Blood Bound

He was watching from his place behind the two-sided glass, just above the VIP seating, where his two of his best immortals guarded the stairs against unwanted guests when he saw her. Her loose auburn locks flowed freely down her scantily clad back and just touched her lushly shaped hips. His eyes moved lower, roaming over the perfectly molded ass and long legs encased in form-fitting jeans, ripped and torn in the current fashion. Even without seeing her face, he knew she was far too young for the thoughts in his head but, as always, he was stripped of reason as waves of need and desire trapped him in their astute embrace. Soon, he thought, they would need to complete the bond or he may just lose his normally intractable and rational mind.

He had known of their connection since her birth nearly sixteen years ago. Magic had its own way of assuring itself of survival. Though things had been so much simpler back then considering her tender age, that and the magic binding them had been the only things keeping him from taking more immediate steps. Rafe would have preferred raising her under his own protection and guidance, grooming her for the future, which would include being at his side as the leader of the immortal clans. His actions would have also guaranteed her safety and kept her close against the day that he could finally claim her as his own. A day was that not far away, merely a blink in time compared to his years thus far.

Still, looking at her now, laughing and flirting under the watchful eyes of his most trusted immortals, Rafe knew that he was growing impatient.

The Belvoir's were part of an ancient branch of witches connected to the oldest covens. For centuries beyond count, they had been strongly allied with both the Vampire council and Hunter's own family. The Belvoir's had ruthlessly, but understandably, used this same connection to argue their case for a magical alternative to his immediate claim at her birth. A compromise meant to mirror those bonded rights.

Rafe had eventually agreed on a spell that guaranteed his Mate's innocence along with an impenetrable contract that allowed him the right to include or deny certain aspects of her education and which sealed the natural bond between them. In exchange, the family had been allowed to raise and train their youngest daughter until she was old enough to be wed. Now, he decided that it was time for her to know of their bond and the agreement that had been made nearly sixteen years before this night.

This evening's prearranged dinner would hardly be the first time that his true mate had seen him. Rafe had made a point of becoming a part of her life, an arrangement made much easier by the fact that Kyra's father and Rafe held seats on the same immortal council. Though not immortals themselves, witches had unnaturally long lives and, along with several other beings, they were considered by one and all to be an essential part of those in need of guidance and protections that mortal laws could never offer. In fact, the magical members of the council were highly respected and responsible for many undertakings that were essential to the immortal's survival. For any other clan, to be linked to the Belvoir's in such a way, blessed with a true bond, was an honor that could elevate any of them to the highest rank. For Rafe and the Hunter's, already considered first among the elite, this match was one of desire more than need, though the blood link included in such a powerful match would bring many long millennia of new and impressive powers to Rafe. That alone was nothing compared to the potential strength and power that could be passed down to any future offspring created by this fated union.

~ ~ ~

Kyra watched silently from the shadows as the two men passed before making her way around the bar and toward the back door of the popular nightclub. Once again, her curiosity seemed to have gotten her in trouble, she simply wasn't sure what flavor it would come in this time around. She knew that being here, of all places, especially after being off the grid for so long in order to avoid him, was pure folly. Her need to see him, to see if the force of will driving him and his determination had waned, had been overpowering. She simply couldn't live not knowing if her attempts had been in vain and he was just biding his time, or if he really and truly had given up and moved on. The latter could mean so much for her future and its wide-open possibilities, while the rest... well, she didn't want to think about that right now, she shivered.