“Then why is she here?” I asked again. I didn’t really care about the reason. She smelled absolutely divine, and I intended to taste her regardless of her reason for being here.
Right place, right time, and all that.
“Do you want to be my gift, little warrior?” I whispered against her ear, my palm slipping back down to her abdomen and to the hem of her shirt. “Because I think unwrapping you would be quite fun indeed.”
I slid my thumb beneath the fabric to trace the soft skin of her stomach. Ajax attempted to pull my hand away again, causing the little warrior to dig her nails into his skin.
He grabbed a fistful of my hair with his opposite hand and yanked my head away from her neck.
I growled, my beast furious about having his treat taken from him.
“Az.” Ajax sounded unbelievably calm again. “You can’t take her in this mood.”
On the contrary, I could absolutely take her in this mood. And the way she whimpered told me she’d love every minute of it.
My Phoenix purred for her as I tried to return my face to her neck, but Ajax’s grip in my hair held me back.
I met his burning gaze, the smoldering rims reminding me of blue fire. “Let. Go.”
“No.” He tightened his hold instead. “Use me. Not her.”
My Phoenix evaluated the option, taking in the water droplets dancing down his torso and the towel at his waist. He was very tempting. Beautiful, too.
But he didn’t smell as sweet as the morsel beside me.
“She’s part human, Az.” Ajax’s tone remained soft, almost coaxing. “You’ll kill her in this mood.”
I cocked my head, stirring a stinging sensation from his hold on my hair. But I ignored it, my Phoenix considering his statement. A tendril of energy slipped out from my soul to gently prod at the female, curious. “No.” The word left my mouth with a conviction I felt to my very core. “She’s stronger than she looks.” I could taste her power, that underlying vitality that marked her as far more than human.
I yanked away from Ajax’s hold, my fingers going to her chin to drag her gaze to mine.
“What are you, little warrior?” I wondered aloud. “You certainly don’t feel human at all.”
Her tongue dampened her lower lip, her pupils large and dark and bleeding lust into her expression. “My father is a Hell Fae.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes. I’m very aware of that.”With the power to evade my Phoenix.My grasp on her turned brutal. “What is his heritage? What mix?”
She winced from my grip, her hand finding my wrist again. This time her fingers touched my skin rather than Ajax’s. He’d released me entirely but remained right before us, his protective energy exciting my Phoenix.
Because it told me he liked her.
Hewantedher.
And I could see why.
She was powerful. Beautiful.A fighter.
Something she evidenced now by digging her nails into my skin in a manner similar to Ajax’s just moments ago. “You’re hurting me.”
“Yes.” My focus dropped to her mouth as she licked her lips again. “You like it.” I could sense it in her scent, her interest a blossoming flower in the room that drugged my senses.
She dug her nails in more. “I don’t like bruises.”
“What do you like, then?” I asked, deciding that was more important than the other question. Mostly because my Phoenix wanted to know how to please her. A strange desire, as I rarely wanted to please anyone other than myself. But there was something about this female that had my animal intrigued, and I would never deny his urges.
I gentled my grip to demonstrate that I knew how to listen, causing her nostrils to flare in response.
She likes my acknowledgment, I thought.Good.
