The Hunted

Chapter 18

Victor's POV

It had been two weeks since Callie and Silas's revelations about Sang. She had been searching endlessly for information as we were, but all trails seemed to stop on that night so long ago. I walked into the kitchen and just watched her for a few moments. She stood, staring out the window at the treeline, her cup of coffee resting against her chest, the wisps of steam curling around her face. I wondered how she kept going sometimes. She slept less than even Owen did.

"Good morning, Victor," she said softly, without turning around. "How did you sleep?"

Filling my own coffee cup, I stepped next to her, "Not too bad, just a bit restless." She turned to look at me, her pale eyes had dark circles beneath them, and she looked exhausted. "You need to rest," I said.

She gave me a weak smile, "Lack of sleep won't kill me." I frowned at her. "Too far, huh?"

I snorted, "Has anyone ever told you that your sense of humor is rather dry."

"I'm technically British, so...duh," she laughed. For a brief moment, the shadows seemed to disappear, but only for a moment.

"What was it like then?" I asked, trying to avoid the topic that seemed to encompass our daily lives now.

She gave a sarcastic laugh and then sat on a barstool, "Well, I was a woman, so my life revolved around trying to find a husband. I was lucky enough to be paired with a rather nice young man from a wealthy family. It was a fairly advantageous arrangement for both families. Arthur was kind to me, even if we didn't love one another, but back then, love was for fairytales, not royalty. We were married when I was just sixteen. Sadly, I never managed to have children, and poor Arthur was killed in a small skirmish over land disputes with a neighboring kingdom a few years later. I was a widow by the age of twenty-one."

"You were still so young," I commented, but she laughed.

"Twenty-one is young now, but back then, most women already had two, sometimes three children at that age. I was considered an old maid. Throw in the fact that I had been married for five years and unable to conceive, well it was assumed that I was barren. Back then, that made you practically untouchable."

"Did you want children?"

"I don't really know. I mean, back then I did, but that's because it was all I knew. Now, well, now I don't know if I am barren or if it was my husband. I never had the chance to find out," she gave a half grin. "My sire was my first lover since my husband, and when we learned I'd been blessed, the assumption was that I could never have children."

"Wait, I don't understand. What does being blessed have to do with not having children?" I asked, trying to comprehend how different things had been for her.

She lowered the shoulder of her sweater and tapped the tattoo. "A fleur de lis represents purity. I am one of only a handful of supernatural creatures to have this blessing, and no one knows why or how. I've had the mark since I was born, but it didn't fully show until I was turned. Thaddeus always assumed the symbol meant I was barren as well. While I haven't had many lovers, I have had some in my second life, and never once have I gotten pregnant. But then again, vampires don't have menstrual cycles, so any vampire pregnancy is rare."

My eyes seemed drawn to the symbol and I reached out, letting my fingers graze over the outline. She moaned slightly and swayed. It felt like an electrical current shot through my body from the skin-to-skin contact. She turned to meet my gaze and I leaned forward, closing the distance between us. "May I kiss your mark?" I asked.

Aiden's POV (Victor's wolf)

Her pupils dilated slightly as she nodded and leaned back against me. Leaning in, my lips ghosted across the mark and she moaned, "Victor." My wolf, Aiden, howled in my mind, surging forward. My grip on her shoulders tightened as my fangs extended and grazed along her skin.

"Your aura shines, my light," Aiden's voice growled gently. "It pierces our darkness and calls to us all."

She spun around and met my fiery gaze, "Victor?"

My head shook, "No, my light, I am his wolf, Aiden."

"I...I don't understand," she stammered. I could hear her heart beating faster.

"I won't harm you, never you," I whispered and nuzzled into her neck. She stiffened at first, then relaxed into my embrace. Her heart rate calmed as her arms wrapped around my waist. I pressed a kiss against her neck as she whimpered quietly. My hand slid down under her and I pulled her toward me tighter as her legs wrapped around my waist. Her warm core pressed against me as our bodies shifted closer. "You feel amazing," I groaned, wanting to take her as my own.

Tugging her hair firmly, I pulled her back. When her eyes met mine they were glazed and lust filled. "Please," she whined, her hips arching toward me.

I gave a low laugh, "Such a needy girl." I crashed my lips against hers as she moaned softly. Her lips parted as my tongue explored her mouth. She gasped when I let my lips travel down her neck, nipping softly at her sweet-tasting skin. I felt the rush of heat flood to her core and her scent heightened. Picking up on approaching footsteps, I gave her another quick kiss, then placed her back in her own chair. She frowned and whimpered. "Your men are coming, my light. They may not enjoy seeing you in my arms and Victor is quite upset that I won't let him speak," I chuckled. Running my fingers over her cheek, I whispered, "Soon, my light, soon." With a final look, I gave control back to Victor.

Victor's POV

How the hell did he just take over like that? One minute I'm asking to kiss her mark, the next, Aiden is making out with her!

"I'm...I'm sorry, he," I tried to apologize, but she just leaned over and gave me a soft kiss on my lips. She tasted like cherries.

"It's okay," she whispered. "You, he didn't do anything wrong. I had the ability to make you stop had I wanted to." Her pale eyes held me entranced as the Toma men walked into the room. I instantly felt the mood shift, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she placed her hand on mine. "Thank you."

"Always, my light," I told her, then took my coffee and walked out of the room listening to Aiden chuckle at me in my mind.

Author's Notes:  Hmmm...just doing my usual breadcrumb trail...