Closing his eyes, he inhaled a deep, ragged breath. When he opened them again, the admiration in them made her own eyes sting. “I need to meet with Riker about the developments in the human world… and between us. Let me know as soon as you’re done talking to her. I don’t care how busy I am. Got it?”

She nodded. Dipping his head, he kissed her. It was brief but brimming with significance she felt all the way to her soul. He’d imprinted on her, but he’d also marked her in a way she couldn’t explain. All she knew was that no matter what happened from here on out, he would always belong to her.

“By the way,” she said, stepping back from him. “Why did you lie to me about what you can do with your ability? Was it because you didn’t trust me?”

“No.” He reached out and cupped her cheek, reassuring her with his touch. “What I told you was the truth ninety percent of the time. I can only bend the weather to my will under certain circumstances. There has to already be energy in the atmosphere. I can’t create rain out of blue skies or snow on a summer day. But if the conditions for hail or lightning or a blizzard already exist, I can help them along, but only for a short time.” His hand fell away. “And once I use my gift, it’s lost to me until the next full moon.”

“There’s a price for everything, isn’t there?” she murmured, thinking that the price for her ability was silence. She just had to pray that everyone who was privy to her secret would keep it.

“Some things are worth any price,” he said softly, his eyes gleaming with the kind of affection she’d only read about in books. How very lucky she was.

Hunter’s phone beeped, so she left him to handle business while she handled her sister. She was both terrified and eager, ready to begin a new journey in life… but not at Rasha’s expense.

She didn’t bother to knock on her sister’s door. She found Rasha sitting on the floor, an empty vodka bottle next to her and smashed glass everywhere else.

“I f**ked up.” Rasha’s bloodshot eyes focused on Aylin.

No shit. Rasha had sent Hunter straight into Aylin’s arms. “Why would you allow another male to feed from you in Hunter’s quarters?”

“It’s a long story.” Rasha flipped her hair over her shoulder, going from self-loathing to alcohol-fueled arrogance in a heartbeat. “But damn, you should have seen Hunter. He was so jealous. I’m surprised Myne isn’t dead.”

“He wasn’t jealous,” Aylin ground out. “No male would want another to disrespect him like that.”

“It was more than that.” Rasha’s words were as alcohol-soaked as her mood. “He could barely contain his envy.”

Even though Aylin knew Rasha was lying, probably to herself more than to Aylin, she couldn’t suppress the twinge of doubt and the lash of hurt. Because the fact was that Hunter had gone to Rasha before he’d come to Aylin. She knew the why of it, but logic had no say when it came to what she felt.

“Ay?” Rasha’s tone dropped from her haughty high-pitched voice to the soft one she reserved only for her sister. “What’s wrong?” For all Rasha’s faults, she read Aylin like a book and never wanted to see her upset. Unless, of course, Rasha was the person who’d caused it.

Aylin’s stomach got all tied up in knots. Maybe Hunter should have come along, because she had a feeling this wasn’t going to go well.

“There’s something I have to tell you.” She swallowed, but it didn’t help relieve her suddenly dry mouth. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Hunter. You know, the cabin… and the demon’s challenges…”

Rasha frowned, and then her eyes shot wide. “Spirit strike me,” she said. “You have a crush on him.”

“It’s not a crush.”

Snorting, Rasha came to her feet, a little off balance. “You think you love him?”

“Yes. And he loves me.”

Amusement and pity flickered in Rasha’s expression. “And what makes you think that?”

There was no easy way to say this. Aylin doubted that saying it while Rasha was drunk was a good idea, but with Hunter’s imprint mark so blatantly visible, there was no putting it off.

“He imprinted on me,” she blurted. “Tonight.”

Rasha barked out a laugh. “I’ve never understood your sense of humor, but that was funny.”

“It’s not a joke.”

Rasha laughed harder, and the anxiety Aylin had experienced a moment ago turned to smoldering anger.

“Rasha!” Aylin kicked the bottle aside. “For once, can you look at me like I’m more than a twisted leg? Like I’m a female vampire, born from the same dam as you?”

Rasha’s laughter died away, leaving her looking confused. “You’re serious.” She shook her head. “You couldn’t be. There’s no way Hunter had sex with… with you.”

Now Aylin was pissed. Straight-up furious, and she stepped right up to Rasha. “Maybe if he hadn’t caught you with Myne, he never would have come to my chambers. But he did, and I don’t regret a single second of it.” She swept her hair away from her neck so her sister got a good look at the puncture marks. “He fed from me. Drank my cripple blood right down.” She took perverse pleasure in watching Rasha’s expression fall as the truth settled into her alcohol-logged brain. “It happened, Rasha. Ask him. Ask the imprint mark on the back of his hand.”

That last part was unnecessary, but it felt good. Felt good right up to the point where Rasha’s fist slammed into Aylin’s face.

Aylin wheeled backward, the loss of balance twisting her bad leg and sending her tumbling over the back of the couch. She hit the floor hard, and the breath rushed from her lungs.

“You traitorous bitch!” Rasha’s shrill scream pierced the pounding in Aylin’s ears as she struggled for a breath. Suddenly, she was yanked off the ground and slammed hard into the coffee table. She heard a crack, and agony tore through her torso.

Blood spurted from her mouth, and then she felt what she was pretty sure was a kick to the gut. She tried to breathe, but she choked on blood as she curled in on herself to stop the pain. Distantly, she heard her sister’s voice, a buzz in the haze of her brain.

Aylin? Aylin! Shit, I’m sorry… oh, Ay, I’m so sorry… 

Aylin tried to speak, but nothing came out. Black spots filled her vision, expanding as she struggled for air. Then there was nothing.

Aylin was hurt. Hunter could feel it as if her pain was his. The imprint didn’t work that way for most males, but the closer the male was to the original vampire bloodlines, the more intense the bond was to the female he imprinted on.

