by Jami Gold
Griff dropped his gaze. His hair slipped down and half-hid his face.
“I guess even legendary oracles can be wrong.” His voice plummeted like a boulder, sending ripples of despair across the room.
She stroked his hair back from his temple. “I’m sorry.”
Her thoughts spun in circles, searching for a way to help him. But how could she help in a situation so beyond her understanding? Her catch-up questions were making him more upset, and that definitely wasn’t helpful.
He stepped away from her and moved toward the window. “For too long, I’ve held on to hope. Hope that I’d find my treasure. Hope that I could break the curse. Hope that I wouldn’t live like this forever.” He pinched the heavy fabric between his fingers. “But there’s no hope for me.”
Something about his tone hinted that he was speaking to himself, as though trying to explain his reasons for feeling the way he did. Between his voice and his slumped shoulders, her stomach churned as if she’d eaten raw cookie dough made with bad eggs.
He was thoroughly beaten. He’d given up hope of resolving anything. His treasure. His curse.
His life.
He clenched the blanket tightly, and the churning in her stomach solidified. Her heart beat so fast she couldn’t hear anything but her own pulse. He hadn’t said what the sun would do to him, but she could guess.
She jammed herself between him and the draped material. “Don’t you dare open that window and kill yourself.”
“Why not? Haven’t I suffered long enough?”
Despite his words, his hands dropped from the fabric. He wanted a reason to live.
She wanted to give him one.
Chapter Four
Griff stared at his hand, willing it to leave his side and pull the blanket down and drench the room in deadly sunlight. Kala blocked his way, but she was only human. He could stop her with the ease of flicking a fly.
Her tiny hands caressed his bare chest. Sensations shot through him, energizing his limbs—and his groin. His gaze snapped to her face, where a smile as golden as the sun curved her lips.
“You’re right.” Her hand circled his nipple, eliciting feelings he didn’t know were possible. “You have suffered long enough. All I’m saying is that you should enjoy life a little before you end it all.”
Her fingertips dipped down his chest and skimmed along his waistband. Her meaning was clear enough that his jeans became tight as a certain body part voted for her plan. That wasn’t going to happen.
Logically, he should have broken her hold on his hip and moved back, but she deserved an explanation first. “Gryphons don’t sow wild grains, or whatever the human euphemism is. We take only one mate in our lifetime.”
“And you’ve already taken yours?”
“No, but—”
“Then let it be me. If you still want to kill yourself later, that’s your choice. But until then, live.” She stood on tiptoes, slid her hands behind his neck, and pulled his lips to hers, murmuring, “Let me first help you to live.”
Tingles sparked along his mouth even after she released him, and her challenge swam around his head like a siren’s song. Her offer was beyond tempting, despite going against everything he’d assumed about humans and how his life would unfold.
Would it be so bad to enjoy himself—at least once—before accepting his fate? If his life was forfeit anyway, the short lifespan of this human was irrelevant. And the other prohibition against befriending humans didn’t matter either, as he didn’t have a treasure for her to steal.
His reasons for avoiding her evaporated, and he bent down, giving in to his urges.
His lips grazed hers, slowly, tentatively. He was choosing to take the path that was wrong, yet it all felt right. Too right.
An ache burned in his chest with the desire for more. He once again surrendered and swept his tongue along her lips. She eagerly opened for him, and her taste flooded his mouth.
He absorbed her sweetness, her caring, her goodness and drank freely from everything she’d give him, as though she could somehow make him better by proxy. As though she could somehow make him worthy—worthy of living, worthy of his treasure.
Worthy of her.
She let him pull her into his arms, and her body molded against his. Everything about her was welcoming, accepting—stirring his desires. If only he could ignore the dishonor in his soul from losing his treasure and stay here. Right here.
This was home. This was perfection. This was everything he’d never known he wanted.
Heat burned through him. Although how much was passion and how much was shame at the realization of his yearning, he didn’t know.
How could he want her even more than regaining his treasure? His disgrace was complete.
He didn’t deserve this pleasure. In fact, a quick death was more than he deserved.
His arms dropped, releasing her. She didn’t step away, and he didn’t have the heart to push her away. None of this was her fault.
Rationalizations settled the debate in his head. He’d let her take the lead on when to finish the kiss. After that, he’d send her home so she didn’t have to witness his end. He’d act honorably with her. It was the least he could do.
Regardless of his decision, his body was determined to make the most of the last kiss he’d ever experience, and he sank into the sensations between them. The warmth of her mouth and the promises of her lips.
Despite everything, he wanted those promises fulfilled. He wanted her.
Blood hummed through his limbs, echoing that truth. Her tongue caressed him, her lips branded his mouth, and her stomach cushioned his erection. The kiss wove between gentle and frenzied, liquid and greedy, silken and primal, and he sucked every second of bliss he could from the forbidden pleasure.
His tongue dipped and swirled, claiming every recess of her mouth as his to explore. If only he could lay claim the same way to the rest of her body. He imagined her, naked beneath him, writhing as he gave her the ecstasy she deserved.
