water and floating on the surface are beautiful-smelling rose petals. Peeling off my clothes, I step into the water, enjoying the perfect temperature. I hold my breath as I lower my hand into the water, expecting it to sting, but it doesn’t. The relief I feel is indescribable. The bath is deep, so deep that when I stand upright I am almost fully submerged. As I relax, candles dotted about the room light up. I do not question it; my brain is too full of other thoughts to try to work out how it is happening. Nostra is a witch, after all, this is probably his magic. I tip my body backwards, and as I relax on the surface of the water my thoughts turn to Rhain, to his indigo-blue eyes and kissable mouth. After everything that has happened I find that I can finally be honest with myself. Ever since Rhain’s arrival I’ve felt drawn to him. I may have denied it to him, to myself, but deep down that attraction has always been there. Perhaps if I had acknowledged that straight away then none of this suffering would have happened. My body has always known what I’ve been afraid to acknowledge, that I am attracted to Rhain as much as he is attracted to me. My lifestyle, my upbringing, my inability to allow a person in, has prevented me from understanding that. But now I understand. A clarity, as clear and as pure as the water surrounding me, settles in my mind. I want Rhain. I want him to touch me. I want him to take away the emptiness that has been present all my lonely life. Perhaps it is everything I’ve just gone through, perhaps it is the Claiming, perhaps it is because of a life lived in darkness, but whatever the reason, I need Rhain. I need him now.

Around me the water stirs and I tip upright. Rhain is standing on the steps of the bath, still fully clothed. He is breathing heavily, his eyes drinking me in. I can see the immense effort it takes for him not to move towards me.

“Cia…” he whispers.

Looking at him like that, so vulnerable, so desperate for my touch, breaks through the final barrier between us. The last of my reservations fade away as a rush of heat pools between my legs. My mouth parts as an undeniable need envelops me. I hold my hands out to him. Rhain surges forward and picks me up by the waist, his mouth crushing against my lips. The heat of his kiss sears through me as I tangle my hands in his hair. His tongue probes my mouth, twirling about my own as I drink him in. I can honestly say that in all my adult life I have never felt so desired. Nor have I desired someone so completely in return.

Rhain pulls away, breathing heavily. “Are you certain?” he asks, his hands gripping my hips. I know that if I say no, he will walk away, no matter how much it costs him to do so. But I don’t want him to walk away. I want him to stay. My hands cup his face. “I am certain that in this moment, right now, I want you,” I whisper.

Rhain smiles, and it is the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, a smile that snatches the breath from my body. He kisses me thoroughly, one hand trailing fire down my spine, the other tangled in my wet hair.

“Cia,” he murmurs into my mouth. His hand reaches the curve of my bottom then slides over it, lifting me up. Moaning, I wrap my legs around his waist, feeling the length of his desire as it presses into me. I move against him, needing the friction, needing release. I pull at his shirt, hungering for the touch of his skin beneath my palms, and groan impatiently when I am unable to undo the buttons.

Rhain pulls his lips away from me. “Shall we get out of the bath?” he says.

I bite my lip then smile. “Yes.”

Still holding me firmly in his arms, he steps out of the bath and walks with me into the bedroom. The fire in the hearth is snapping and crackling just like the unquenched desire within me, casting a soft orange glow about the room. Rhain lays me gently down on the bed, his forearms a cage around my head as he kisses me deeply. A groan escapes him as he steps back to remove his clothes, his eyes absorbing me hungrily. My heart flutters wildly in my chest as he stands in his underwear, the dim light of the fire casting shadows over his beautifully defined body. Rhain isn’t as broad as Ezra or as tall as Devin, but he is exquisite nonetheless. He has a perfectly defined body with strong muscular limbs and a firm stomach. I find myself suddenly embarrassed by my own curves and I sit up, backing against the headboard, and start pulling the throw over myself. He frowns at me.

“What are you doing, Cia?”

“I…” I can’t explain that I feel inadequate.

