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approval that all he had to do was sound happy with her and she would do anything he wanted?

He waited for her to shift position on her own. She almost wished he'd moved her first, but he didn't. She slowly, with caution, began to lean into his palms, so that she swung out, away from the solid comfort of his body. The wind increased and she couldn't stop her hands from grabbing his wrists. Instantly he brought her back against him and . . . waited.

She knew he was waiting for her to gather her courage and put her trust in him. There was no pretending she was too exhausted--he had her entire weight. All she had to do was hang there in the sky while the magic of the night surrounded her. He was giving her a gift of such importance. There had been no gifts since her family had been slaughtered, until now, until this moment. He seemed a dark sorcerer she couldn't resist--especially when he offered her such a rare, phenomenal experience.

Time slowed down. She could feel her heart pounding. He made her feel important when she'd never felt so before, not to anyone. The air seemed crisp and fresh, the night a cool blanket. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let go. She brought her arms straight out away from her body. He removed his hands from her and she knew this was the moment, now or never. She would never summon this kind of courage--or trust--again. She let herself fall forward. The sensation took her stomach and for a moment she was afraid he wouldn't catch her, but there his palms were, and she found herself suspended in the air with nothing but his hands under her.

Very slowly she opened her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she soared and dipped and wheeled with the freedom of the birds. Again she experienced that dizzying rapture that was physical, the adrenaline pouring into her bloodstream like dark gold, thickening her blood, spreading heat through her. She felt Dominic with her--in her-- sharing the dazzling moments. It was pure magic-- he was pure magic.

The wind tore tears from her eyes. After one of the worst days of her life, losing Annabelle, killing two men and nearly getting captured or killed by her own father, fighting vampires and having to face her lifemate, she was overwhelmed by sheer joy as she flew through the air. It was too much and yet she didn't want it to end.

Dominic drew her in, turning her so that her face was pressed over his heart. The rock- steady beat comforted her, helping her to keep from sobbing aloud. She wept quietly, her fingers buried in the front of his shirt. She just didn't care about anything in that moment. Not where they were going or what would happen when they got there. He had a destination in mind and it was evident he wouldn't drop her, so she just gave herself up to his care.

Dominic felt the exact moment she let go and gave herself over to him. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to him. She was very fragile, and so vulnerable. Not simply her physical self, but the woman she hid from the rest of the world. She was exhausted and she would have gone off to a damp retreat to lick her wounds alone and try to recover before she took on the enemy again.

Not this time, my little cat. This time I will see to your care.

She didn't answer, but her weeping, the tears tearing at his heart, lessened. He meticulously scanned the area for signs of the undead before he took her down to the forest floor, to the entrance of her favorite retreat. He'd seen it a dozen times, that small, snug cave deep in the recesses of the limestone labyrinth, when they met in her mind. The images were very detailed. She had no idea how much information he could pull from her mind in seconds when needed. And both of them needed this.

He found the entrance too small to carry her through, and reluctantly let her feet drop, his arm firmly anchoring her to him.

"How did you know . . . ?" Solange looked around her, lashes wet, her eyes bright and slightly shocked.

"I am your lifemate," he pointed out, his voice gentle. "This place brings you comfort."

She turned away from him and ducked inside, blinking back