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"Yes," she gasped, thrilling to the idea of binding herself to him now and for always. Their eyes locked together, he raised his wrist to his mouth and sank his long fangs into the flesh. He brought it to her, the most precious gift he could give her. Corinne put her lips to his opened vein and drew the first taste of him into her mouth.
His blood hit her tongue like wildfire.
Thick and strong and roaring with power, it was the very essence of all Hunter was. And now that vitality was feeding her, enriching her cells, filling her senses ... weaving into every fiber of her being. She felt the bond take hold, a radiant, glorious connection. She grabbed on to it and let it wrap around her, reveling in the total saturation of joy that engulfed her as she continued to drink from Hunter.
His blood obliterated the horror of all she'd been through. The torture was swept away, the degradation lifted, all of it scattering like dust under the power of the bond that was now growing, intensifying between them.
As she drew from Hunter's vein, she watched her magnificent mate's eyes blaze with passion and possession ... with a love so intense it stole her breath. She was on fire for him now, her own need amplified by the intoxicating power of his blood.
She could hardly stand the wait as he carefully withdrew his wrist and sealed the wounds closed with his tongue. She was trembling as he undressed her, his own clothes gone in the next instant.
He covered her with his body and made love to her, sweetly, thoroughly ... an ecstasy that burned as brightly as their love.
And while this moment of commitment and completion filled her beyond measure, there was still a corner of her heart that she knew would ache as long as her son was gone. But Hunter's promise to stand by her until they found him gave her faith. Perhaps he wasn't lost to her forever. Not yet.
With Hunter's love, and the blood bond that flowed through her, stronger than any storm, everything seemed possible.
A heavy rain had swept into the area by the time dusk finally settled. Hunter shrugged into his leather trench coat, preparing to head back out to search for Nathan one last time before pushing on to New England. Based on his quick check-in with the Order a short while ago, things were going from bad to worse at the compound. As much as he hated to leave without Corinne's son, Hunter also could not ignore his duty to his fellow warriors. More than even that, he needed to ensure that Corinne was somewhere safe and protected while he carried out all of his duties, not left to wait for him in the back of an unsecured delivery truck.
"I will be fine," she told him, reading his concern with an ease that should have unsettled him.
It didn't unsettle, however. It was reassuring how well she'd come to know him. Incredible how visceral their bond was now, solidified by their mingling blood. He caressed her beautiful, brave face. "I'll be gone only for a couple of hours. I can cover the entire area near the river and the state park around it in that time."
"Thank you," she said, turning a kiss into his palm. "Whatever happens - whether you find him out there tonight or not, just know that I'm grateful you're willing to try."
"Nathan is your family. That means he's my family too."
She gave a wobbly nod as he gathered her close. As Hunter gazed into her trusting eyes, he knew a deep wish to build a larger family with her - to give her more sons to love, once Nathan was safe.
Together they walked to the doors of the truck. Hunter opened them into the hiss of the steadily pouring rain.
Nathan stood outside in the deluge.
He was drenched, barefoot and half dressed in just the gray sweatpants he'd been wearing when he'd bolted earlier that day. Water sluiced off his shaved head and down the lean muscled plates of his dermaglyph- covered chest. His hands hung loosely at his sides, fingers dripping water into the mud beneath his feet.
Corinne went very quiet next to Hunter, as though not trusting her own eyes and afraid the boy was just an illusion that could shatter if she so much as breathed. Nathan stared at them. "I don't have anywhere to go."
"Yes, you do," Hunter replied.
He held out his hand.
It took a long moment before the boy made any move whatsoever. Then, with a faint nod, he reached up and clasped Hunter's hand, stepping up into the truck. Beside him now, Hunter heard Corinne's lungs expel a soft, shaky sigh. Her pulse was pounding, beating as hard as a drum, her blood racing so hard he could feel her excitement - her hope - in his own veins. But she held herself back, doing everything in her power to resist throwing her arms around her child in relief and elation.
She stood unmoving, waiting, watching her beloved son slowly make his way over to her first.
"Is everything you said true?" he asked her.
She nodded, tears overflowing her eyes. "Everything."
Hunter removed his coat and draped it over the boy's soaked shoulders. Nathan glanced over at him, still not entirely certain of them. "If I go with you, where will you take me?"
"Home," Hunter answered.
He glanced at Corinne then, understanding in just that moment how powerful the word truly was.
Home.
It struck him with the same staggering force as a weapon hammered out of steel, as unbreakable as a diamond, as steady as a mountain.
