Renegade

I swear I'll snap your neck just because you're annoying me,

He grabbed hold of her, pulling her against him. A small gasp of surprise escaped her as he fell to his knees before her. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he rested his head against her stomach. "You humble me Arianna. I don't deserve you; I did nothing to earn your love, or the gift … that your presence has brought back to my life.

He's not going to leave here without her," Jack's gaze was steady, yet sad as he stared at the two of them. "He won't be separated from her again, and he'll kill you if you try to stop him

The monster inside of him was clawing to break free, while the man inside of him was tempted to fall to his knees and beg Ashby to give her back to him, unharmed.

She engulfed him, filled him, she eased every awful thing inside of him. He trusted that he did the same for her.

He kissed her forehead, his nose rubbed briefly against hers as he nuzzled her neck. "I love you too Arianna," he breathed, his mouth hot against her ear. His words only caused more tears to flow.

her. For the first time she realized the true depth of his desire to protect her. He

She had never truly liked the caves, but now she found herself terrified by the prospect of going back in there. Her skin was clammy, she was shaking. She

He was simply staring at her and Braith as if they had just sprouted two heads, jumped on a table, and started dancing a jig while singing at the top of their lungs. Aria

She chafed against the invisible restraints he had placed on her and his protective urges but it would only irritate him more if she fought with him. Braith

She hated to be confined, hated being trapped anywhere. She was everything that the woods were; open, wild, and free. It

He's not going to leave here without her," Jack's gaze was steady, yet sad as he stared at the two of them. "He won't be separated from her again, and he'll kill you if you try to stop him. You can't go William. This has to happen," Jack

Horror filled her as the low pitched warning whistle echoed through the caves. William froze for a moment; the gate was still partly open when she sensed, more than heard, something approaching. William

She lost herself to his incredible touch, scent, and feel. His presence was overwhelming, and yet so blissfully soothing. His

She had never felt claustrophobic within the tunnels before, now she felt like a caged rat running aimlessly forward. If they got out of this she swore she would never return to these caves. Then again, they could never return to them anyway, they would never be safe again.

He was shaken, the monster inside of him was clawing to break free, while the man inside of him was tempted to fall to his knees and beg Ashby to give her back to him, unharmed. He

And she hated the monster that had done this to her, the creature that had stomped all over her heart, making her weaker, making her a broken shell of the person she had once been. And

There wasn't any other woman. It was just us, and if anyone else had known that, if your family had known that, they would have done everything they could to destroy what was between us.

she was captivated by his masculine beauty, and the tender soul that he revealed only to her. She thought of him on his knees before her, humbled by her, his heart and soul bared for her to take, or to turn away. She thought of all of his gentleness, the care and protection he had always offered to her, even when he had owned her. He was wonderful, he was everything, and he was hers.

he was fairly certain that despite her vows of love, and her promises to never leave him, she had run eagerly through the tunnel once it had been revealed to her. She was a fickle bitch after all, or at least that's what he had come to believe. Why else would she vow to love him forever and then leave him the very next morning?

We can't help it, you are his bloodlink; Ashby is mine. We don't have a choice, if you were a vampire you would understand the driving force that propels us to make sure that they are safe, and kept with us. You would also understand the fact that your humanity tests every boundary of his control. I

The sun was breaking over the mountains, its bright rays lit up the forest around her as they filtered through the leafy bowers. She stood for a moment, her head tilted back to allow its warmth to caress her, to soothe her, if only just a little.

What exactly is a bloodlink?" Aria inquired. "It's a deep connection between vampires. Our blood calls to each other. We grow stronger off of it when we share it. The connection is instantaneous, as Braith well knows, and it is unbreakable. It will eat you alive if you're kept from each other, something else that Braith seems to have discovered.

Her response was so honest, so vulnerable that it tugged at his heart. He

These woods were engrained in her soul, a part of her, and she knew when a predator was near. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, a chill crept down her back before seeping through her limbs. She froze, she couldn't breathe. She didn't move. She was nervous that moving would only trigger an attack. She knew when an animal was close to its end, but this time she was not the hunter, and it was her end she feared. She was certain that there was the deadliest kind of predator near her right now.

Excitement strummed through her, for a brief moment she was consumed with the urge to run to him, to throw her arms around him, to bury herself in his strong embrace and shut out all the misery of the world like only he could make her do. For a brief moment, all of the joy and wonder she had ever experienced with him in the palace rapidly flooded back to her. She

But she had also been the happiest she'd ever been in her life. She'd been foolish, and naïve. And she had been in love.

He hadn't forgotten about her defiance, her willfulness, but he didn't find it as charming as he once had. In fact, it was aggravating the hell out of him right now. She should be cowering, trembling with fear. She had to know that she would not survive this meeting, and yet she didn't show one ounce of trepidation.

He had always enjoyed baiting her, watching her response, but this was different, this was not the girl that had stayed in his apartment at the palace. No, this girl was stronger, more callous; colder. This girl fairly vibrated with anger and hostility. She looked like a warrior, she was a warrior, he realized. She had always been a fighter, but now she was so much more than that.

She was not the girl that had offered him her vein. She was the woman that was going to fire that arrow at any moment.