by Dannika Dark
I straightened up. “Nah. I think they’ll be okay.”
He looked over his shoulder and gave me a complicated look. “Why the change of heart?”
I shrugged. “If he really loves her, he’ll do what’s best for her no matter what. Joshua thinks he can give her a better life. Who are we to say he can’t? Maybe Carol would have been safer in that utopia they’ve got underground, but nothing beats family. She’s never had that before. This might be the worst decision she ever makes, but what’s the point of dragging her back if she’ll just find a way to escape? Reuben said this place isn’t a jail, but to her it will be. Besides, now that Viktor knows how to find Joshua’s family, I suspect he’ll be checking up on her.”
“To be sure.” Christian looked down at me with a hint of concern. “Maybe you should see a Relic.”
“For what?”
“That light show earlier with your hands. You might have a leaky battery.”
I rubbed my palms. “Real funny.”
Christian straightened up and faced me, causing me to do the same. “Do you see me laughing? I’ve not seen that color before—not from a Mage.”
Usually the light was blue or sometimes white, but sparkling gold?
“I’m just tired,” I said, blowing it off. “It’s been a long trip.”
“I’ve seen you knackered before, and never has that happened.” He tilted my chin up with the crook of his finger. “You’re mine now. You hear? That means I look after you.”
I folded into his embrace and relished the heat of his chest against my cold hands, which had slipped inside the rips of his shirt.
“Mmm, keep touching me like that, Precious.”
I felt his cock growing as it pressed against my lower belly. “Control yourself, Poe. I’ve got a job to do.” My lips touched his delicious skin. “I’m the night watchman.”
Christian’s hands cupped my ass and pulled me against his hard erection. He let out an anguished groan. “Then turn around and do your job, lass. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Not a good idea. Someone might see us.”
Christian released a shaky breath. Of course he liked that idea. And I had to admit, the thought of holding on to the rail while he pulled down my sweats and buried himself inside me gave me a thrill. I didn’t have to wonder if it would happen.
I knew it would.
“I stink,” I whispered.
He tenderly kissed my ear. “I’ll stuff my shirt up my nostrils.”
“I have blood in my hair.”
“That’s gravy on a steak.”
When his tongue found a sensitive spot on my neck, I quivered. His beard brushed against my jaw as he made his way to my lips.
“Do all Irishmen kiss as good as you?”
“Only the well-hung ones.”
We fell into a fervent kiss, and his hot tongue entered my mouth. When I sucked on it, Christian’s hands slid into my sweats and beneath my panties. After a demanding squeeze, they ventured up my back with unhurried attention.
He leaned away. “Jaysus wept. Can’t a man have privacy?”
I gave him a quizzical stare. “What?”
“Claude,” he ground out. “Said he can smell sex in the air and told me to put an end to our party or he’ll tell Viktor.”
“I thought Chitahs couldn’t smell us this high?”
Christian frowned. “You have a point. I think he’s having a go at me. Should we call his bluff?”
I smiled wickedly, enjoying this game. “Let’s wait until he’s asleep. We should be able to hear his snoring from here.”
“He better hurry it along, or I’ll spike his tea with some of that valerian growing down there.”
I walked around one of the four posts that secured the roof overhead. A mountain lion moved stealthily by, the shepherds protecting their flock. “Have you been back to Ireland since leaving?”
He held his position. “Aye.”
“Your home?”
“The place I grew up? There’s probably nothing left of it now. What’s to see?”
I neared him, my fingers skittering across the railing. “Memories.”
He folded his arms. “Memories live in your mind, Raven.”
“I know, but you’re not curious if the house is still there? Don’t you want to walk through a familiar field?”
“You mean the same field where I twisted my foot and did backbreaking labor? I’ll pass.”
When I reached him, I couldn’t help but feel flummoxed by his answer. No matter how many years passed, I’d always want to return to my father’s piece of land and walk through familiar streets to recapture those memories. How could he be so apathetic about his beginnings? About his family?
I leaned against the railing with my back to the woods. “Your brothers are all dead?”
“Aye.” He strode toward me and cupped my neck.
“Did they have children? Do you have great-nieces and nephews?”
Christian’s black eyes swallowed me up. “That wouldn’t matter, now would it? I had to leave behind my human life, and I have no wish to return. I became a monster. It would be a sin for me to walk near their graves. Would you have me knock on some poor human’s door and invite myself in? ‘Hello, I’m your great uncle removed more times than I can count. You might have read about my crimes in the newspaper. Invite me in for a cup of tea?’ For feck’s sake, Raven.”
“I just want to know more about you, what makes you tick.”
He gave me a devilish smile. “My heart makes me tick. And sometimes my cock.”
Would I be like these immortals someday, lecturing the youth on how our former life didn’t matter? Christian was haunted by the sins of his Vampire life, so why wasn’t he drawn to the one place in his past that held good memories of his family? Everyone had an anchor that held them somewhere, and I wanted to find his.
“Christian, you’ve traveled the world and lived in many different times and places. Everyone has a home. A familiar place you always want to return to, a place that fills you up when you feel empty. If it’s not your first home, then where is it? I refuse to believe you’re content with being a nomad. Everyone has that one place where they belong. Mine is Cognito.” I stepped as close as I could get. “Where is your home?”
Christian placed a hand over my heart, his gaze reeling me in. “Don’t you know? You’re my home, Precious. Always will be.”
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THE MAGERI SERIES is an exciting urban fantasy romance about a young woman's claim to immortality. Passionate, humorous, dark, and full of unpredictable twists, the Mageri series will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, friendship, and the hidden power within us all. Cliffhanger-free.
THE SEVEN SERIES is a paranormal romance that portrays Shifters living in secret in the modern world. A blend of humor, heartwarming romance, drama, and real-life issues. This series is for those who believe in family, second chances, and finding that person who completes you. Cliffhanger-free. HEA.
THE CROSSBREED SERIES is a new Urban Fantasy Romance following a rogue who is half-Vampire, half-Mage. Caught between two worlds, she joins forces with a secret organization that takes down criminals. Will desire become her biggest distraction when she is paired up with a Vampire?
Note: All of Dannika’s books are written in the same universe, but each can be read independently from the rest. Some Breeds within are original Dannika Dark creations. If you would like to experience each twist and crossover as it was intended, suggesting reading order
can be found HERE. Sometimes ordinary people are destined for extraordinary lives.
Dannika Dark Newsletter
Books by Dannika Dark:
THE MAGERI SERIES
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Shine
The Gift
MAGERI WORLD
Risk
NOVELLAS
Closer
THE SEVEN SERIES
Seven Years
Six Months
Five Weeks
Four Days
Three Hours
Two Minutes
One Second
Winter Moon
SEVEN WORLD
Charming
THE CROSSBREED SERIES
Keystone
Ravenheart
Deathtrap
Gaslight
Blackout
Nevermore
Moonstruck
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