Hunt the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #11)(84)

She shook her head, but he didn’t miss the abrupt sizzle of awareness that heated their bond.

She recalled their first meeting as vividly as he did.

“You didn’t even know me,” she tried to protest. “I was a prisoner that you resented even being near.”

His thumb stroked her bottom lip. “It’s true I resented you, but not for the reason you think.”

“You didn’t want to babysit a witch.”

His lips twisted. That’s what he’d told himself. And anyone else who would listen.

He was supposed to be impervious to his emotions.

“The minute I caught sight of you, I was captivated.”

She made a sound of disbelief. “You were a complete jackass.”

“True.” He could hardly deny his fierce attempt to reject what was happening to him. “I spent several centuries convinced I’d purged my baser instincts. It was an unpleasant shock to have that belief shattered by a tiny scrap of a female with a smartass mouth and enough power to turn me into a newt.”

She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t sound captivated.”

“I couldn’t get you out of my thoughts no matter how I tried,” he continued, his brooding gaze sweeping over her delicate features. That beautiful face had been seared into his brain the moment he’d caught sight of her, tormenting him with a craving to possess her that refused to leave him in peace. “And when I found that damn fairy bringing you a tray of food I nearly ripped out his throat. No one was allowed to take care of your needs but me.” He gave a rueful laugh. “I knew I was in trouble from the start, but I couldn’t stay away.”

A hint of yearning softened her dark eyes, as if longing to believe his confession. And then, abruptly, she was giving a shake of her head, clearly preparing to change the subject.

“Roke . . .”

He swooped down to plunder her mouth with a kiss that stole her words. Her hands instinctively lifted to clutch his shoulders, her lips parting in astonishment. Only when he felt her tremble in answering need did he reluctantly lift his head to study her flushed cheeks.

“That’s better.”

“What are you doing?” she husked.

“You’re going to say something I don’t want to hear,” he confessed.

She made a choked sound. “And you think kissing me is going to stop me from saying it?”

His gaze lingered on her soft lips, his body reacting with predictable enthusiasm to having her near.

“I was hoping for a distraction.”

She jutted her chin to a stubborn angle. “That’s not going to change my mind.”

His hand cupped her cheek. “What will?”

“Roke, I have to do this.”

He growled deep in his throat, frustration slamming through him.

“I still don’t understand why,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

She met his smoldering gaze, silently pleading with him to understand.

“You’re not happy with Zoe, right?”

He went rigid at the mere mention of his former clanswoman. “If she has any sense of self-preservation she’ll be careful not to cross my path,” he snarled.

“But if she was in danger you would rush to her rescue, wouldn’t you?”

His frustration amped up another notch, cracking the marble floor beneath their feet.

“It’s not the same,” he mulishly insisted. “Zoe has been a part of my clan for a very long time.”

“She is your duty,” she insisted. “Just as my father is my duty.”

He was shaking his head before she finished. “You don’t even know for sure he’s your father.”

She blinked, as if startled by his words. “Why would he lie?”

“This could be a trap.”

Her hand lifted to lightly touch his cheek. “There’s only one way to find out.”

He rolled his eyes toward the heavens, knowing he was once again defeated by a tiny female witch with velvet brown eyes and an annoying habit of twisting him around her little finger.

“Shit.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Seated behind his desk, the King of Vampires tapped an impatient finger on the glossy surface.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered, his gaze tracking Roke as he paced from one end of the priceless carpet to the other.

Roke curled his hands into tight fists. He’d left Sally less than a quarter hour ago, unable to sway her stubborn determination to go in search of her father.

“I can’t say I’m particularly happy about it either, but Sally refuses to listen to reason,” he admitted, wondering if this was fate’s way of laughing at him for assuming he could choose a meek, easily trainable mate.

Styx gave a resigned shake of his head. “She’s a woman on a mission.”

“A ridiculous mission.”

Styx winced. “You didn’t tell her that, did you?”

Roke continued his pacing, grimacing at the memory of his mate’s angry response to his attempt to dissuade her from charging into danger.

“Not in so many words,” he muttered.

“Ah.” There was a wealth of censure in Styx’s voice. “A tactical mistake, amigo.”

Roke sent his king a glare. “Thanks, but your words of wisdom come a little late.”