Chapter 10 #2
Ash exhaled sharply, then looked up to find him swimming across an enormous, deep blue lake with powerful strokes.
He dove under, then resurfaced closer to the shore before wading out, water streaming down his tall, naked body—all traces of blood washed off—even the brutal slashes across his abs had healed.
Despite the horror still rattling her bones, her stare remained fixed on him—on the savage, breathtaking beauty of a deadly predator in human skin—a male she was helplessly drawn to. His broad shoulders flexed as he raked wet hair back from his face.
Her heart continued its hammering. Whether from the dreadful fight moments ago or from this powerful male in front of her, she had no idea. Probably both. Her gaze lowered to the hard planes of his torso, glistening with water, then to his arousal jutting out as unapologetic as the beast itself.
Swallowing hard, she looked away, but even as she tried to calm down, her attention slipped back to him.
Hopeless, truly. He drew her like a moth to flame.
And judging by his body’s reaction…that might not be one-sided. Adrenaline, maybe.
Or her.
Black trousers materialized, snapping her out of her gawking as he drew them on, the fabric low on his lean hips. Long wet hair slipped through his fingers as he braided it and flipped it over his shoulder. He was no less wild, no less dangerous, even partially clothed.
The late sun gilded his skin as he crossed to her, but it was the faint glow in his burning claret eyes—a reminder of the perilous beast that lived just beneath his skin—that both thrilled and terrified her.
“Ash…” He crouched in front of her, his fingertips touching her torn neckline before his warm palm gently cupped one side of her sore face. “It’s over.”
With a shuddering inhale, she threw herself at him, knocking them both onto the sand. “I was terrified when he dragged me off. You weren’t there.”
He sat up and shifted her onto his lap. “No apology can ever make what happened right. The fault’s mine. I shouldn’t have left you to hunt him. The bastard stayed downwind, camouflaging himself with dung.”
She swallowed hard as his darkened gaze skimmed over her, lingering on the left side of her face. He lifted one hand and gently ran a finger over her throbbing jaw, his own tightening. Then he lowered his head and ran his warm tongue along her jaw, over her cheek, and to the corner of her mouth.
Ash froze. She hadn’t expected that. While the throbbing eased, something deeper rushed through her in its wake, and her body hummed in response. “Does it hurt anywhere else?”
“I’m fine…” Before her mind could connect, she reached up and pressed her mouth to his.
He went utterly still.
Ash jerked back, mortified, heat flooding her face. He was healing you, idiot. “It’s… I, er, just want to thank—”
His hand closed on her nape, tugging her closer again. A growl rumbled in his chest as his mouth claimed hers—not gentle or careful—but with a need that set her blood on fire.
He tasted of fresh water and burnt embers, of absolute decadence.
Ash melted into him as his tongue caressed hers, prompting a moan from her in response to his sensual sucking connecting straight to her core. She kissed him with equal desire, her fingers tangling into his damp hair.
A low growl rumbled in his chest, and something primal ignited between them, fierce and consuming. He flipped her onto the sand, settling between her thighs and bracing himself on his forearms, pinning her with that molten stare. Heat and hunger burned in those claret depths, stealing her breath.
He kissed her again, deeply, thoroughly. His body pressed against hers, a wall of heat, and she arched up, sliding her fingers down his naked back, pulling him closer. His hard cock pressed against her core, drawing a whimper from her throat.
God, yes. Her legs locked around him as he rocked into her. Ash moved with him, desire gripping her in a merciless vise—
A snarl erupted, then he was gone.
The sudden emptiness stole her breath.
Ash lay panting, her body humming with need, her lips still tingling as she stared at the space where he’d been.
What just happened?
She’d kissed men before, but never like that, never with such a primal need to crawl inside someone and never leave. Not even Paul—whom she thought she loved and had been engaged to for a year—made her this…wild.
What the hell had he done?
Race paced the bank, fists shoved deep into his pockets, the lake lapping quietly against the shore. Her taste, her scent clung to him, haunting him.
She’d kissed him out of gratitude.
Gratitude?
He didn’t freaking want her thanks. He wanted—
Dammit! He couldn’t get more involved than he already was. He didn’t want this.
Vaesarra is passst, his dragon huffed. You chose her. Assshaya, mine.
Race ignored his beast as he paced the water’s edge. The urge to dive back into the icy waters to cool his throbbing body took hold, but he pushed it aside.
She locked mouths with you. Wants ussss, too, his beast pressed, relentless.
Race glared at the rippling surface of the water, his jaw aching from holding himself in check.
A growl rippled under his skin. Mate.
I don’t want a mate. Dammit.
He glanced back. Ash sat curled on the sand, knees to chest, her chin resting on them, watching him. Late afternoon sunlight bronzed her skin, setting her inky hair aglow—and those pale eyes ensnared him, brighter than anything else in the world.
She was breathtaking. Too much temptation in one fragile body.
Staring will not fix anything, his dragon rumbled.
Arguing with his beast was like banging his skull against a rock. You’re a pain in my ass.
Finally, you admit what you are—an ass.
Unable to shut off his other side, Race strode over to her. “C’mon. We need to get out of here.”
She didn’t move. Those striking eyes stayed fixed on him, a trace of desire still visible there. But more, he sensed a tinge of hurt in her, too.
He had to clench his jaw not to apologize, because he didn’t fucking regret the kiss!
