AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tipped his lips up into a tired curve. “Can you heal me while you berate me?” Holding up a finger, he said, “I’m not afraid of your magic.”
She refused to let go of her irritation since it felt so much better than the bigger, scarier emotions leaking out of her like a ship going down. “You don’t fear anything, and you’re still butting into what I was saying.”
“Losing you terrified me.” He stared at her with sadness in his sightless gaze, and the gravity of his words pulled her to him, closer than their bodies touched now. No, he’d hooked something deep inside of her where dreams lived and dragged it out into the light. She felt exposed, vulnerable in a way that her near nudity hadn’t made her.
Wanting to cover that raw desire, she reasoned away his explanation. “Because you’re honorable and take care of those under your protection.”
He rumbled a low, deep chuckle that had her body flushing hot. “The things I want to dotoyou are far from honorable.”
“That’s not funny. It’d serve you right if I zapped you a little while healing you.” Not that she could or would, but he shouldn’t play with her feelings. He’d already turned her heart inside out when he’d left her before. “Hold still. Let’s see what I can do.” Pushing down the anxiety about her powers, she let the healing that had flowed through her for so long come to the surface and dance across her fingertips when she smoothed his eyes closed. She tried not to let the memory of so recently doing the same to Kyle mess with her magic.
This time would be different.
This time her subject hadn’t been torn apart by the Order.
This time she would heal instead of hurt.
This time she could give her maybe-mate back what her twisted powers had taken.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Alexei sat in darkness, waiting for his mate’s next touch. Her voice had called him back from death, and now she scolded him for interrupting her diatribe on why she found him worthy of her. If everything didn’t hurt and if he didn’t worry more of the Order might show, he wouldn’t mind stretching this sweet little scene between them for as long as she wanted.
“Here goes,” she whispered. The uncertainty in her voice tugged at his heart. While he believed in her abilities, whatever had caused her powers to kill those guards had shaken his gentle healer’s confidence.
Her magic tingled along his skin, prickles of hot and cold that teased. With aclinkof metal against metal, she swept light touches along his brows and over his closed eyes, and his mind painted trails of starlight in her wake. Usually, Joelle’s glowing symbols reminded him of ancient artwork he’d acquired on the black market. But in this heightened state of senses, she was his sun and moon, stars and sky, the celestial heavens, endless galaxies—all meant for him in his one true mate.
“Let’s try this again,” she said, her breath coming in warm puffs against his lashes and temple. “No cutting me off this time. You’re a demon—fine, demon hybrid—prince expected to rule your father’s kingdom someday. Rich, smart, and charismatic, you have family who love you and friends who would follow you into the hell dimensions. Plus, you’re gorgeous with muscles, killer dark eyes, and wings that you won’t show me.”
“You like the way I look?” Gods, he had needed to hear her say that. The rest ran together in a blur. He wished he could see her expression, read the easy openness of her features. “If I show you my wings, will you say yes to being my mate?” He teased—partly. Whatever it took to get her to agree.
“You’re meant for more than an orphan with weird powers.”
“Don’t talk about yourself that way.” Tightening his grip on her, he wanted to kiss her into silence, but she sent a surge of magic that had him struggling not to wince.
“It’s true. No wonder I couldn’t find my parents even with the help of a voodoo priestess, the witches, and a couple of immortals. Who knows what else might go wrong with my powers? I shouldn’t be risking you right now.”
“I told you that you found your family with me and mine. Your magic saved us, and I won’t let anyone insult my mate.” He bit at her fingers, playfully nipping. “Not even you.”
“Then why did you tell everyone that you didn’t want me.”
“Because I wanted you too much.”
“How can that happen?” she whispered.
So innocent.He would change that. “I’ll claim you—your pretty body, your brilliant mind, your powers, all of you. There will be nothing left of you that I haven’t touched, tasted, and loved. By the time I’ve staked my hold on you, you won’t ever be able to leave me. If you do, I’ll track you down and haul you back. If anyone hurts you, I’ll kill them without hesitation. The next time you risk yourself, I’ll drag you home and tie you to the bed until you realize that you destroy me by putting yourself in danger. You’ll be my world, and I won’t accept less than being your everything.”There. He had told her the truth.Let her run. He would catch her and keep asking until she said yes. She would be his. It was just a matter of time.
Joelle didn’t answer, didn’t move. Hell, he couldn’t hear her breathe. If he hadn’t held her soft curves, if her powers hadn’t been buzzing against his skin, he would have wondered if she’d vanished like one of the fae. Then her mouth touched his, and holy hells, his woman could kiss. She’d said he’d been her first, but she must’ve learned every way to drive him insane in that one night.
With a tender, sweet sweep of her lips against his, she gave a sigh that told him she wouldn’t run. No, she would stay because she might be the toughest, strongest woman he’d ever met, and the fates had picked them to toss together no matter the craziness of the circumstances. Her kiss knocked him harder than any demon-strength hit.
She pulled away, and he licked his lips to steal another taste. Holding still only because she pulsed another wave of magic through him, he imagined all the places he could suck and savor when they got off this damn ship.
“Open your eyes,” she said.
He blinked and saw her beautiful face staring back at him, her worried gaze lit only by the shine of her symbols. “You healed me.”
“Yay, my magic didn’t blow you up.” She sounded as if she was only half-kidding.
