Page 113 of The Fated Hunter Wolf

"No." His hands gripped my hips, pulled me closer. "No, it's perfect. You're perfect."

The bond carried his certainty to me. He meant it. He wanted all of me. Wolf, vampire, everything in between.

The relief was staggering.

“I need you,” he whispered into my ear. “I need you again. Now.”

He pulled me up onto my knees and positioned himself behind me. My ass slapped against his hips as we moved together, still desperate, still needing each other. The bond amplified every sensation. I felt his pleasure and mine, feeding back and forth, building higher. My wolf howled with satisfaction. My vampire side purred with possessive delight. Both finally,finallycomplete.

When the climax hit, it hit both of us simultaneously. I cried out, vision whiting, every nerve firing at once. Through the bond I felt his release, felt his wolf's deep satisfaction, felt his human heart overflow with love.

The bond sang…

Then we collapsed.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. My heart hammered against my ribs. Every part of me felt different—rewired, remade,more.

Rhys pulled me against his chest. His breathing was as ragged as mine, his heart pounding where my cheek pressed against his skin.

I lifted my head to look at him. His eyes were still more gold than brown, his expression dazed.

"You okay?" I asked.

A breathless laugh escaped him. "I don't know. I can feel you in my head. Like you're righthere." He pressed his hand to his temple. "Is that normal?"

"I don't know." I paused. "Nothing about me is normal."

"Thank the Goddess for that." His hand moved to my neck, fingers ghosting over the bite mark. I hissed at the sensitivity, and he froze. "Sorry?—"

"No, it's—" I caught his hand, brought it back. "I want to feel it."

He touched the mark again, gentler. "It looks different," he said quietly.

I blinked. "Different how?"

"I don't know. It's a claiming bite, but—" He traced the edge of it carefully. "There's something else. Like a shadow around it. Or maybe a shimmer? I can't tell."

"Let me see yours," I said.

I shifted to look at his shoulder where I'd bitten. The mark was clear—two sets of punctures. Canines from my wolf. Fangs from my vampire side. Both deep, both bleeding slightly, both permanent.

And around it, just like he'd said, there was something else. A faint shimmer in the air, like heat waves, but darker. Silver-black, shining with golden hues.

“Vampire magic and wolf claiming,” Rhys cocked his head. “Hell of a cocktail.”

"Yeah." I searched his face for regret, for doubt. Found none. "Is that a problem?"

"Are you kidding?" He caught my hand, pressed it against his chest over his heart. "Sable, I can feel both parts of you. Your wolf is right here," he tapped his chest, "fierce and strongand finally settled. And your vampire side. She's—" He paused, searching for words. "Possessive. Hungry. Powerful. And she chose me too." His hand stroked down my spine. "I felt it the moment you bit me. I felt both sides of you claiming me. Your wolf and your vampire. It was—" He made a sound halfway between a laugh and a groan. "Intense doesn't even begin to cover it. There’s still a throbbing in my head."

"Too much?"

"No." He held me tighter. "Perfect. It was perfect."

Relief flooded through me. I'd been afraid—terrified, really—that he'd feel the vampire magic and recoil in the moment.

"You're not scared?" I asked.

"Of you? Never."