Page 29 of The Hunt

“I can’t believe you still want lots of kids,” she said, laughing.“I love that.I love that you still want kids.”

“I want children with you.Not with anyone else.Just with you.”He pushed some of the hair off her face.

“That sounds ...perfect.”

He took possession of her lips and kissed her hard.“Please, Calliope.Don’t ...die.Don’t let this be the last day for us.We deserve better than this.We both do.I love you, Calliope.I don’t want you to leave me.Please don’t leave me.”

“I love you,” Calliope said.

“And I love you.”

And with that, he kissed her, and he kept kissing her, and he just hoped and prayed she wouldn’t succumb to the bites.He had wasted too much time.He understood that now.

The Hunt was a cruel game, but now he realized what it did.It made him realize what he was doing, the time he was wasting.They could have been mated by now, even had a child, and perhaps had dozens of amazing memories.Instead, they fought, they argued, and they ended up here anyway.

Kissing her lips, he wished someone was looking over them, and realized he wasn’t going to allow this to happen.He loved her.He would give his life for her.

He would do anything just to have Calliope in his life, alive, breathing.He’d do anything.

Chapter Eight

Calliope opened hereyes and stared up at the morning sky.It was so strange to be looking at the sky, the sunshine.In the back of her mind, she felt like something should be happening, or she should be panicking.Then, just as quickly as she woke up, the events of the previous morning came rushing back to her.

Sitting up so suddenly, she didn’t realize Jaxson had been wrapped around her.Her arm felt fine, as did her ankle.She quickly pulled the makeshift bandage off her arm and then her leg, and sure enough, it was gone.There was not even a scar.

She had woken Jaxson up in her haste, and the moment he grabbed her arm and her ankle, he looked at her and then laughed.This was cause for celebration.He reached out, cupped her face, and then kissed her.This felt good.This felt real.She couldn’t believe how close she had come.

“You’re alive,” he said.

She chuckled.“Yeah, yeah, I am.”

And his kisses were so damn magical.

This was what happened in their game.She got bit by a wolf, and then nearly died.His kisses brought her back to life, and last night Jaxson had held her, kissed her, loved her.She loved him so damn much, and she had been so afraid this was the end.

Staring into his blue eyes, she knew she was never going to take him for granted.“This game, it’s ...scary.”

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