“What about those who threatened your sire?” she countered.
“He’s safe. The rest I can handle.”
He’d somehow managed to get her to move with him in a slow dance, and now she was hyper-aware of his arms banded around her waist, his hard body pressed against hers, along with the part that made him all male. She swallowed. “Who—” She cleared her throat. “Who’s after you?”
He lowered his brow to hers, his long silky hair cocooning them. “Plan to keep me safe,laika?”
Despite the desire coiling in her core for this intractable demon, she refused to let him sidetrack her. “The Bowery is my area of patrol, and the people there are under my protection. I need to know what I could face.”
“Ah. Then it would put me under your protection, too, hmm?”
What?Ely hastily scanned him, letting her senses coast over his psyche… His dark prickling aura brushed hers—
Suddenly she found herself flung out, and she jerked back, gaping at him in shock.
He sighed. “Don’t do that,laika.”
Heat singed her cheeks that he felt her mental trespass. She had no idea what she thought she’d find. He was a demon, and he’d been teasing her as usual.
“I’m a Guardian. It’s my job,” she said, covering up her embarrassment.
He shook his head, his gaze drifting over her face to settle on her lips. “Do you know what I truly want?”
“Probably what you can’t have,” she retorted because she wanted the same thing, too.
He husked out a laugh. “True.”
His lips brushed hers in the lightest of touches, and her breath caught. She’d been kissed before, back on Empyrea, but this… A mere touch of his mouth and every nerve tensed in anticipation.
He lifted his head, eyes glittering like flames igniting. His stare on hers, his fingers slowly slid to her neck, cupping her nape. Ely realized he was giving her a chance to pull back, but she didn’t. Maybe, just maybe, this would reroute her mind and achy body back to normal. Stars, she hoped so.
Then his mouth glided over hers again, lightly sucking her top lip as if savoring her, then licking her lower one before his tongue slid into her mouth, caressing hers in a kiss so sensual, her entire world shifted on its axis.
Nate kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he was starving.
And her shaky control shattered. With a soft moan, she kissed him back, her fingers tangling in his hair. His arms tightened around her, every hard inch of him aligning almost perfectly, his cock a rigid bar pressed between her thighs, causing a wave of need to flood her. He kissed her deeply. Possessively. Surrounding her with his scent and warmth. All she felt was him, and she wanted more…
The ramping beat of music and drums exploded. Ely reared back, panting for air, her mind crashing back to reality and to where she was. In the club. Her body was plastered to his, her fingers tangled in his hair, in a place where any of the Guardians could have walked in and seen them kissing.
Burning topaz eyes held hers with a hunger that had her gulping lungfuls of air. “This…this shouldn’t have happened.”
She’d hoped a kiss would get rid of this attraction like it had with others, but all it did was make her want him more.Goddess, I’m such a fool.
With her mind in turmoil, her body taut with unfulfilled desire, she took off, unable to handle all these new feelings consuming her.
“Ely, wait!”
She ignored Nate’s growl, pushing through the jam-packed bodies on the dance floor and sprinting up the stairs for the exit. Outside the club, she hurried past the waiting revelers, then moved at preternatural speed until she put a fair distance between herself and the nightclub. She stumbled into a recessed warehouse doorway, gulping lungfuls of icy air—
“Ely, I know you’re here!”
Shit! She spun around, chest heaving from her mad sprint, and found Nate filling the tiny space.
“Dammit, Ely. Show yourself.”
She looked down and found only shadows.Oh… She’d let herself become one with the gloom. Inhaling a shaky breath, she took corporeal form.
“Why did you run?” A nerve pulsed on his jaw.
