Sara found herself shivering, but she tightened her hold on him, afraid that if he went into the raging storm he would be lost to her. “It’s the best way. He’ll come for me; he always comes for me.” Already her bond with Falcon was so strong, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him. She must protect him from the terrible thing that had destroyed her family.
“Not tonight. Tonight I’ll go after him.” Falcon put her from him gently. He could clearly see her fears and her fierce need to be sure that he was safe. She had no concept of what he was, of the thousands of battles he had fought with these very monsters: Carpathian males who had waited too long, or who had chosen to give up their souls for the fleeting momentary pleasure of the kill. His brethren.
Sara caught his arm. “No, don’t go out there.” There was a catch in her voice. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. I know he’s here, and for the first time, I’m not alone.”
He leaned down to capture her soft mouth with his. At once there was that melting sensation, the promise of silken heat and ecstasy he had never dared to dream about. “You are worried about my safety and seek ways to keep me with you.” He said the words softly against her lips. “I dwell within you now; we are able to share thoughts with one another. This is my life, Sara; this is what I do. I have no choice but to go. I am a male Carpathian sent by the Prince of my people into the world to protect others from these creatures. I am a hunter. It is the only honor I have left.”
There was that aching loneliness in his voice. She had been alone for fifteen years. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be alone for as long as he had been. Watching endless time go by, the changes in the world, without hope or refuge. Sentenced to destroying his own kind, perhaps even friends. Honor. That word had been used often in his diary. She saw the implacable resolve in him, the intensity that swirled dangerously close to the surface of his calm. Nothing she could say would stop him.
Sara sighed softly and nodded. “I think there is much more in you to honor than just your abilities as a hunter, but I understand. There are things I must do that I don’t always want to, but I know I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do them.” She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to his. For one moment she was no longer alone in the world. He was solid and safe. “Don’t let him harm you. He’s managed to destroy everyone I care about.”
Falcon held her, his arms cradling her body, every cell needing her. It was madness to hunt when he was so close to turning and the ritual had not been completed, but he had no choice. The wind beat at the window, the branches of trees sweeping against the house in a kind of fury. “I will be back soon, Sara,” he assured her softly.
“Let me go with you,” she said suddenly. “I’ve faced him before.”
Falcon smiled. His soul smiled. She was beautiful to him, nearly unbelievable. Ready to face the monster right beside him. He bent once more and found her mouth with his. A promise. He made it that. A promise of life and happiness. And then he was gone, wrenching open the door while he still could, while his honor was strong enough to overcome the needs of his body. He simply dissolved into mist, mixing with the rain for camouflage, and streamed through the night air, away from the shelter and temptation of her body and heart.
Sara stepped out onto the porch after him, still blinking, unsure where he had gone, it had happened so quickly. “Falcon!” His name was a cry wrenched from her soul. The wind whipped her hair into a frenzy. The rain doused her clothes until the silk was nearly transparent. She was utterly alone again.