by G. K. DeRosa
My jaw dropped when I realized he was talking to me. “Seriously?” This guy’s mood swings were giving me whiplash.
“Yeah, why not? You seem a little amped up, and I know I could use a little release.”
“Just make sure that little release doesn’t result in dragon-demon babies.” Hayden chuckled, then clapped his hand over his mouth when Talon shot him a scathing glare.
“Everyone’s got jokes.” I leveled the angel with my own narrowed stare.
Talon pivoted to me once again. “I’m not forcing you to do anything, Azara, but if you want to redeem yourself after your earlier comments, this is your chance.”
I hated how my real name on his lips melted the mounting anger in an instant. I wanted to hurl a volley of insults his way but instead the word, “Okay,” popped out in its place. What the hades? Did this ridiculous blood bond control my ability to speak now too?
“Have fun, you two. Try not to kill each other, huh?” Hayden smirked and lay back down on the bed.
I shot the comedian angel a good eye roll and followed my mercurial bodyguard into the hallway. Darkness and a heavy silence pervaded the corridor. Talon lifted his index finger to his lips, and I nodded.
Keeping the Triad’s SIA spy identities a secret was essential to their success here at Darkblood Prison. If anyone saw us traipsing around the property in the middle of the night, we’d be so busted. Especially one of Delacroix’s crew.
My hackles raised just at the thought of the hellus demon. With all the commotion in the past day, I hadn’t had much time to dwell on the fact that Thax had recruited the prison mob boss for some nefarious reason we still hadn’t discovered. I should’ve been more scared, but for some crazy reason I wasn’t.
Maybe it had something to do with the looming giant walking beside me.
When we finally reached the training room in the basement of the sprawling fortress, I let out a sigh. The mystical cuff siphoning my powers blinked off, and the tightness in my chest magically vanished.
The door slammed shut behind us, and a series of cracks drew my attention to Talon. His shirt was already off and his arms were stretched over his head, the pop, pop, pop of his spine disturbing the quiet. “Much better,” he muttered as his massive wings unfurled behind him.
I wagged my finger at him. “Put those bad boys away if you want to fight me. They give you an unfair advantage.”
He stepped closer, one brow arching. “Oh, and your magic doesn’t?”
“My magic isn’t exactly under my control. It shows up when and if it feels like it.”
“I’m glad to hear you finally admit that.” A satisfied grin curled his lips. The elusive smile would’ve usually had my knees wobbling, but tonight it only annoyed me. This hot and cold thing was grating on my last nerve.
“Whatever,” I grunted. I was really jonesing to hit something now. “Are we fighting or not?” I lifted my fists and widened my stance.
He stretched his arms over his head again and leisurely leaned to the left, then the right. His abs rippled beneath the halogen lights, the silver dragon tattooed across his torso writhing along his perfectly muscled flesh.
I swallowed down the sudden dryness in my throat. A swirl of heat ignited in my core, and I shifted uncomfortably. The ghost of a smile lifted the bastard dragon’s lips. He was totally doing this on purpose.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked.
His brows furrowed, and he threw me an innocent smile. “Stretching, what does it look like?”
I chased away the lusty thoughts, cursing myself for even having them. This damned blood bond was going to be the death of me—or him.
He moved closer, his steel irises smoldering as they locked onto mine. “Something the matter, inmate?”
“Yes!” I spun on my heel and marched toward the punching bag. If I didn’t get my release soon, I was going to punch him in the throat.
Before I made it to the swinging black canvas, rough fingers closed around my bicep. I swung around and met his dark gaze. His tongue darted out and slid over his bottom lip as his old on my arm tightened. He inched closer, and instinctively, my head tipped forward.
No! I jerked back before our lips touched. A new wave of anger pummeled my insides, and this time it was my own. “You can’t keep doing that, Talon,” I hissed.
The flirty smile tipping up the corners of his lips twisted into a scowl, and he dragged his hands over his face.
I waited for an answer, an explanation, anything. He just stood there, staring straight ahead completely mute. When I couldn’t take the silence any longer, I waved my hand in front of his face. “Hello? Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you? You can’t keep trying to kiss me and then turn around and insult me the next minute. Gods, I thought now that we discovered Vander was alive, things would change between us. Stupid, I know.”
