by Tina Folsom
“But I have a legitimate reason,” Kim protested. “I’ll die, and you won’t. I mean, that’s a pretty big reason.”
“Sure, it would be,” Manus conceded. “If it were true.” He stepped closer again.
“But—”
“You met Tessa, Winter, and Leila. They’re mated to immortals. I thought you understood. In fact, I assumed you talked to one of them to ask about this. Women talk about all kinds of stuff. They could have told you that once you’re bonded to me, you won’t age anymore.”
“Uh, what?” Now she was the one who didn’t understand. “Are you saying Tessa and the others won’t age because they’re married to a Stealth Guardian?”
“Not married,” he corrected, “bonded. It’s stronger than marriage, and yes, it allows the Stealth Guardian’s partner to draw from his immortality. Did you really think that any of my colleagues would have tolerated you staying here with me if they didn’t expect me to make it official like they did? I wasn’t going to just fuck you and then toss you aside when I had enough.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s not possible because I’ll never get enough of you.”
Her eyes widened, and she felt her chest expand. Was this possible? If it was, they could have a future together.
“So, here’s my counteroffer. Instead of breaking up, I want you to look into your heart and tell me what you feel for me. And if it’s love, then bond with me, be with me for eternity. If it’s not true love, walk away, because if we bond and one of us doesn’t feel true love for the other, the ritual will kill us both.”
Kim sucked in a quick breath and searched his eyes. “Both have to feel true love?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying you feel that for me?” She felt her eyes moisten with tears. Was it possible this warrior loved her the way she loved him?
Suddenly, Manus touched her cheek and caressed it softly. “Oh, Kim, I’m an idiot. I forgot to tell you the most important thing.” He took her face into both his hands. “I love you, Kim, with all my heart, my soul, with every fiber of my immortal being.”
“Oh, Manus…” She didn’t know what to say because her heart was overflowing with emotions.
~ ~ ~
Manus felt his heart pound as if it wanted to leap out of his chest. “If you need more time, if you’re not there yet, I’ll wait for however long it takes.”
A tear loosened from her eye and rolled down her cheek. “There’s no need to wait.” She sniffled. “I know what I feel, what I’ve felt for a while now. I never thought it would happen so quickly. But when you showed me who you really are, what’s really inside you… I fell in love with you in that moment. And every day, I love you more.”
Manus let out the breath he’d been holding, allowing his heartbeat to normalize. “You make me the happiest man in the world by saying that.” He brought his face close to hers, ready to kiss her, but Kim hadn’t said yet what he needed her to. “Does that mean you’ll have me? As your immortal mate? Forever and ever?”
“I can’t think of anything I want more,” Kim murmured and slid her arms under his robe, wrapping them around his back.
Feeling her hands on his bare skin ignited his passion for her in an instant. He pulled her against his chest and slanted his lips over her mouth, capturing it. Kim met him eagerly, responding to his kiss like she’d done the nights before though this time everything was different. This time, he knew that her kiss meant total acceptance of everything he was. Total acceptance of his scars, those outside and those inside.
Kim tasted of everything that was good in this world, everything that was right. Her scent and her taste seeped into every cell of his body, marking him, branding him so he would never want any other woman. He understood now what his brethren had experienced when they’d found their mates, when they’d secured their mates’ affections. He’d finally found the one person who understood him and loved him despite everything.
He drew Kim closer to him, placing one hand on her backside to press her against his rampant cock, letting her know what he needed from her now. A moan was her response, and he gobbled it up like the greedy bastard he was. He rubbed his cock against her stomach, eliciting another moan from her, while he felt her heartbeat accelerate and drum against his chest to rival his own. Two hearts beating for one another. Soon they would be one.
Kim seemed as impatient as he because she now tugged on his robe and pushed it off his shoulders, forcing him to remove his hands from her. But not for long. As soon as his robe dropped to the floor, he pulled her back against his body. He reached for her ass again and hiked up her short nightgown. She wore no panties. Bare skin greeted his palms, and he ripped his mouth from hers and let out a breath.
“Babe,” he murmured, “I can’t promise you that I’ll last long the first time tonight, but I can promise you that you’ll never experience anything more amazing.”
Kim chuckled softly, and the sound felt like warm water trickling down his spine. “Then get to work, warrior.”
He didn’t need another invitation. He gripped the seams of her nightgown and pulled it over her head, then tossed it to where his robe had landed. For a moment, he just feasted his eyes on Kim’s naked beauty. She was perfect in every way. The perfect contrast to him.
When he suddenly felt her thumbs hook into the waistband of his boxer briefs, he realized he’d been staring more than just a few seconds. Long enough for Kim to take matters into her own hands. She pushed his boxer briefs down, and he helped her and stepped out of them.
Cool air blew against his hard cock, but only for a moment. Kim was already wrapping her palm around him, making him hiss in a breath.
“Fuck!”