So yeah, he felt Aylin’s distress as he tore through MoonBound’s halls and hit Rasha’s quarters at a dead run. The door tore off its hinges as he burst through it.

Rasha let out a surprised scream, but instantly, upon seeing his face, she settled into a fighting stance.

It didn’t do any good. He clamped his hand around her throat and lifted her into the air. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to squeeze until she was no longer breathing.

“Where’s Aylin?” he rasped.

“I-I took her to the lab. She’s okay,” she added quickly.

He shook her. Hard. “What did you do to her?”

Rasha bared her fangs, but it was a defensive move, not an aggressive one. She was scared. She should be. “She… she betrayed me.”

“The way you betrayed me with Myne?” he snarled.

“Listen to me, Hunter —”

He got right up in her face, his temper near cracking. “She risked her life for the sake of your firstborn child!”

“I know,” she rasped. “I was wrong. I thought she owed me for protecting her for decades. For making sure she got enough food and clothes. I made sure her beatings didn’t kill her. I let her have a place at the fire in the winter. And then she took you… and I lost my temper.”

“You seriously thought she owed you for that? If she killed you for it, no one would be surprised.” He practically shook with rage. He did shake Rasha. “You and your clan have treated her like a stray dog, tossing her scraps and relegating her to the very edges of your society. Has she ever had anything that made her happy?”

He felt her throat work beneath his palm. “She had a pet rabbit once.”

Hunter blinked in surprise and finally released Rasha. “Kars let her keep it?”

“When he learned about it, he made her eat it.”

What. The. Fuck. Hunter took a step back from Rasha before he made her pay for what Kars had done. “Your father is a f**king fiend. I can’t imagine that she willingly ate her pet.”

“He held her down and forced it down her throat.”

Hunter closed his eyes. What a nightmare existence Aylin had endured. “So she went through all of that, and you still tried to destroy her tonight.”

“I did warn you,” she said softly. “I told you I wouldn’t tolerate another female.”

“No, Rasha, you don’t understand.” Lightning-fast, he gripped her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “I love her. You are the other female. Forget that at your own peril.”

He left Rasha to stew in her own bitter juices and rushed to the lab. He caught Nicole as she was on her way out.

“How’s she doing?”

Nicole tucked her hands into her lab coat’s pockets. “It could have been bad, given her blood issues, but —”

“What blood issues?”

“Her blood wasn’t clotting right. It’s a problem in vampires who aren’t fed from during the appropriate moon phase. I told her she needed to participate.” Nicole shrugged. “Looks like she did, because her internal bleeding has slowed far faster than it would have just yesterday.”

“So she’s going to be okay?”

Nicole nodded. “She’s tough.”

“I know.” He shot an impatient glance at the door. “Can I see her?”

“She’s asleep,” Nicole said, “but she should wake up any minute.”

“Asleep?”

“I gave her a sedative.” Nicole held up her hand. “Don’t worry, it was mainly a precaution. I wanted to help boost her clotting ability, and vampires heal best when they’re out.”

He relaxed, but only a little. “You’re sure she’s okay?”

Smiling, Nicole patted him on the arm. “I promise. Go see her. And if that mark on your hand means what I think it means…” She trailed off, her expression going fierce. “Get Rasha the hell out of here.”

He dared anyone to try to stop him.

Leaving Nicole, he found Aylin resting in one of the patient beds, her silky hair spread out over the pillow, her ivory skin marred by the faint shadow of a bruise along her cheekbone. She was healing, but the sight still ramped up his anger.

She stirred as he approached, opening groggy eyes with a smile. “Hey.”

He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “I should have been there when you told her.”

She reached out to pat his hand. “I didn’t think she’d react so violently. She’s never hurt me before. Not like that. But I don’t blame her. I’d react the same way if I lost you.”

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.” He lifted her hand to his lips, and with the tenderest of kisses, he pressed his lips to each finger and then lingered with his mouth in her palm, telling her without words that what she held in the palm of her hand was more than a kiss.

She held his heart and soul.

34

As Hunter’s ancestors would say, it was time to look the wolves in the eye.

For all of Hunter’s authority and years of successful leadership, he was still unsure how his senior warriors were going to react to his news. The developments between him and Aylin were going to have some serious repercussions for the clan, and he needed his people to be on board.

When he arrived in the meeting room, Jaggar, Takis, Katina, Riker, and Baddon were already seated. As he strode to his seat at the head of the table, Baddon shot him a glare. Hunter returned it, holding the other male’s gaze until Baddon finally looked down with extreme interest at the skull ring on his right hand.

Took for-fucking-ever, though.

“Where’s Aiden?” Hunter took a seat.

“On patrol,” Takis answered.

Damn. Hunter had really wanted everyone here. Takis, as if reading his mind, added, “He gave me his voice.”

Meaning that Takis had Aiden’s permission to speak for him. The pair’s thoughts had been in sync from the day they’d met and became a couple a few years ago. Hunter was glad; Takis had been alone for far too long.

“Okay, let’s get to it.” Hunter looked each of his warriors in the eye, lingering a little on Baddon as the memory of the big male in Aylin’s chambers flickered in the back of his mind. “There’s no easing into this, so I’m just going to say it.” He held up his hand, revealing the raven feather marking his skin. “I imprinted on Aylin.”

Three sets of eyebrows shot up.

Riker blew out a breath.

Baddon let out a whispered “Fuck.”

That’s right, buddy. She’s mine.

“So what now?” Riker asked. “Don’t get me wrong… I’m happy for you, man. But dayum. Kars and Tseeveyo are going to blow a gasket.”

“Tseeveyo?” Katina scowled. “NightShade’s chief? What’s he got to do with anything?”