Page 84 of Hunting for her Heart
Rain drips down her face as her wide eyes take in the scene before us. Two dozen men lay dead on the ground, several decapitated, thanks to my ax, and all of them covered in their own blood. It’s enough to scare anyone.
Even though the damage is done, I quickly turn her away, my body shielding the sight from view.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I say as she finally looks up at me. Her searching eyes scan my face, then she reaches up and starts wiping her fingers across my skin. “What are you doing?”
“You’re covered in specs of blood,” she tells me as the downpour starts to lessen.
“Don’t touch it,” I tell her. “I don’t want it on your hands.”
“I want to,” she insists. I want to argue, but she doesn’t look repulsed or scared or even put off. No, her hazel eyes are looking at me with care, with love.
Unable to resist, I hoist her up so my lips can reach hers. Her surprise quickly turns to heat as she wraps a hand around the back of my neck. The rain stops completely, until all I hear is the sound of water dripping from the trees, and my heart, hammering in my chest.
Not wanting to put my guard down completely, I pull back before placing one last kiss to her forehead, then I set her on her feet. “You’re okay?” I ask her as I grip her shoulders and inspect her body.
She nods. “Nobody laid a finger on me, thanks to you three.” She glances at Hawk and Bo as she bites her lip. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now.
“Here, Ronan,” Hawk says, passing me my ax. “You probably want to clean this.” I grab a few large leaves and start to wipe the blade as Bo and Hawk take turns hugging our mate.
My gaze keeps flitting around the forest, then back to her, knowing that there could still be more men out here. Although the signal has indicated the game can end now, itdoesn’tactually enduntil we get her over that finish line, in our possession.
“What’s our plan?” Bo asks as he and Hawk step up to my side and we stare at the bodies.
“Leave them. We can inform the people running this awful Hunt where to find them, and they can decide what to do with all the bodies.”
“We’ll have to tell them where all the other men we killed are too,” Hawk says as he stares around at the bodies.
Glancing at Willow, I can see her moving into the now scorched path the fire created. Thanks to the rain, there is nothing left of the flames, but it has taken out a big chunk of forest before it was stopped.
She stops and turns to look at us, giving me a small smile when she sees me watching her, one I try to return. Her eyes move to all the dead bodies then back to us. My hands clench into fists. I hate her seeing all this violence, especially from us.
Before today, we’ve been able to shield her from it. Although we are trained warriors, there aren’t many human threats on Redmere, only the occasional fight with the neighboring island, Juniper Isle, so once we return home, she’ll probably never have to see such brutality again. I just hope it doesn’t change the way she sees us.
Her eyes move down my body before she does the same to Hawk and Bo. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now, but a part of me is afraid to ask. Thankfully, my fellow clansman does not have the same issue.
Bo slowly moves toward her and I see her swallow and lick her lips. Is she scared? Or is this something else?
“I can see you’re thinking really hard about something,”Bo says as he reaches out and gently wraps his fingers around the back of her neck. “Care to share with us?”
She licks her lips again as she stares up at him and shuffles her weight back and forth between her feet. I tilt my head in confusion as I try to figure out what’s going on with her. Is she nervous?
“I…” She starts, but trails off as her hands move from where they were fidgeting with her dress to press against Bo’s chest. “Thank you,” she finally blurts out. “For protecting me. I thought I’d be terrified of all that blood and violence, but my only fear was of one of you getting hurt, or worse.”
Bo grins down at her. “It’ll take more than a few dozen men to harm us.”
“I can see that,” she says as her eyes trail down his body.
Wait… Is she…aroused?
Bo, seeing the same thing I do, tilts her head up and kisses her. He doesn’t press hard, making her work for it as she eventually pushes up onto her toes and throws her arms around his neck. He takes that as a sign to kiss her harder, his own arm banding around her back as he devours her.
When he deepens the kiss, a long, needy moan escapes her as she tries to get even closer to him.
I’m mesmerized by the sight of her arousal from such a brutal display of violence. But perhaps the fact that it was us, her mates, fighting for her honor, and her freedom, that has her in this current state.
Bo finally pulls back, and they both suck in a few deep lungfuls of air.
He grins down at her as he asks, “You like seeing us fight for you, little mate?”