Just everything else that made this impossible. Honesty would probably send her running, and he didn’t want to lie to her, so he shut it.
Ash slowly lifted her head, and her throat worked. “Race—”
“We have to go,” he cut her off, glancing at the sky, not wanting to talk about what happened, mostly because he didn’t want to scare her with the dark truth—that he could never take a human as a lover. “This spot is too open. We can be seen easily.”
One feminine eyebrow arched. “Oh, right. Because us rolling in the sand was ever so subtle. Makes sense.”
“Ash,” he growled.
“Oh, stop snarling, would you?” she said, ignoring his outstretched hand. “Looks like staring at the lake didn’t clear your head much, did it?”
He had to bite back a huff. That dry wit of hers would ruin him if he weren’t careful.
She grasped his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. No mess, no drama. She brushed the sand from her delectable backside, then leveled him with a quiet look. “Thanks, by the way, for rescuing me from that nasty, smelly shifter.”
A cool thanks now? After she’d been panting beneath him, kissing him like—
His dragon’s rumbling chuckle hauled him back from dangerous ground. This is fun.
Shut up.
Being so close to her was messing with his mind, but remembering the Rust dragging her away, Race wanted to kill him again.
“You need to learn how to work your abilities,” he said. “Be able to call on them when needed, so you can kill fuckers like the Rust.”
She sighed. “Yeah, perhaps.”
Race slipped his arm around her, but she put a palm on his chest, keeping a bit of space between, setting his teeth on edge.
He dematerialized them.
The moment they reformed back at the cave, she stepped away and froze, her gaze fixed on the trail of flattened trees and churned earth where he and the Rust had torn down the slope.
“He’s dead,” he murmured, his irritation falling away. “It’s safe now.”
Her gaze rushed back to his. “How do you know? He said he was hunting you because you killed his brother. Said I’m his blood claim.
He caught your scent in the alley, leading him here.
But then he saw me, and of course, he thought, why not?
Being a sought-after human, I would fetch a lovely price, filling his coffers with gold. ”
Anger reignited, and dragonfire blazed through him. The bastard! It took everything in him to pull that rage deep into his gut, and not torch down the forest.
“I can’t believe you actually killed someone in the few minutes I was gone shopping.” She shook her head.
“And you ended up in a dangerous argument with a she-dragon, so?”
She let out an annoyed sigh, rubbing her side absently, her gaze fixed on the ruined slope.
Race frowned as she continued stroking her ribs, then it hit. He’d healed the bruise on her face, but apparently she had more. “Why the hell didn’t you say your side hurt when I asked?”
“My face hurt more. And you took care of it, most thoroughly, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at her snark. Then her shoulders sagged, and she deflated on an exhale. She lowered her hand from her waist. “I’ll be fine.”
Ash had a way of pissing him off. He caught the hem of her tunic and lifted—
“Hey!” She smacked his hand away, glaring, that fighting spirit back. “Stop that. I can see to myself. Besides, where was the time to check for wounds when you scooped me off to the lake? Then the regrettable kiss happened.”
Don’t react. Don’t—
“Regrettable?” the word rumbled free before he could stop it. “Funny. You didn’t seem regretful when you kissed me back.”
She scowled, then shrugged. “Yeah, well. It’s not every day I get to kiss dragons. Actually, never. Say, do all dragons kiss like you? Makes a girl want to rip her clothes off and get right on with it.”
She was baiting him now.
“I wouldn’t know,” he ground out.
“No matter.” She waved it away and strolled to the edge of the demolished trees. “That absurd little madness with you has passed…”
His dragon chuffed in amusement and settled in.
“Don’t,” he bit out, fighting the urge to show her just how fucking not absurd their kiss was. “I will tend to your wounds.”
She turned, her eyebrow arching, then she threw her arms wide. “Oh, very well. Have a go—paw at me.”
“I’m not pawing you,” he growled, lifting up the hem of her torn tunic and the tank top she wore beneath it. A sharp hiss escaped him, faced with the fist-sized reddening bruise over her ribs. “And you let me lie on you?”
“I’m quite all right—” She glanced down. Her face paled. “Oh.”
Struggling to keep his fury locked, he scanned her, picking up more bruises on her hips as well, because asking Ash was like trying to get his stubborn dragon to explain what drove him toward this female.
His beast chuffed.
This close to her, traces of her lingering, musky arousal ignited like tinder within him, refusing to die.
Teeth gritted, he held his palm over the large bruise, letting his worthless, minuscule, healing, silvery blue light seep into her abraded skin.
Licking her would have been faster, but she wouldn’t allow that now—
“What are you doing?” She jerked free, her eyes wide.
“Healing you.” He flexed his fingers. “It’s an ability. Similar to when I licked your wrists. Come back here. Let me finish.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Gingerly, she pressed her palm to her side, eyeing him curiously. “Do all dragons possess this, er, ability to heal others?”
“No. Just me. Only for small injuries.”
Confusion flickered across her beautiful face. “Why only you?”
Tell her the truth? He settled for part of it. “Because Gaia, the ancient goddess to whom we swore allegiance as Guardians, bestowed us with a few abilities.”
She blinked, brushing back her wavy hair. “You’re lucky, then.”
“Luck. It depends on what you think luck is—”
The familiar, unwelcome sensation of steel brushes scoured his psyche.
Dammit. He pushed Ash behind him and summoned his obsidian dagger as three figures emerged from the trees.
Those relentless bastards had found him again.