Page 120 of Bound by Vengeance
Carefully draping his arm around hershoulder, he pulled her close as he led her out the open doors ofthe library to the patio beyond. They walked across the courtyard,over the dunes, and down to the beach.
Nathan inhaled her scent and listened to thewaves crashing on the shore as her presence calmed some of thelingering tension in him. They’d been so close to capturing Joseph.They could be learning where the other hunters were and who elsewas involved with Joseph right now.
Instead, the bastard had gotten away.
Nathan’s need for vengeance didn’t compelhim anymore—his love for Vicky had filled that hole—but whileJoseph lived, they all remained in peril.
“How do you feel?” Vicky asked.
The wound in his chest was healing, he’dlost a fair amount of blood, and his bones ached from the battle,but he felt strong as he held her. “Sore, but better,” headmitted.
“No, I mean about Joseph getting away.”
“We would have an easier time finding themissing hunters if we’d captured him, and he’s going to wreak havocwhile he remains out there.”
“You and Kadence will help bring them home,and youwillfind him again. Brian might be able to helplocate the missing hunters too.”
“Hopefully, but no matter what happens,we’ll get through it together.”
“In the beginning, I was certain you wouldbe the death of me, but you’ve given me a life I never dreamed ofhaving. No matter what happens, I’ll always be grateful for ourtime together.”
“We’re going to have an eternity together,Victoria,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“You might not be so certain of that soon;we still have our biggest hurdle to leap.”
“And what is that?”
“You have to meet the rest of myfamily.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he assuredher.
• • •
One week later
Vicky surveyed the new home and propertythey’d spent the past three days moving into with a critical eye.They’d planned to wait longer before moving here, but aftereverything that happened, Nathan and Ronan pushed up the timeline.Homes still had to be built for everyone, but they would make dountil then with trailers and cramming as many hunters into the mainhouse as possible.
The security system had been updated untilshe was scared to go anywhere near the fence without risking beingturned into a barbequed corpse. They’d also integrated somethingthat allowed them to monitor the sky and take down anything tryingto get in from above. It would be almost impossible for anything toget in here like they had the other strongholds.
She never would have believed thatshewould end up living in a hunter stronghold, but then shedoubted the hunters and Ronan had ever expected to beneighbors.
She glanced at the wall separating the twoestates. A large section of it was recently torn down to allow foreasy access between the two properties, in case there was an attackon one side or the other. The plan was to tear down the entire walldividing the estates, but that section was all they’d completed sofar.
Both properties combined were over a hundredacres and offered plenty of room for the hunters to stake outindividual sections to build their homes. There would be arguments,of course. No one lived so close to each other without gettingannoyed once in a while, but they’d work through it alltogether.
Things were going to be interesting, but nomatter how rocky the road became, she looked forward to thefuture.
She went to rub the scar on her wrist beforerecalling it faded away shortly after she claimed Nathan as hermate. Their bond had strengthened her enough for the scar to finishhealing, but she would never forget the woman she’d killed in thewarehouse. However, she didn’t hate herself as much for itanymore.
Duncan nodded to her as he carried a box byher and into the mansion. Sister June, Duncan, and the childrenwould be living with them until they felt it was safe enough tomove somewhere else. The children’s memories were altered on aregular basis, but Vicky hoped they’d eventually decide tostay.
The mansion at her back was gorgeous, butNathan intended to one day build them a smaller home of their ownand turn the second floor of the mansion into a residence for thesingle, male hunters. The bottom story was going to be convertedinto a massive training facility for the Alliance.
Vicky loved the mansion, but she was lookingforward to having their own home, away from the chaos of the manywho were residing with them now. Never had she thought she’dhappily give up the opulence of a mansion for the simpler homeVicky knew Nathan wanted, but she couldn’t wait to move in and curlup in front of a fire with him. She planned to putlotsofcolor in their home, and it would have all the newestamenities.
Just because she would be giving up themansion didn’t mean she was giving up everything. Glancing down,she smiled at her brand-new Louis Vuitton boots. Lifting her heel,she twisted them back and forth to inspect them.Beautiful.
Laughter drew Vicky’s attention away fromher boots to the perfectly manicured grounds and the human andhunter children running across the lawn. The children had awide-open yard to play in, but something was missing.
