* * *
Finally sated,Willow ran her hands over the deer’s soft fur before releasing her. The doe lowered her nose into Willow’s palm; her warm breath billowed across her skin, and Willow’s heart melted when the doe nuzzled her palm.
“Thank you for letting me feed on you,” Willow whispered as she petted the animal’s beautiful head.
Declan watched in amazement as the deer turned its head into Willow’s touch. He’d been feeding off animals for centuries, and he’d never seen anything like the tender moment between them. Then the deer turned and bounded into the woods with the inherent grace of her species.
Willow rose and wiped her hands off on her jeans. She wrinkled her nose at the dirt, blood, and sap staining them; the first chance she got, these things were going in the trash.
Turning, she found Declan’s ravenous gaze on her. Except the desire in his eyes wasn’t for blood; it was forher,and her body reacted in an instantaneous, primal way that left her mouth dry and her body aching for his touch.
In her dreams, his hands caressed her with an expertise that caused her to wake wet and aching. In reality, his eyes alone elicited the same response.
Now that her stomach wasn’t in a knot, her veins weren’t on fire, and Savages weren’t breathing down their necks, she recalled how he made her heart race the few times they were within fifty feet of each other. Images of her dreams flitted through her mind as she dug her fingers into her palms.
The first distant howl doused her rising lust.
Chapter Fifteen
Willow hadno idea what time it was when they finally stopped running, but the crescent moon was high in the sky and stars sparkled through the trees. Leaning her back against a tree, she panted for air as she slid down the trunk and drew her knees up to her chest. She bowed her head and rested it against her legs while she tried to catch her breath.
They’d been moving so fast and so often that even if her brother-in-law, Brian, were in the states, he wouldn’t be able to track them. She hoped they were out of this mess before Brian and Abby returned; she didn’t want them to cut their vacation short because of her, and shereallydid not want another one of her sisters entangled in this mess.
“Get some sleep,” Declan said. “I’ll keep watch.”
Lifting her head, Willow discovered him leaning casually against a tree a few feet away. He was annoyinglynotout of breath and looked entirely too good, while she felt like a sweaty, filthy mess.
“Do you think we outran them?” she asked, she hadn’t heard any howls and cries in a couple of hours.
“It’s a good possibility.”
There was also the possibility the Savages decided to try something new and went quiet, but he kept that to himself. He didn’t think she’d sleep if he told her that, and she desperately needed to sleep.
Besides, he believed it was more likely they’d outrun them. As purebred vampires, they would move faster than the Savages, and no matter the number of monsters in these woods, the forest was too vast for them to cover all the land.
“Do you think Vicky went home?” she asked.
“I’m not sure if she’s gone home, but I doubt she’s in the woods anymore. I wouldn’t have brought her with me if I considered her reckless. As desperate as she was to find you, she wanted to survive for her husband and son more.”
“They’re her world,” Willow murmured.
“Go on, get some rest.”
Willow nodded because she was too tired to talk anymore, but she doubted she’d get any sleep.
Those were her last thoughts before she woke to find herself enveloped in warmth and nestled securely against something smelling of earth and pine. She realized the wonderful aroma was coming from Declan. At first, she assumed she’d dreamt his arrival of and was still in the tree, but the tree was never this warm or enticing.
Her hand flattened against Declan’s chest. Beneath her palm, his heart beat a steady, reassuring rhythm. Between that beat and the warmth of his arms, she couldn’t recall the last time she felt this safe and secure.
When his head turned toward her, his warm breath ruffled her hair. If she lifted her head, their lips would only be inches apart. She would be able to smell his breath, and if she moved her mouth a little closer, she would learn what he tasted like; was it as good as in her dreams?
She bet it was much,muchbetter. He definitely smelled better than she’d imagined.
With the way she nestled against him, Declan could barely make out the sweeping curve of her lashes against her cheek. He almost shifted her so he could see more of her face, but he didn’t move. Her confusion and uncertainty beat against him, but he also sensed herneed,and it was enflaming his.
Then she lifted her face, and he found himself gazing into the purest, violet eyes he’d ever seen. They were striking in their vibrancy and beauty. He’d seen many women over his six hundred and four years, but none ever stole his breath the way she did.
Instinctively, his arms constricted around her. When her eyes fell to his mouth, every part of him became focused on her. The beat of her heart was all he could hear, the warmth of her body was all he could feel, her natural scent of roses was all he could smell, and the beauty of her face captivated him. If he lowered his mouth to hers, she would be the only thing he tasted.