Silver flames flashed across his brilliant orbs, chasing away the vacant look from a second earlier. “You don’t think I want to control this? You don’t think I am? You have no idea how difficult it is for me not to throw you on the mat and claim you as mine right this second.”
My breath hitched.
“You don’t understand any of this. You have no idea of the burning need that surges through me each and every moment since I gave you my blood. It’s driving me insane! To want the one person that I should hate? It’s torture, Azara.”
All the words stuck at the back of my throat as Talon’s blazing irises seared into mine. A million thoughts skittered through my mind, but I couldn’t pluck an individual one out for the life of me. How could I? I never knew how he really felt. “I’m sorry,” I finally choked out.
He loosed an exasperated breath, and all the fire drained right out of him. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
“Because you gave me your blood to save my life.”
“It’s what I do.” A rueful grin relaxed his frown. “Save lives, not give my blood away.”
“You certainly are good at your job.”
“Not with you I’m not.” He pressed his arms across his chest, showcasing his bulging biceps and sculpted pecs. “Now I know why Vander—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head.
Why Vander what?
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I will try harder to control my dragon. I know none of this is fair to you either.”
I nodded. “Yeah, keep that beast on a tighter leash. I’m tired of fighting you off all the time.” Lie.
He tugged at the waistband of his shorts, readjusting. “Maybe we should skip the combat training?”
“Probably a good idea.”
“I’ll walk you back to our cell and hit the showers instead.”
I nodded, numbly, not trusting myself to speak. I knew it was only the bond igniting my feelings for him. But why did I feel like someone just bored a gaping hole in my gut?
Darkblood Prison: Demon Double-Agent will be out in November (the latest) and you can preorder it now!
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Also by GK DeRosa
Royally Hitched Series
Royally Hitched: The Fae Prince
Royally Hitched: The Fae Twins
Royally Hitched: The Fae Princess
Darkblood Academy
Darkblood Academy: Half-Blood
Darkblood Academy: Supernatural Slayer Squad
Darkblood Academy: Demons
Darkblood Academy: Prophecies
The Hitched Series
Hitched: The Bachelorette
Hitched: The Top Ten
Hitched: The Final Five
Hitched: The One
The Vampire and Angel Wars
Wings & Destruction
Blood & Rebellion
Souls & Salvation
The Vampire Prophecy
Dark Fates
Dark Oblivion
The Hybrid Trilogy
Magic Bound
Immortal Magic
Beyond Magic
Magic Bound: The Hybrid Trilogy The Complete Collection
The Guardian Series
Wilder: The Guardian Series
Wilder Destiny
Wilder Revelation
Wilder Legacy
Wilder: The Guardian Series The Complete Collection
Acknowledgments
A huge and wholehearted thank you to my dedicated readers! I could not do this without you. I love hearing from you and your enthusiasm for the characters and story. You are the best!
A special thank you to my loving and supportive husband who always understood my need for escaping into a good book (or TV show!). He inspires me to try harder and push further every day. And of course my mother who is the guiding force behind everything I do and made me everything I am today. Without her, I literally could not write—because she’s also my part-time babysitter! To my father who will always live on in my dreams. And finally, my babies, Alexander and Stella, who bring an unimaginable amount of joy and adventure to my life everyday.
A big thank you to my new talented graphic designer, Sanja Gombar, for creating a beautiful book cover. A special thank you to my dedicated beta readers/fellow authors Jena, Tiea, Bethany and Mary Ellen who have been my sounding board on everything from cover ideas, blurbs, and story details. And all of my beta readers who gave me great ideas, caught spelling errors, and were all around amazing.
Thank you to all my family and friends (especially you, Robin Wiley!) and new indie author and blogger friends (you’re the best Mary Ellen!) who let me bounce ideas off of them and listened to my struggles as an author and self-publisher. I appreciate it more than you all will ever know.
~ G.K.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, G.K. De Rosa has always had a passion for all things fantasy and romance. Growing up, she loved to read, devouring books in a single sitting. She attended Catholic school where reading and writing were an intense part of the curriculum, and she credits her amazing teachers for instilling in her a love of storytelling. As an adult, her favorite books were always young adult novels, and she remains a self-proclaimed fifteen year-old at heart. When she’s not reading, writing or watching way too many TV shows, she’s traveling and eating around the world with her family. G.K. DeRosa currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming, their son, daughter and fur baby, Nico, the German shepherd.
www.gkderosa.com
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