“Don’t do that,” he says, snatching the throw from my body. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Can’t you see what you do to me? Never cover yourself,” he grinds out, angry now.

I pull my knees to my chest, all the confidence I’d had a moment before smothered by sudden debilitating shyness.

“Uncross your arms,” he demands.

I look at him, my eyes wide.

“Cia, uncross your arms,” he says again, more gently this time. My arms fall away. “Straighten your legs,” he orders, his eyes never leaving mine. The sharp points of his teeth lower from his gums, pressing into his bottom lip, and this time I am not afraid of them. My heart rate increases as he removes his underwear. He stands before me, unapologetic in his virility. I press my legs together at his obvious appreciation.

“See what you do to me, Cia. This cannot be faked. You are beautiful, every part of you calls to me. The Claiming isn’t just about desire, it is about giving yourself up wholeheartedly to another, trusting them to take you over the edge. It is about accepting your most basic of instincts and allowing yourself the gift of pleasure. I stand before you naked, wanting you more than I have ever wanted another. Are you willing to accept me as I am willing to accept you?”

“Yes.” The word slips from my mouth before I am even able to think about it.

As he approaches, thoughts of Ezra and Devin flit cross my mind. I do feel attracted to Devin, and despite Ezra’s abrupt nature there is something about him I am also drawn to. Despite them both wishing for the Claiming to take place, the ridiculous thought that I am cheating on them somehow enters my head.

“Accacia, stay with me,” Rhain whispers, and the thoughts flutter away as he kneels on the bed, distracting me with his ocean deep eyes and sinful voice.

He lowers his mouth to the curve of my foot as his hands massage my ankles. Then he moves higher, his tongue and lips snaking a blaze of fire across my skin. I cannot take my eyes off him as he moves slowly up my body, his wet hair dropping cold droplets of water onto my heated skin. The tattoo on his arm seems to swirl and pulse as he pushes my legs apart, nestling between them. He looks at me and smiles, revealing the length of his sharp teeth.

“I won’t bite you, Cia, not unless you want me to,” he murmurs, before lowering his head and pressing his mouth against me. My back arches off the bed as he tastes me, the sensation of his wet tongue against my sex sending ripples of pleasure through my body. Rhain grips my hips, steadying me as the warmth of his mouth teases, until I am on the brink of losing all control. He chuckles and kisses the mound of my sex. “Not yet, Cia. I want to be inside you when you come apart.”

His kisses stray higher as he moves over my rounded stomach, his tongue dipping into my belly button. I feel the point of his teeth graze over the underside of my ribs before he rushes upwards and captures my hardened nipple in his mouth. He teases me with his tongue, lapping and pulling until I am almost undone whilst his free hand kneads my breast. Not able to stand it any longer, I grab hold of his head and pull him towards me. Our lips crash together as his tongue explores my mouth. One hand tangles in my still wet hair, whilst the other finds its way back to my breast. I groan into his mouth as he gently runs the pad of his thumb over my nipple. Rhain pulls away, smiling in that sexy way of his, before moving his mouth over my jaw and running his tongue along the curve of my ear.

“You are breathtaking, Accacia,” he whispers, the warmth of his breath making my skin break out in goose bumps. He adjusts his body over me as he slowly trails kisses down my neck and I can feel the rock-hard length of his lust teasing me as I squirm beneath him.

“Rhain,” I groan. My voice doesn’t sound like my own. It is so free, so unencumbered.

He pulls back, resting his arms either side of my head. The ends of his chin length hair fall forward in a shroud around us. His eyes are hooded and full of desire. I have never felt more beautiful.

“Cia, are you ready to be Claimed?”

I run my hands from the base of his spine up his back, and circle around to his chest. A tiny smattering of dark hair is soft under my palms. “I trust you,” I say, and I do. Whatever happens, I trust him to take care of me. He presses his lips lightly on mine as he pushes himself inside me, and for a short while there is only us and exploding pleasure as we rock together, Claiming one another as our own.