I walk quietly through the halls to my room with Hunter following closely behind me. My heart beats wildly as I turn the handle till a click rings out in the air and the door swings open. My room slowly comes into view and my embarrassment strikes. It was like nothing changed. Everything was just as I left it, right down to the pile of stuffed animals on my bed.

"You're blushing." Hunter whispers into my ear in the low husky voice he used when I first met him and a shiver runs down my spine.

"I've never brought I guy up here and I never wanted to let them see that." I point to my plushie pile.

"It's not that bad." Hunter shrugs as sits down on my bed and is seemingly eaten alive by the swarm of cuddly cuteness and I can't help but laugh. I laugh so hard I start crying and Hunter throws one of my plushies at me. "Don't just stand there, get your minions off of me."

I walk over to the side of the bed and begin removing the stuffed animals when two arms wrap around my and pull me onto it. My heart is racing, pounding in my chest like the rabbit's as I look up at him. His tongue traces down my collarbone a slight moan escape my lips and I blush. As his lips move further down my collarbone and fighting the pleasure I push Hunter off of me.

"What's wrong?" He whispers peering deeply into my eyes.

"What were you doing?"

"I was going to mark you." He says huskily while he runs his fingers through my hair.

"No!" I demand, jumping out of the bed. " I don't want you to mark me just because of what Vanessa said, I want to be marked because I am the one thing you can't bare to lose. I want to be marked by someone who loves me."

"Roxie." My name comes out of his lips as a purr. " I do love you."

"No you don't, you are only pretending for my parents." I feel my heart break as I say it.

Hunter's voice changes to a slightly more serious tone tinged with sadness. "Roxie, I'm not pretending. I love you. That kiss at the beach? That was real. When you saw Autumn walking out of my office before we came here, I broke things off with her. She is gone. Roxie, I can't be more serious with you."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I wipe my now free flowing tears away.

"Truthfully, at the beach you were nothing but another girl, or at least supposed to be, but when I kissed you, everything changed. Your kiss sparked something in me that no other girl has made me feel."

"How do I know you don't say that to all the girls?"

Hunter grasps my wrists and holds them to his chest where I can feel his heartbeat. "You will have to trust me."

I gaze deeply into his eyes and I feel as though he is telling the truth. Crawling onto his lap I begin to kiss him, a gentle peck at first but soon grows deeper and more passionate. My tongue tangles with his and he moans as my fingers run through his hair.

"Go ahead." I blush, pushing my hair to the side.

Without missing a beat Hunter starts where he left off, tracing my collarbone. An intense tingling sensation radiates from where his lips caress my skin and I bite my lip trying desperately to stifle a moan but it was no use as his lips brush a sensitive spot.

Hunter smiles at my response, using his finger to draw an "x" over the spot. Then he sinks his teeth into my flesh and the tingling sensation gives way to pain. Tears prick the corner of my eyes and I want to push him away but before I can react he draws away.

He brushes away my tears and plants a faint kiss on my forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." My voice comes out as a barely audible whisper.

Our lips connect in a kiss when a force within me causes me to flip him off of me. I then sit straddling him as our kiss grows more passionate, more desperate, more........... animalistic. I can almost feel myself heating up as my lips move their way down his throat till his breathing shifts. I gently graze my teeth over the spot before sinking them in.

When I pull away I watch as the blood drips down slowly from the wound. Hunter then leans in and licks the bit of blood at the corner of my lips. Hunter's hands then slowly glide up my sides, stopping at the buttons on my peach blouse but he freezes.

"We should get some rest." He whispers.

What? Now? I was so...turned on.

Hunter must've read my mind. "We'll have plenty of time to complete the mate bond. For now we can take things slow."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"It was written all over your face. Now go get ready for bed."

I sigh disappointedly as I walk into the bathroom to do as he said. After brushing my hair and teeth I change into my pajamas before crawling into bed next to my mate.

My heart is beating fast as I listen to his breathing, the moonlight shining gently on his peaceful face. Suddenly his arms are wrapped tightly around me.

"What are you thinking?" He purrs.

"Nothing." I mutter back nervously. "Just go back to sleep."

When I wake up in the morning Hunter it's nowhere to be found. Downstairs I see my mother and ask her where my mate has gone.

"He was in your father's trophy room last I checked."

"Thanks." I thank my mother before making my way to the trophy room. My father was always proud of his accomplishments and his hunts. I shouldn't be surprised mate was drawn to such a room. After all his name is Hunter. I can't help but giggle under my breath at the thought.

As I swing the door to the trophy room open my jaw hits the floor. Vanessa is all over Hunter like a vixen in heat. Vanessa pulls her lips from his as I stand there dumbstruck at what I just saw. She then flashes me is despicable grin and I feel the bile rise in my throat.