“You left me,” he heard himself say, stupidly, because his brain had apparently stopped working the moment she’d thrown herself into his arms.
“I know.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “I couldn’t come back. Merrick was watching me but I thought if I stayed away, you’d be safe?—”
A growl ripped from his throat.
“You thought leaving would keep me safe?”
“I didn’t know what else to do!”
She pulled back far enough to look up at him, and the sight of her face nearly undid him. Her eyes were wild, her skin shimmering wildly.
“I was trying to play along, trying to come up with a plan, but then Merrick decided to announce the wedding,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “He had me on a stage in front of the whole village, and I couldn’t—I couldn’t—so I used my Song to destroy the sound system and I ran, but there was a Vultor at the festival, someone I didn’t recognize, and I thought?—”
“A Vultor?” His hands tightened on her shoulders. “What did he look like?”
“Long, dark hair. Lean. Dangerous.”
The description was too vague for him to recognize, but he was more concerned about her. She was still shaking, and he realized she’d run all the way here.
She destroyed her life to come back to me.
“Where’s Lilani?” she asked suddenly, looking around the empty cave. “Is she safe? I was so scared?—”
“She’s with the fisherman’s wife in the cove north of here.” He didn’t want to admit he’d taken her there because he was afraid his daughter would see the depth of his despair. “She’s safe. I promise. She thinks she’s on a special adventure.”
A wave of relief crossed her face, and she went limp against him. “I was so scared for her. When I saw the other Vultor, I thought?—”
“It doesn’t sound like anyone from my old pack. I don’t know who he is, but I’ll find out. After,” he added, his voice dropping to a growl.
“After what?”
“After this.”
He kissed her, claiming her with his mouth as he poured three days of fury and fear and desperate longing into the press of his lips against hers. She answered with equal fire, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.
Good,the beast purred.Let her mark us. Let her claim what is hers.
She tasted like salt and honey and when her tongue met his, the last threads of his control began to fray. He walked her backwards until her shoulders hit the cave wall, pinning her there with the weight of his body while his hands roamed the tattered remains of her dress.
“This thing,” he growled against her mouth, tugging at the high collar that still clung to her throat. “It’s hurting you.”
“Merrick chose it. To hide my gills.”
A snarl ripped from him, and his claws made short work of the fabric. The collar fell away in shreds, revealing the delicate slits along her neck that fluttered with each rapid breath she took. He bent his head and pressed his lips to them, feeling the way they opened and closed against his mouth, tasting the salt of her skin.
A muffled cry escaped her lips.
“Valrek—”
“Tell me to stop.” His voice was a rasp, barely recognizable. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll walk into the sea and not come back until I’ve drowned the beast.”
“Don’t stop.” Her hands were in his hair, pulling him closer. “Don’t ever stop.”
His beast took over. He carried her deeper into the cave, away from the entrance, away from the light, into the shadows where the air was warm and the sound of the sea was a distant lullaby, and lowered her onto his sleeping platform.
She looked up at him, her dark hair spreading across the furs like seaweed, her skin shimmering a brilliant blue, and he had to stop. Had to make sure.
“I intend to claim you as my mate. To give you my mark,” he said, the words rough. “It’s not something that can be undone. There will be no other. Not for me. Not ever.”
