A Dangerous Demon King (The Sentinel Demons Book 4) by J. S. Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

firmly.
    Hearing her stand up to be with him made his soul brighter…and his cock harder.
    “I’m putting you into a healing sleep for the night,” Athena warned Kristoff. “I know you won’t hurt Sophie intentionally, but as the Sentinel king who has finally found his mate, your emotions will be hard to control. You’re not at your normal strength and your magic hasn’t come back yet.”
    “No. I have to be able to protect her,” Kristoff argued, knowing there was no fucking way he was sleeping and leaving his mate alone. Maybe he didn’t deserve her, but right now, she was his to protect.
    “The only danger she’ll be in is from you,” Athena answered sternly. “Guardian Sentinels are surrounding your palace right now. Be reasonable. You know your emotions are sitting on the edge of a very sharp blade right now. Until your magic returns completely, you’ll lack the power to remain in control.”
    Kristoff wasn’t feeling reasonable, and he didn’t think the return of his magic was going to change a damn thing. He could sense it. Sophie was a temptation he wasn’t going to control easily, even when he was operating at full strength.
    Regrettably, Athena was right about one thing: his needs were raw and uncontrollable, but sleeping to recover his strength while his mate was trying to acclimate to the world in the twenty-first century wasn’t sitting well with him. He wanted to be with her, and the demon part of him was selfish, covetous.
    Except…it wasn’t about his wants and needs right now. It was all about Sophie. He wasn’t himself, and a night of induced sleep from a goddess would heal him faster than anything else would.
    His need to be healthy and powerful to protect his mate was ingrained into his nature just as much as his need to bond with her was part of his soul. The two warring instincts were fighting with each other.
    “Will we still be able to communicate?” Sophie asked curiously.
    Athena nodded. “Yes.”
    “I’ll stay right here with you, Kristoff. If you need me, just call out to me mentally.” Sophie squeezed his hand.
    Kristoff felt his more tender emotions temporarily take control because Sophie was so trusting, so innocent. Her faith in him and her willingness to stay beside him touched his soul.
    “Do it before I change my mind,” he instructed Athena gruffly. “I need my magic and my strength back. You and I both know that a half breed with my history doesn’t deserve a mate, especially someone like Sophie.” He knew he was good for nothing except being the Sentinel king. It was his duty, and his salvation. He wouldn’t tie Sophie to a Sentinel like himself. He couldn’t. Somehow he had to fight the overpowering demands of his soul and his body.
    He gritted his teeth and squeezed Sophie’s hand, satisfied that she’d be safely beside him through the night with guardians around his mansion. Maybe he couldn’t bond her to him for life, but for now, she was his to protect.
    “You’re wrong, Kristoff. Nobody deserves a radiant more than you.” Athena lifted her hand, and Kristoff’s eyes drifted closed, his brain shutting down as he fell into a dreamless sleep.
    Not very long after he slept, his mind sensed Sophie moving onto the bed next to him and settling in beside him, her emotional and physical warmth giving him peace.
    For now, it was enough to know she was here, right beside him.
    He slept, feeling a sense of contentment that he’d never experienced during a very long existence. His body might still burn to possess her, and his soul was clamoring to be merged with hers. But he focused on the temporary light she brought to his soul, and the miracle of her .
    Kristoff had a living, breathing radiant , a woman who just happened to be Zach’s long lost sister. Zach had suffered without Sophie, but Kristoff knew he’d go through hell himself if he could manage to somehow separate the bond between them.
    As he rested, Kristoff vowed that he’d make Sophie