He was more than just sensitive tonight. Anticipation of what was going to happen tonight had made him hyper-receptive to Kim’s touch.
“You’re like a Roman candle,” she murmured, giving his cock a slow tug while she brought her lips to his. “Am I doing that to you?”
He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her against him. “You little minx, you know full well what you’re doing to me.” He kissed her hard and deep, then lifted her up into his arms and walked to the bed, where he slowly lowered her onto the mattress and caged her beneath him.
Her legs fell open, providing a space for him. And like he’d done the nights before, he accepted the offer and slid between her thighs while he braced himself on his elbows and knees.
When he looked into her face, Kim was looking right at him.
“How does the bonding ritual work?”
Manus brushed a few strands of hair from her face. “Remember the night we made love in the dry cleaners shop?”
“Yes.”
“I poured my virta into you and made you shimmer golden. It’s like that.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you saying we already bonded that night?”
He laughed softly. “No, we didn’t. There was one thing missing that night. One thing you’ll have to do to make us one forever.”
She lifted her hand to his cheek and caressed it. “And what is that?”
“When I give you my virta, you’ll place your hand over my heart and send it back to me. It’ll complete the cycle.”
“But how do I do that?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll feel it.” It was an instinct, even though she was human. His virta would guide her. “You’ll feel me. My soul, my heart, my love for you.”
He noticed a wet sheen draw over her eyes. “I saw your soul that night. I felt it.”
Manus smiled at her. “And tonight, I’ll feel yours.” Slowly, he drew his hips back and adjusted his cock. A moment later, the tip of it touched Kim’s moist folds. Without breaking eye contact, he pushed them apart and sank into her tight channel, allowing her interior muscles to squeeze him on his descent into pure bliss.
Kim’s eyelids fluttered, and a breath rushed from her lungs. “Oh, yes.”
Manus clenched his jaw. The feeling of being inside her, inside his mat
e, was quickly robbing him of his self control. He’d thought that he would make love to her for a good while before he poured his virta into her, but he’d miscalculated. The urge to give his essence to her was stronger than the night at the dry cleaners, stronger because he knew that tonight they’d form their unbreakable bond. As soon as Kim had agreed to it, it couldn’t happen fast enough for him.
With his Stealth Guardian powers, he willed the air around them to turn into a fog-like substance that cocooned them, protected them so nobody could harm them in their hour of deepest vulnerability. It shielded them from the outside and dulled everything around them, letting their surroundings melt into the background until it was only the two of them, floating on a bed of softness.
Manus began to thrust in and out of her, but with his third thrust, his control snapped and virta started to burst from him and seep into Kim. He could see it, feel how it permeated her cells, how it spread in her body, how it rose to her skin and turned it golden. The shimmer was tantalizing and made the air around them glow golden.
Kim arched her back, letting a deep breath escape from her throat. Wide-eyed, she stared at him, love and lust shining from her eyes in equal measure.
Without him having to prompt her, she placed her hand on his heart. He slowed his movements and watched his lifeforce travel from the center of her body to her shoulder, then down her bicep, and farther down still. When he saw the brilliant light reach her wrist, he braced himself. A second more, and his virta, now mingled with Kim’s own lifeforce, reached her fingers. And from their tips, little electrical charges exploded and penetrated his skin, his muscles, his ribcage to find their way to his heart.
Shudders made his body tremble uncontrollably, spasms made him climax instantly, causing his cock to plunge faster and deeper into her. They were connected now, forever irrevocably bonded to one another.
He let out a moan and threw his head back, receiving more of their now shared virta. And with it he saw what he’d been craving for: a glimpse of Kim’s soul. Pure and white, full of goodness and love. And he saw the grief for her mother, the grief that would always be there. Only now, it was surrounded by love, cocooned by it so it would never cause her pain again. And in his own heart he felt the same now. The pain the loss of his parents had caused him was now vanishing, but the memories remained intact, the love for them still potent. Because Kim had rescued him.
“And you rescued me,” Kim now said, her gaze connecting with his. “From the demons, from my loss, my pain.”
He smiled at her. Kim understood him because she felt him now. All of him.
“I’ll always rescue you. Because without you, I’m only half a man.”
Kim pulled his face to her. “You’re more than I ever dared hope for. I love you, my warrior, my mate.”
His heart full with love, he sank his lips onto hers, vowing to make this night one they would always cherish.
40
Zoltan closed the old, heavy book with the yellowed pages with a thud. Dust whirled up in the air. Leaning back in his armchair, he looked at the page he’d ripped from the Stealth Guardians’ book. He’d finally translated the few paragraphs that had been written in an old Celtic dialect, one he didn’t speak. After poring over book after book in his underground lair, he’d finally managed to decipher every word and make sense of the sentences.