A groan rumbled up his throat, and he fisted his hands to keep from grabbing her and prolonging this experience he wasn’t worthy of. This was for her. Not him.
All too soon, she dragged her lips away. After committing the experience to memory, he opened his eyes.
Niall had her in his grasp.
Griff’s chest tightened, and his heartbeat thrashed in his ears. No...
Golden rope bound her mouth and every limb. With his magic, Niall had levitated Kala beside himself and towed her into the kitchen. Her eyes were wide, darting from side to side, but the magic of the bindings held her tight and prevented her attempts to move or speak.
Griff shouted over his booming pulse, “Niall! You little—”
“Ah-ah, my beastly friend. Ye captured me, so it’s only right that I capture somethin’ of yours in return, it is.”
“Do not harm her.”
“You’re not in any place to be ordering me around, Griff.” Niall dangled the key to his cage in one hand and then tossed it to the far side of Kala. He instantly appeared at the target of his aim and caught the key in his other hand. “Now here with this merry find, there’s nothin’ ye can be doin’ to me.”
Griff roared and leaped across to the kitchen. Self-accusations blinded him.
He’d brought Niall here. He’d left the key beside the cage where Niall must have snatched it when no one was looking. He’d yanked Kala into this mess.
Before he got close, Niall and Kala vanished. Griff crashed into the back wall of the kitchen and spun around. Claws extended from his fingertips, ready to grab anything in reach.
Niall and Kala rematerialized by the window, back where Griff had started. A gleam lit the trickster’s eye.
“What would ye be doin’, Griff? This human can’t be that important, can she now? No human be worth gettin’ this upset about.”
Kala’s brows pulled down. Was she worried Griff would agree with the red-bearded menace? The thought of her fear thickened his t
hroat and burned up his gut. He’d done so wrong by her. The first being of any race to care about him, to make him want to live again, and he’d let her come into danger before he even thanked her.
He clenched his jaw. “She is. She’s worth it.”
Though it was the truth, it was the wrong thing to admit to Niall. The tiny man’s expression danced, glee skipping in his eyes.
“Is she now?” Niall ripped the black blanket off the window.
Bright midday sunlight flooded the room, and Griff shrank back into the corner of the kitchen furthest from the glass. In the next second, the glass itself disappeared, and bird song from the courtyard far below drifted through the opening.
No...
Niall’s next move was obvious, and Griff’s pulse raced, desperate to prevent the inevitable. Griff scanned the room. How could he stop Niall? Nothing jumped out at him. Nothing came to mind.
Nothing could save Kala.
“Don’t do it.” Please don’t do it.
Niall tilted his head. “Don’t be doing what now?” His innocent act didn’t last. “This?”
He materialized outside the window, levitating seven stories above the pool patio, Kala at his side. No sound escaped her mouth from behind the magical ropes, but her throat jumped with her effort to scream regardless.
Griff tensed, his muscles vibrating and twitching. Despite her bindings, Kala’s head trembled, and her eyes warned him off from a rescue, as though she’d rather die than see him end his life in a one-way attempt to save her. Her reaction just proved the depth of her giving nature, of her inner strength—strength far beyond his physical power.
Niall hooked his finger around one of the cords, making a show of his plan to release her. “Is she important enough to die for, my friend?”
Every cell in Griff’s body answered. Yes.
Yes, she was worth protecting.
She was worth guarding.
She was a treasure.
Griff pounced from the kitchen, covering the length of his apartment in one stride. He pushed off the window frame into the sunlight. Charred blisters erupted on his skin. He ignored the pain and swept his arms forward.
A hand’s length beyond Griff’s grasp, Niall grinned and released Kala. She plummeted toward the ground below, her eyes wide with terror.
Griff dove after her, but she was just out of reach. He stretched his claws into long talons, refusing to give up, refusing to give into the agony searing his body. The curved hook of one fingertip snagged her jeans in midair. The ground rushed toward them fast.
Too fast.
He twisted, flipping her upright, and wrapped his still-humanoid arms around her. Wings burst from his back, stretching out under the flapping hem of his open shirt. Air caught under his giant wings, and they swooped over the thankfully deserted pool patio. A flap secured her rescue and sent them skyward again, up toward the now-welcoming, healing, strength-giving sun.
Niall appeared beside them and winked. “There be your wish for catchin’ me, my friend.”
He disappeared before Griff could respond. Although whether he’d thank Niall or kill him, he didn’t know.
Another flap brought them level with the top of the apartment building, and he gently set Kala down on the flat roof. He landed beside her and withdrew his wings and all but one claw.
His face grew warm at the thought of what she’d seen, blackened boils—which had now fully healed and disappeared, thank the Maker—covering a human-looking creature who had sprouted wings and claws. Not to mention that she’d been in mortal danger because of him. He wouldn’t blame her one bit for never wanting anything more to do with him.
