Something wet smeared his fingers. A fresh flood of copper drifted to him—
He snatched his hands away, staring in horror at the bloody smears marring both sides of her pale hips.
No!
He reared off her and flashed, his back slamming into the far side bedroom wall behind him, his heart hammering against his sternum. Chest heaving, he stared at his splayed fingers and the bloodied, black talons.
I hurt her! Fucking hurt her! Drew her blood!
Pain and despair swamped him, while in another part, deep within, satisfaction rolled through him.
CHAPTER27
“Nate!”Ely twisted around and scrambled to her knees on the bed, her momentary pain forgotten. “I’m fine. Really.”
“No!” He grabbed his hair with clawed fingers, yanking it viciously as if he would rip it out, the horror in his eyes tearing at her. “I hurt you. I fucking hurt you!”
“I’ve already healed. Look.” When he didn’t, she said softly, “Remember, I take a lot more hits, bruises, and bleeding wounds during my job as a Guardian.” She smiled when his head snapped up, and he glared. She knew his anger was self-directed.
This male, who hated everything about himself, meant everything to her.
No, he might not have always walked a straight path in his life, but he didn’t see what she did when she looked at him. Despite his hazardous job, killing for the demon he was bound to, and the dangerous beast side of him, he cared for and protected the people he loved. Aba, Shadow, her…
Ely held out her hand. “Nate, please come back. I want to hold you.”
“How can you so calmly accept what I’ve done to you?”
“A little pain while making love with you, I don’t mind,” she said softly, giving him the truth. “But had it been deliberate, I would already have my dagger in your throat or your heart.”
He stared at her for a second, his chest rising and falling. Then his talons retracted as his anger faded, and he huffed out a laugh, the sound turning her insides to mush.
“I like my female dangerous, who doesn’t give a fuck for rules.”
“Good, because that’s me.”
He leaned against the wall, gloriously naked, but made no move back to her. Heck, she wanted to jump him, but the damn beast might strike again. Instead, she remained on the bed and studied his handsome face, the shape of his tempting mouth, then met his gorgeous twinkling eyes. Her chest fisted into a tight knot…hell, she was falling hard for him.
His smile lingered. Again, the feeling that he reminded her of someone stirred. Try as she might, she still couldn’t place who it was.
Putting it aside for now, she held out her hand, needing him to overcome his fear of hurting her.
Exhaling a massive breath as if fortifying himself, Nate strolled back, the moonlight backlighting his tall, naked form. He hunkered down in front of her, his powerful thighs bulging with muscles, his cock, still hard and flushed darker than his normal bronze skin, jutted out to her. But at the pulsing nerve on his jaw, she knew he had to be in pain, unable to find his release.
Before she could speak, he stroked her hips where he’d unintentionally hurt her, and then his head lowered, and he licked one of the spots, his silky hair stroking her healed skin like caressing fingers. “Your blood tastes like sunshine, like the sweetest nectar, angel.”
And the smile she adored, a little tug of his lips, appeared.
“Nate, let me…” She reached out and stroked his rock-hard length.
“No!” He hissed and fell back on his ass, the vein on his forehead throbbing harder. He shot to his feet, his bearing stiff. His lips tightened as he struggled to block the pain and discomfort from his thwarted release. “Ely, I’m trying to calm the fuck down and get my damn dick to ease up—”
“Well, I don’t want you to suffer.” She moved off the bed, grabbed his hand, and, walking backward, she pulled him along.
His brow lowered, his stare wary.
She smiled.
When her back hit the warm granite wall opposite the bed, she lowered to her heels in front of him, his thick, hard cock at eye level.
