Sophiaâs POV
âDid you eat, Angel?â Hunter asked after a while of just hugging and holding each other close.
âIâm not hungry,â I mumbled, turning my head so I could bury my nose into his neck and fill my lungs with his scent.
I couldnât get enough of it. No matter how deep I breathed it in, it just wasnât enough. I wanted more. I wanted his scent to enter every part of my body and never leave.
âYou need to eat, Sophia,â Hunter said and ran his fingers through my hair. âItâs been a while since you ate.â
I didnât want to eat. I just wanted to breathe him in. That was more than enough. I took another deep intake of his scent and closed my eyes.
Hunter chuckled and rubbed my back gently.
âIt looks like someone really missed me,â he said teasingly.
I nodded. Being away from him was torture. He was all I could think about when I was lying on that steel table. I missed his scent. I missed his arms around me. I missed his lips. I missed everything about him.
âI missed you too, my love,â he said softly. âI missed you so much.â
He turned his head and kissed my cheek.
âCome on, Angel, you really need to eat,â he said, making me groan quietly.
I lifted my head and he smiled at me.
âI am more tired than I am hungry,â I said, making him sigh.
I really was tired. I was exhausted. If he hadnât spoken, I would have fallen asleep in his arms.
He looked at the plate on the nightstand and frowned.
âItâs cold now anyway,â I said.
He looked back at me and rolled his eyes.
âPromise me that you will eat the second you wake up,â he said sternly.
âI promise,â I said, giving him a small smile.
He nodded and placed a soft kiss on my lips.
âCome on, Angel,â he said. âLetâs get you home.â
I looked around the room and gulped. I couldnât believe that I spent a few days locked up in here. I couldnât wait to get out of here. I couldnât wait to go home.
âDo you remember everything?â Hunter asked quietly.
He caressed my cheek and leaned in to kiss my forehead.
âI do,â I said. âI remember everything I said and did.â
I looked at him and smiled.
âI remember you marking me,â I added quietly.
I remembered it like I was there. I remembered his lips on my skin. I remembered his words. I remembered the feel of his canines piercing through my skin. I didnât remember it clearly, though. It was like trying to look through a foggy glass.
âYou do?â he asked, raising his eyebrows a little.
âNot clearly, but yes,â I said. âMaybe we could do that again so I have a clear memory of it.â
A huge smile spread across his face.
âOf course, my love,â he said as he leaned his forehead on mine. âWe can do it all over again. We have to do it all over again. You still need to mark me.â
I caressed his cheek and smiled.
âI do,â I said quietly. âAnd I canât wait to do it.â
Hunter grinned and kissed me hard.
âI canât wait, love,â he mumbled quietly. âIt will be perfect.â
I cupped his cheeks and kissed him, trying to transfer all the love I had for him in that kiss. I wanted him to know how much I loved him.
âFuck, Sophia,â he mumbled and tangled his fingers into my hair.
Our kiss was intense, but too short for my liking. I wanted to continue. I never wanted to leave his arms.
âI love you too,â he said. âI canât wait for you to mark me so I can show you just how much.â
I smiled and ran my fingers through his short beard.
âI already know that,â I said quietly, making him smile.
I knew exactly how much he loved me and it made my whole body tremble. His love was all I needed and I was terrified it would be taken away from me. I was sure that he would hate me for killing his grandfather. I was sure that I wouldnât feel his love ever again.
And then a thought came to me. It made my stomach turn and I froze.
Hunterâs father.
I hadnât even thought about him.
Oh, Goddess. What would he do? What would he say? He would surely be angry. He would tell Hunter to leave me. He would.
âWhatâs wrong, Sophia?â Hunter asked with a hint of panic in his voice.
I would answer him, but the fear squeezed all the air out of my lungs. I couldnât breathe.
What if his father took him from me?
He cupped my cheeks and looked at me wide-eyed.
âWhatâs wrong?!â he asked again. âI can feel your panic and fear. What happened?!â
I gulped and I felt more tears fall on my cheeks.
âGoddess, Sophia, whatâs wrong?!â Hunter exclaimed as he pressed me closer to him. âTalk to me, love, please.â
He placed a small kiss on my lips and wiped my tears away. I had to force myself to speak. I had to let him know what was going on.
âYour dad,â I mumbled, making him furrow his eyebrows. âI killed his father. Iâ¦â
My voice broke and I couldnât continue. I was too scared to speak. All that I could let out were broken sobs. I lowered my head a little. I couldnât even look at Hunter.
What if I really lost him?
Stella whined loudly and tried to talk to me. I couldnât listen to her.
Hunter gasped and placed a finger under my chin. He lifted my head and shook his head.
âMy dad doesnât care, Angel,â Hunter said. âHe was so angry at that fucker. He wanted him gone too.â
Hunter hugged me tightly and kissed the top of my head.
âNothing can separate us, my love, nothing,â he said softly. âMy dad wonât stand between us, Sophia. No one will.â
I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath.
âMy love,â Hunter mumbled and gently rubbed my back. âMy only love.â
I leaned more into him and let his scent relax me.
âNothing and no one will take me away from you, Angel,â Hunter whispered softly. âI am yours. Everything that I am is yours. Every part of me is yours, love, and no one can take it away from you.â
I wrapped my arms around him tightly and let his words soothe my soul. I smiled and let him feel all the love I had for him. I needed him to know how much I loved him. I needed him to know that I was his as much as he was mine.