Instead, as soon as his remaining claw sliced off Niall’s ropes, she sucked in a breath and threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”
“You’re...” He paused. Maybe he shouldn’t give her any ideas. But he had to know. “You’re not angry with me for nearly getting you killed?”
A moment passed without an answer. Tension built in his gut, but he refused to acknowledge the worry. At least he was getting another chance to hold her while her breathing settled.
After a final sigh, she moved back a half-step and met his gaze. “None of that was your fault.” She smiled, outshining the golden sunlight around them. “I came back to your apartment and chose to be involved, remember? Besides, you’re not to blame for Niall’s actions, and you chose to save me, even though it was supposed to kill you. How could I possibly be mad at you?”
When she put it that way... The bands around his chest loosened a fraction.
She played with a lock of his hair, letting the sun’s rays bounce off the strands. “So does this mean you’re not cursed anymore?”
He brushed his fingers over her cheek. The curse seemed the least of the ways she’d already changed him.
“The Great Owl was right. Niall did help me find what I needed. He taught me how to recognize a new treasure to guard and protect.”
Her smile broadened into a grin. “Good.” Her gaze dropped to his lips. “Now where were we before he so rudely interrupted us?”
“I think I was about to do this.” He pulled her tight against his chest and lifted her into his arms, guiding her legs around his hips.
Their lips met, and she pulled him harder against her. Warmth flooded his chest, filling the void in his soul. Yes, this was where he belonged.
She stroked his mouth with her tongue, staking her claim with a ferocity that contrasted with her softness. Her hands explored every inch of him she could reach, and her moans reinvigorated a certain part of his anatomy. A rumble shook his chest, and he slipped his hands under the back of her shirt.
For the first time, he felt alive. Truly alive. No matter how long they had, every moment with her was a gift.
She was undoubtedly more valuable than anything else he could imagine.
A treasure.
Thank you for reading Unintended Guardian! Keep flipping pages for a sneak peek at the next book in the Mythos Legacy series.
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Treasured Claim, the first novel-length story in the Mythos Legacy series, features a dragon-shifter heroine and releases Spring 2015.
Available for pre-order!
Desperate for treasure,
a dragon resorts to thievery,
but a knight steals her heart.
A shapeshifting dragon on the verge of starvation...
For Elaina Drake, sparkling jewels aren’t a frivolous matter. Without more treasure for her hoard, she’ll starve. On the run from her murderous father, she’s desperate enough to steal—er, acquire.
A modern-day knight seeking redemption...
Disgusted by his father’s immorality, Alexander Wyatt, Chicago’s biggest corporate titan, is determined to be a man of honor. Yet the theft of a necklace, stolen by an exotic beauty at his latest fundraiser, threatens to destroy all his charitable work.
A predator made prey...
Passion ignites between thief and philanthropist, sparking a game of temptation where jewelry is the prize. But when Elaina’s exposure jeopardizes Alex’s life, she must choose: run again to evade her father—or risk both their lives for love.
Flip the page to read an excerpt...
Chapter One
Jewelry trickled through Elaina Drake’s fingers, scattering reflections across the peeling linoleum of her bathroom floor. Each piece hinted at how she’d acquired it for her collection—a broken clasp on a silver chain, earrings missing their backs, a loose sapphire she’d rescued from a sink drain. But the precious ornaments la
cked the satisfying clink of gold coins when they landed in the safe-box at her knees.
Humans didn’t make treasure like they used to. Such a shame.
She curled her fist around the last trophy: a brilliant ruby, almost the size of her palm. A weak dribble of energy from her talisman inched up her arm. She squeezed the gem harder.
It didn’t help.
A sluggish rhythm still beat in her chest, and gnawing starvation still chilled her limbs. The pathetic recharge from her collection would barely keep her heart alive through the evening, much less until she happened to find another abandoned prize to claim.
Damn it. Her hand slumped to her lap, and she sat back on her heels. She didn’t blame her ruby talisman. Neither it nor its sparkling companions had anything left to give.
Restraining her impulses was no longer an option. If she didn’t take advantage of her natural talent to score an addition for her hoard at tonight’s party, she deserved to die.
“Okay, I’ll bring home a new friend for you.” She kissed the gemstone. “I promise.”
Thievery wasn’t as bad as committing murder, right? Besides, she’d already weakened herself by selling off a bracelet to buy an outfit for the ruse. For once, embracing her danger junkie instinct despite the risk of exposure was logical.
One brilliant success coming up. Or a deadly failure. One of the two for sure.
She placed her ruby in the lockbox and stroked the facets in a final caress. Habit propelled her fingers through the steps required to protect the metal case: Activate triple security locks on the safe, insert the false bottom of the filing cabinet in her bathroom’s closet, and engage the cabinet’s deadbolt, which fell into place with a thud.
Full-strength dragons would laugh at the feeble defensive measures, but it wasn’t as if she could afford anything better. Where was a hidden mountain cave when she needed one?