attentions she was allowing with a virtual stranger. Especially one who could be a possible threat.
If she was going to choose anyone to be a mate, it should be another Hunter. Preferably one from their clan, like him. As he braced his hand on the wall for support, he shut in those negative emotions which would quickly eat away at his restraint and the strength of the energy she had provided.
As he reached the spare room, he stumbled to the bed and flopped onto it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the life forces she had bestowed, detecting her unique signature in every ion. He relished the gift of something more special than any other—the offering of a piece of her vitality. Victoria never hesitated to share herself that way, no matter how hard she had to work to restore her own power. Her willingness to be so giving with him and the remainder of the clan was just one of the reasons he loved her.
In time he hoped she would come to understand that and look to bond with him when her Equinox fully arrived.
In time
, he thought with a smile, and allowed himself to dream.
Victoria’s body shook violently, an aftermath of collecting and dispensing the energy to save Rafael in addition to the suddenly awakened demands of her biological time clock. Her connection with Christopher seemed to have jump-started it, but she also had other demands at the moment.
She was determined to be a good leader to her people and yet she had not sensed Rafael’s arrival at her home. She had been so caught up in her own physical needs, so busy satisfying the desire created by Christopher, that she had failed her own cadre captain. Nearly let him die.
Throughout her entire life her main concern had been the obligations she owed her people as their prospective Quinchu. It was her duty to sacrifice her own desires and wishes for the greater good.
As much as she wanted to be more like her human friends, she could not ignore her responsibilities. Tonight one man had nearly made her forget that, and Rafael had almost paid the price with his life for her selfishness.
Wrapping her arms around herself to still the quaking in her body, she headed outdoors to restore her energy. She needed to be ready in case anyone else needed her.
She was a Quinchu and she could not forsake her obligations, but she also hoped that in time she could find a way to balance her duties with having the kind of life she wanted. Unfortunately, she sensed she would have to defy her parents to do so, but she was ready and willing to take up that battle.
On the balcony, Victoria raised her face to the bright moon and experienced the kiss of its power. She stretched out her arms to let the sea breeze wash over her, alive with the energies from the ocean and the living things along the Earth’s surface. The energy seeped into her slowly, eliminating some of the weakness within her.
She would have preferred to dive into the waters just yards away, but recognized it wasn’t safe at this hour of the night. Although she could control the currents and even the creatures beneath the surface with her abilities, she did not have dominion over the humans on the ocean’s surface. Without that, she could not risk their lives if they stumbled across her. While in the midst of gathering, Hunter energies were like live wires and deadly to any non-Hunters who touched them in such an exposed state.
Unlike the Shadows, who did not give a thought to the deaths of others, the Light Hunters respected life, so she would hold off until the morning for that dip to fully restore herself.
For now, she stood there, absorbing what energies she could from the nature around her. As she opened herself, she sensed the life forces in the immediate area, including that of Rafael on the floor below her. His aura was clouded by emotion and she worried about him. Something about his story had not rung true. She had known him too long not to see in his eyes that he had been hiding something from her.
Her
If she was going to choose anyone to be a mate, it should be another Hunter. Preferably one from their clan, like him. As he braced his hand on the wall for support, he shut in those negative emotions which would quickly eat away at his restraint and the strength of the energy she had provided.
As he reached the spare room, he stumbled to the bed and flopped onto it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the life forces she had bestowed, detecting her unique signature in every ion. He relished the gift of something more special than any other—the offering of a piece of her vitality. Victoria never hesitated to share herself that way, no matter how hard she had to work to restore her own power. Her willingness to be so giving with him and the remainder of the clan was just one of the reasons he loved her.
In time he hoped she would come to understand that and look to bond with him when her Equinox fully arrived.
In time
, he thought with a smile, and allowed himself to dream.
Victoria’s body shook violently, an aftermath of collecting and dispensing the energy to save Rafael in addition to the suddenly awakened demands of her biological time clock. Her connection with Christopher seemed to have jump-started it, but she also had other demands at the moment.
She was determined to be a good leader to her people and yet she had not sensed Rafael’s arrival at her home. She had been so caught up in her own physical needs, so busy satisfying the desire created by Christopher, that she had failed her own cadre captain. Nearly let him die.
Throughout her entire life her main concern had been the obligations she owed her people as their prospective Quinchu. It was her duty to sacrifice her own desires and wishes for the greater good.
As much as she wanted to be more like her human friends, she could not ignore her responsibilities. Tonight one man had nearly made her forget that, and Rafael had almost paid the price with his life for her selfishness.
Wrapping her arms around herself to still the quaking in her body, she headed outdoors to restore her energy. She needed to be ready in case anyone else needed her.
She was a Quinchu and she could not forsake her obligations, but she also hoped that in time she could find a way to balance her duties with having the kind of life she wanted. Unfortunately, she sensed she would have to defy her parents to do so, but she was ready and willing to take up that battle.
On the balcony, Victoria raised her face to the bright moon and experienced the kiss of its power. She stretched out her arms to let the sea breeze wash over her, alive with the energies from the ocean and the living things along the Earth’s surface. The energy seeped into her slowly, eliminating some of the weakness within her.
She would have preferred to dive into the waters just yards away, but recognized it wasn’t safe at this hour of the night. Although she could control the currents and even the creatures beneath the surface with her abilities, she did not have dominion over the humans on the ocean’s surface. Without that, she could not risk their lives if they stumbled across her. While in the midst of gathering, Hunter energies were like live wires and deadly to any non-Hunters who touched them in such an exposed state.
Unlike the Shadows, who did not give a thought to the deaths of others, the Light Hunters respected life, so she would hold off until the morning for that dip to fully restore herself.
For now, she stood there, absorbing what energies she could from the nature around her. As she opened herself, she sensed the life forces in the immediate area, including that of Rafael on the floor below her. His aura was clouded by emotion and she worried about him. Something about his story had not rung true. She had known him too long not to see in his eyes that he had been hiding something from her.
Her
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