Page 35 (1/2)

Closing his eyes, he inhaled a deep, ragged breath When he opened the "I need to meet with Riker about the developments in the human world… and between us Letto her I don’t care how busy I a his head, he kissed her It was brief but brinificance 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 kneas that noto 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 trusther 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 circuy in the atmosphere I can’t create rain out of blue skies or snow on a su or a blizzard already exist, I can help the, but only for a short tiift, it’s lost to me until the next full , isn’t there?" shethat the price for her ability was silence She just had to pray that everyone as privy to her secret would keep it

"Solea 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 elass everywhere else

"I fked up" Rasha’s bloodshot eyes focused on Aylin

No shit Rasha had sent Hunter straight into Aylin’s arms "Why would you allow anotherstory" Rasha flipped her hair over her shoulder, going froance in a heartbeat "But damn, you should have seen Hunter He was so jealous I’round 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 h Aylin knew Rasha was lying, probably to herself e of doubt and the lash of hurt Because the fact was that Hunter had gone to Rasha before he’d coic had no say when it came to what she felt

"Ay?" Rasha’s tone dropped froh-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 stoot all tied up in knots Maybe Hunter should have coo well

"There’s so I have to tell you" She sed, but it didn’t help relieve her suddenly dry mouth "I’ve spent a lot of ties…"

Rasha frowned, and then her eyes shot wide "Spirit strike me," she said "You have a crush on hi, 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 i it off

"He iht"

Rasha barked out a laugh "I’ve never understood your sense of huhed harder, and the anxiety Aylin had experienced a er

"Rasha!" Aylin kicked the bottle aside "For once, can you look at ? Like I’m a fehter 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 cole second of it" She swept her hair away froood look at the puncture ht 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 tu over the back of the couch She hit the floor hard, and the breath rushed fros

"You traitorous bitch!" Rasha’s shrill screaled for a breath Suddenly, she was yanked off the ground and slaony 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’ caled 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 inal 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 screahting 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 ressive one She was scared She should be "She… she betrayed me"

"The way you betrayed ot right up in her face, his te "She risked her life for the sake of your firstborn child!"

"I know," she rasped "I rong I thought she owed ot enough food and clothes I s didn’t kill her I let her have a place at the fire in the winter And then she took you… and I lost ht 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"