And what a boon it was! The knowledge contained on this single page was worth a million books. He finally knew one of the most well-guarded secrets of the Stealth Guardians: their portals had been carved with what the book described as the source dagger, a dagger that wasn’t in the Stealth Guardians’ possession anymore. In fact, it hadn’t been theirs for many centuries. They’d lost it. Where, how, not even the Stealth Guardians seemed to know. It meant not only that the guardians were unable to create any new portals, but that whoever found the dagger could create a portal that would automatically connect to all their existing portals.
If he, Zoltan, could find the source dagger, he would be able to create his own portal and invade the Stealth Guardians’ domain with his demons, destroying them from within. He could attack all compounds and private residences of the guardians simultaneously, preventing them from coming to each others’ aid. Total annihilation would be the result. He could wipe the Stealth Guardians from this world so completely that nobody would know they’d ever existed. His victory would be absolute. Nobody would ever question his rule again. Nobody would dare usurp him. His demons would be loyal to the death, worshipping him, because he had delivered them from the Stealth Guardians, defeated the only real opposition they’d ever had.
Finally, the humans would be as vulnerable as sheep without their shepherd. Just like he liked them: weak, unprotected, defenseless. There would be a feeding frenzy. And once all his demons had taken their fill, a new world order would commence. Humans would become slaves. Fear and pain would become their constant companions, turning their lifeforce into perfect nourishment for the demons. For him. He, Zoltan, would take the best morsels for himself, making sure he remained the strongest demon, cementing his power as the Great One.
He’d have a harem of women whose fear he’d feed on, whose bodies he’d ravish whenever it pleased him. He would be their master. Everybody would fear him, more than they feared him now.
And maybe then, when he was stronger, there would be no more debilitating migraines, no more crippling pain that threatened to crush his skull. He would be cured of whatever ailed him and threatened his very existence as the Great One. He was sure of it.
This time, he was certain that he would succeed because not only did the page contain a description of what the source dagger could do, there was also a drawing of what it looked like. It was more than he needed to go on a treasure hunt and find the dagger. And once it was his, once he held it in his palm, the world would be in his palm too.
Soon.
Very soon.
~ ~ ~
Also in this series:
Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1): US or UK
Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians #2): US or UK
Warrior Unraveled (Stealth Guardian #3): US or UK
Guardian Undone (Stealth Guardians #4): US or UK
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Other books by Tina
Samson’s Lovely Mortal (Scanguards Vampires #1): US or UK
Amaury’s Hellion (Scanguards Vampires #2): US or UK
Gabriel’s Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3): US or UK
Yvette’s Haven (Scanguards Vampires #4): US or UK
Zane’s Redemption (Scanguards Vampires #5): US or UK
Quinn’s Undying Rose (Scanguards Vampires #6): US or UK
Oliver’s Hunger (Scanguards Vampires #7): US or UK
Thomas’s Choice (Scanguards Vampires #8) US or UK
Silent Bite (A Scanguards Wedding Novella #8 1/2): US or UK
Cain’s Identity (Scanguards Vampires #9): US or UK
Luther’s Return (Scanguards Vampires #10): US or UK
Mortal Wish (A Scanguards Vampires Christmas Novella): US or UK
Blake’s Pursuit (Scanguards Vampires #11): US or UK
Fateful Reunion (Novella – Scanguards Vampires #11 1/2): US or UK
John’s Yearning (Scanguards Vampires #12): US or UK
A Touch of Greek (Out of Olympus #1): US or UK
A Scent of Greek (Out of Olympus #2): US or UK
A Taste of Greek (Out of Olympus #3): US or UK
A Hush of Greek (Out of Olympus #4): US or UK
Venice Vampyr #1: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #2 Final Affair: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #3 Sinful Treasure: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #4 Sensual Danger: US or UK
Venice Vampyr #5 Wicked Seduction (by Michele Hauf): US or UK
Lawful Escort (Eternal Bachelors Club #1): US or UK
Lawful Lover (Eternal Bachelors Club #2): US or UK
Lawful Wife (Eternal Bachelors C
lub #3): US or UK
One Foolish Night (Eternal Bachelors Club #4): US or UK
One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5): US or UK
One Sizzling Touch (Eternal Bachelors Club #6): US or UK
Short Stories
Steal Me: US or UK
The Wrong Suitor: US or UK
Audio Books
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About the Author
Tina Folsom was born in Germany and has been living in English speaking countries for over 25 years, since 2001 in San Francisco, where she’s married to an American.
Tina has always been a bit of a globe trotter: after living in Lausanne, Switzerland, she briefly worked on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, then lived a year in Munich, before moving to London. There, she became an accountant. But after 8 years she decided to move overseas.
In New York she studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then moved to Los Angeles a year later to pursue studies in screenwriting. This is also where she met her husband, who she followed to San Francisco three months after first meeting him.
In San Francisco, Tina worked as a tax accountant and even opened her own firm, then went into real estate, however, she missed writing. In 2008 she wrote her first romance and never looked back.