He shook his head.

Kim didn't say anything. She handed him his trousers and waited for him to slowly slip into them before she used his shirt to wipe away some of the blood on his arms, back and front. Tears spilt onto her cheeks as she cleaned him up. He'd killed his brother and she knew that in a way he'd done it to protect her.

When she had worked her way back around to his front, she used a clean patch of his shirt to tend to

the scratch across his cheek.

She frowned when the sun disappeared and then hunched her shoulders up when rain began to pour down, warm against her skin. She looked at Erik, straight into his eyes.

"Erik?" she said, leading him back towards the house at a slow pace.

"Yes?"

She stopped and looked at him again. They were standing at the entrance to the maze, rain soaking them

through. It was still warm out, but she heard thunder in the distance.

"I'll do it," she said.

He just stared at her, disbelief visible in his eyes.

"I think I'm ready. Today made me realise that I can't lose you."

"Kim," he said and cupped her cheek. "I can't."

She frowned again. "What do you mean?"

"You're not ready and I can't, not with the injuries. But I'm not going anywhere, Kim. I love you." He smiled and her frown melted away.

He was right. She wasn't ready really. The events of today had panicked her and forced her to make a decision, but she still thought it was the right one.

"I love you." She held his gaze and stroked his cheek, hoping he could see down into her soul the way she felt she could see into his.

She blinked through the rain as it trickled down her face. It was washing all the blood from Erik's body.

She slipped his shirt onto him, protecting his wounds until she could get him into the house.

His house.

She looked at it and then back at him.

She wanted to be his too, just like Alistair had said she was.

"When?" she said.

He looked confused.

"When will I be in heat again?" She stepped up to him, drawing the shirt closed over his chest.

"A year, maybe two. Who knows? Whenever the dreams begin again. Until then, you'll have to settle for

the reality."

She wrapped her arms about his neck as he kissed her, falling into his embrace and losing herself in the way he made her feel-happy, loved, and safe. It was a passionate kiss that stirred the fire inside of her just like she knew it always would. She'd never stop loving him. Never. It would always be like this-consuming and intense. She moaned against his mouth, tackling his tongue with her own and feeling

the rain running down her back. A smile broke onto her lips as he kissed down her chest and she held him there, clinging to him as she threw her head back and surrendered to their heat.

Thunder rolled overhead and the rain came down harder, but she didn't care.

Erik shifted her in his arms, wrapping her up in them and holding her tight. She giggled and kissed him,

pouring out her feelings so he knew how much she loved him and hoping that he wasn't hurting himself

too much.

He'd once told her that the best was yet to come and what they'd shared were only dreams. While those fantasies had been powerful, it had been the reality that had made her fall in love with him.

It was that love that made her want to be with him always, to surrender her normal life and become like

him. It was only a matter of time before she was in heat again and when she was, she was going through with the change so this new dream of theirs would be complete.

For now, they had one half of their dream-they had each other.

But soon, they'd have the other half.

They'd have forever.

The End.

About the Author:.

Felicity Heaton is a great believer in love at first sight and the romantic ideal. Having grown up reading extensively, she developed a deep love of classical literature, ranking Jane Eyre, North & South, and Persuasion amongst her all time favourite reads. The most romantic moment of her life was when her husband got down on bended knee on the steps of Sacre Coeur, Paris, at night in front of several hundred spectators and proposed. She was too drunk on love, and subsequently champagne, to care about the audience. All she could see was the man that she loved. A writer of emotion and life, she always strives to touch a chord of familiarity in her readers and give them characters they can love and a read to remember.

To see her other novels, visit: www.felicityheaton.co.uk Enjoyed this story? Email her atauthor@vampiresrealm.com Other paranormal romance novels by Felicity Heaton, written as F E Heaton: Prophecy: Child of Light [book 1]

A girl unlike any other girl, a vampire unlike any other vampire, Prophecy lives life in the dark until the night she breaks the rules. Leaving the family mansion to hunt for the first time, she encounters Valentine, a vampire from her family's enemy and a man who will change her life forever.

Suddenly at the centre of a prophecy, she is kidnapped by Valentine, the man who should have been her executioner, and forced to run with him in order to save herself. Required to work together, the tension between them builds as a dark evil threatens to destroy the world, their families and the Law Keepers attempt hunt them down, and Prophecy discovers that her feelings for Valentine control her new found power.

When the truth about her is revealed, will Prophecy be strong enough? Will they discover a way to save the world from Hell? And will they finally see past the hatred bred into them by their families and surrender to their love?

The first of the Vampires Realm novels being written by five star author F E Heaton,Prophecy: Child of Light , is part one in an epic tale of love and war that is sure to capture your heart and leave you craving more.

Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea [book 2]

The final battle draws closer. Prophecy's world becomes darker and more dangerous, pushing her to the limit and testing her strength and her heart, almost breaking her. Old friends turn their backs, leaving her to fight with the help of an unlikely ally and forcing her to call on the devastatingly seductive and powerful Lord Hyperion for assistance.

Struggling to rescue Valentine from the malicious hands of her blood brother, Arkalus and the lord of Aurorea, Kalinor, Prophecy discovers just how powerful she is and how far people will go to stop her

from fulfilling her destiny. Lives are lost, battles are won, and the scroll foretelling the prophecy is finally completed, but nothing can prepare them for what lies ahead.

When her visions show her the path that must be taken, will Prophecy be able to do what is necessary? Are Prophecy and Valentine ready to command the power they'd never thought would be theirs? And are they strong enough to fight the evil of their true enemy?

Following on fromProphecy: Child of Light , the tension rises and love grows inProphecy: Caelestis & Aurorea , a thrilling second part to this story that draws you into a dark, dangerous world of vampires, magic and the war to end all wars.

Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising [book 3]

An enemy with unimaginable power and bloodlines with centuries of hatred bred into them, two things that threaten to tear Prophecy and Valentine apart as they fight for their lives and their future together. Their vain attempt to join their houses into one army drains the last of their strength, leaving them more vulnerable than they've ever been. The tension escalates between the bloodlines, and, more dangerously, between Valentine, Prophecy and Venturi.

As everything crumbles around them, defeat seems inevitable. In one decisive move, their enemy turns the tables against them, taking what is most important to Prophecy and leaving her to fear that the terrifying visions she's been having are coming true. An enemy becomes a friend, guiding her in her time of need, and a friend becomes an enemy. Death, destruction and danger surround her, but the help of an old ally brings her the army she needs and the dark moon brings her the power to fight the legions of Hell.

When the time comes, will Prophecy be able to do what's necessary or will the sacrifice she must make be too painful to go through with? Does she have the strength to stop Hell from being unleashed into the world and save the ones she loves at the same time?

The dramatic conclusion to theProphecy story,Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising is a gripping tale of love and war that will take hold of you, set your heart racing and not let you go until the very last page.

All available from Alinar Publishing-www.alinarpublishing.com Visit www.alinarpublishing.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.