Page 122 of Blade's Battle
“You can smell the deer?”
“Of course.”
“Then we haven’t blood-bonded.” She sounded disheartened.
He didn’t like that she couldn’t remember the ceremony, but perhaps that was for the best. Drake had already caused enough trauma. She needed to be free of him.
Anna pushed his collar aside, exposing the gold chain and ring that hung from it. As she lifted it with her right hand, she raised her left hand and lined up their two rings, side by side.
“You said you’d always keep me with you, even when you shift.”
“I’m glad you remember that promise because I meant it. But I don’t need a ring for that.” He tapped his chest. “You’ll always be here, Angel. The ring is my way of letting others know I’m taken.”
A smile broke through her lovely face. Not a full carefree loving-life type of smile, but it was still wonderful to see her smile despite everything that had happened. Then her smile disappeared again.
“We’re not blood-bonded, Blade.”
Blade reached behind him and withdrew the ceremonial blade he’d taken from the table and held the knife flat across his palm. “Blood-bond me, Anna. Here. Now.”
She glanced down at her ring, then at her palm with the scar Drake had left. Hell, it was too soon, especially the stunt that asshole Drake had pulled last night.
Blade cupped her cheek until she raised her eyes. “No one’s going to take you away from me, Anna. I’ll protect you. Always.”
“I’m broken, Blade.”
“We’re all broken, Angel. Which is why it’s good to have family, to have a pack. We’ll lean on each other in good times and bad.”
“Are you sure you still want me? Even after Drake. . .”
“He’s an asshole from our past and not worth spending another moment worrying about. I’m not going to let him control our future. This is between you and me, and I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. Never thought I’d be so lucky as to have someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“I can list off everything I love about you, but then we’d be here into the winter, and I’d rather get you someplace warm, with a fire and a nice bed.”
“Poster bed, I’m guessing,” she said, with a slight smile behind her eyes.
That was his Anna trying to break through the darkness. “How else are you going to tie me down and have your way with me?” he asked, waggling his brows.
“Oh. Oh! That sounds. . . fun. Frank said he has some cuffs he could lend me.”
“Good, God, please don’t tell me you’ve been listening to Frank give you sex advice.”
“What? No! I mean. . .”
That blank expression returned. He rubbed her arms. “I’m joking, Angel. Frank’s a good guy. But don’t tell me what you learn from him. I’d rather not be thinking about Frank when we’re in bed, if you get my drift.”
She giggled and held out her left palm.
He smoothed a lock of blond curly hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re ready then? To blood-bond?”
She nodded. He picked up the gold chord that had been wrapped around her robe and since fallen off and began to rewrap her in the elaborate set of knots. Then he did the same to himself.
“Right palm, Angel.”
She hesitated. He’d asked for her right palm,the one with the scar from the forced blood-bond with Drake. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Hey, look at me.”
