Taggart sat by the fire, his shirt wadded in one hand, his chin propped in the other. What would he say when she awakened? He scratched the stubble along his jaw. Merlin’s beard, why in the name of all things holy had he blurted out his age? A groan rumbled free of him. Wait until she discovered the truth about his lifespan, and that he wasn’t exactly human and didn’t belong on this side of the portal. He threw his shirt aside and raked both hands through his hair. Bloody hell, the date of his birth was not the worst of his secrets.
He eyed her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. She still lay unconscious, curled on her side under the blanket by the fire. Holy blazes, her beauty by the flickering light stole his breath. Her skin glowed as though she burned from within.
Hannah stirred, clawed at the blanket, then shivered. He leaned closer, studying her. Was she unwell? Had she become over-chilled when she fainted after swimming in the icy spring? Or maybe the journey from Jasper Mills had been harder for her than he thought.
He touched the curve of her throat behind her ear. “Demon spit,” he hissed. Her skin almost seared his flesh. Poor lass burned withfever. Exhaustion must have lowered her defenses, left her vulnerable to some sort of ague.
He stripped back the blanket and unbuttoned her shirt, hesitating but a moment before pressing his palm against her chest. Her feverish eyes flew open, and she squeaked a weak, mewling protest.
“Hush now, lass. I only mean to heal ye. Remember how I helped the wee pup back at yer office? Close yer eyes and open to the warmth of my touch. My energy will draw the ague from yer bones.”
She reached for his face, her hand trembling. Her breathing came in short, uneven gasps. “What? Who?” The tip of her tongue ran across her too red lips. She patted her fingertips across his mouth, while wriggling closer and arching to press her bareness against him. “So cold. I am so cold.”
He clenched his teeth and bit back a groan. He had to heal her. Ignore the temptation of her fine breasts shoved against him and heal her. He repeated the words over and over in his mind. “Ye must be still, ye ken? I canna concentrate when ye wiggle.”
She slid her hands around his waist and climbed her fingers up his back. Once she reached his shoulders, she pulled herself tighter against him and nestled her face in the crook of his neck. Then she nibbled along his jaw and curled a leg around him. “I am so cold. Hold me and get me warm. Please? ” Her voice trailed off and her fevered breath tickled the skin beneath his ear.
She had him trapped. The fullness of her supple lips grazing along his throat stole the air from him. She reached up and touched his face again, scratching her fingernails through the stubble. He should not allow this. He must set her aside. Forbid it. He was the Protector. “Hannah . . .”
Her fingers tangled in his hair; she pulled his head down to hers. Her mouth covered his and invited him in with her tongue. She tasted hot and sweet as the fire burning behind them. He lost the battle and crushed her to his chest, burying his hands in the silk of her hair. She welcomed him, molding her body to his as she poured a throaty moan into his mouth.
He tore himself away from her fiery lips and kissed his way downher throat. With a trembling hand, he cupped her breast, teasing a circle around her hardening nipple with his tongue. Eyes half-closed; she arched against him, writing beneath his touch. She cradled his head in her arms and pulled him harder against her, urging him on. As she reached down to fumble with his pants, she gave him a wicked smile.
“Jake.”
“Jake?”
Taggart froze, then pulled back from her, blinking down into her fevered gaze. Bloody hell! The fever had addled her mind. Here he was about to break his pledge, and she didn’t even know it was him! Demon spit. What the devil had he been thinking?
A loud snort escaped him. He knew what he had thought and exactly what he thought with. Hell fire and Draecna scat! He pushed down his aching cock and rolled to stare up at the stars. After another glance at her parted lips and half-closed eyes, he sent another silent curse into the starlit night. By the gods and all that was magical, he would heal her this time, and there would be no more distractions! He clenched his teeth, plastered his outspread hand on her face, and pressed her back down into the blankets.
She sputtered and kicked, slapping his wrists to get free.
“Still yerself, woman!” He grabbed her flailing arms with his other hand and held them over her head. A bright, golden glow came from his fingers, covered her face, then flowed all around her head.
She grew still and soon the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest told him she finally slept. He laid his hand between her breasts and drew the fever from her body. As he lifted it, he glared down at her while clenching and unclenching his fists. He had almost done it, almost broken the pact. Almost tossed it all aside, just so he could feel alive again one more time. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t resist tracing a fingertip across her cooling cheek. He drew a shaking breath and damned the burning ache throbbing through the entirety of him. His gaze raked across the rest of her frame, and he almost groaned, remembering the softness of her breasts.
Pure madness! He tore himself away, stomped to the edge of theclearing, and grabbed more wood for the fire. “Gearlach!” he bellowed into the silent darkness. “Where the hell are ye, ye oversized lizard?”
“I am right here. Must ye bellow? We Draecna do not have the weak hearing of ye half-deaf hybrids, ye ken?” Gearlach emerged from behind a pile of boulders, scrubbing his fangs with a branch ripped from a nearby pine.
“Watch over her!” he ordered through clenched teeth with a jerk of his head in Hannah’s direction.
Gearlach shrugged a half-spread wing, then continued picking at his teeth as he settled down beside the fire. “I can watch over the lass if ye like. But where will ye be?”
“Just watch over her.” He stomped down the narrow trail leading to the secluded springs and didn’t bother stripping before diving into the deepest end of the icy pool.
Something pokedher in the ribs. Hannah shifted on the thin pallet covering the cold, hard ground. That felt worse—now it jabbed her even higher. Either a sharp rock or a clump of dirt hit her right above the kidney. The chilly night breeze fluttered her hair across her face and invaded the folds of the plaid gathered loosely about her neck. She shivered, pulled the woolen blanket tighter around her, and scooted over again.
Barely opening an eye, she searched for any source of heat. The dwindling flames of the dying fire made her clench her teeth. No wonder she was so cold. A hard shiver started her teeth chattering until she almost bit her tongue. That fire needed stoking with a lot more wood. Time to build the inferno. She yanked the blanket closer around her shoulders and rolled to scan the clearing.
“Taggart?” Her call echoed off the sheer cliff wall and faded into the darkness.
The dark woods remained murky and silent except for the wind shushing through the swaying pines. She swallowed hard against apassing moment of homesickness, missing the sweet night songs of her mountain. The chirp of the crickets. Theching-a-chingof the katydids in the trees. Why had she left her safe little sanctuary and wandered halfway around the globe?
“Taggart!” she shouted again. Still no response. He appeared to be missing in action. Must have needed to pee or something. She rubbed her nose with another irritated shiver. The limestone shelf beneath her radiated the cold, and the fire burned as low as an old birthday candle. A frustrated huff escaped her. She would have to get the wood herself.
She rolled to her feet, clutching the blanket around her. The coarse wool scratched against her bare skin. Bare skin? She peered down into the folds of the heavy blanket. A gasp escaped her. Her blouse was ruined, hanging from her shoulders in shreds. The buttons were gone, and the holes tattered.
