Demon Bait: Children of the Undying, Book 1 by Moira Rogers Read Free Book Online Page B

feeling grew as he stroked her hands again. “You feel safe?” It was what he wanted, for her to see him as a protector, a safe haven. “You won’t let anything happen to me.”
    “I won’t.” The power rose differently than before. Slowly, folding around her in layer after layer, like sinking into a warm bath. Marci felt the same peaceful hush when it finally enveloped her. She was weightless, suspended. Cradled.
    Belatedly, she dragged in a breath and opened her eyes. “You’re beautiful.” He laughed, and it tickled over her. “You’re high on magic.”
    “Lies.” But she laughed too and gripped his hands. “What do I feel like?” Gabe tilted his head and seemed to consider it. “Soft. Strong. Like the ocean.”
    “I’ve never seen the ocean.”
    “Not many around here have. I lived in the west until I was ten.” It was so normal. Just idle conversation utterly at odds with the magic that had just bound them.
    “Gabe?”
    “Yeah, sweetheart?”
    “Isn’t this…” Bizarre. She never finished the sentence because she needed to touch him more than she needed to talk. So she slid her hand up his arm to his shoulder and shifted closer.
    Kiss me. Would she be forcing the issue if she whispered the words? Leaning on him like she’d sworn not to do?
    It didn’t matter, because she kissed him , driven by the freedom she’d tasted in his aura. She wanted it—to feel that way, as if nothing mattered but the moment.
    A strong hand settled at the nape of her neck, fingers warm and gentle. Gabe licked her lower lip once and eased back until his breath skated over her mouth as he spoke. “Are you drunk on magic, Marci? Or do you want me to kiss you?”
    “Do they have to be different things?” she asked. “Isn’t that why you want me, because of my bloodline?”
    “I need you because of your bloodline.” The pad of his thumb stroked up the side of her throat, a soft caress that did exactly what it was supposed to do—inflame her libido. “I don’t have to kiss you to get what I need. That’s something I want to do.”
    A tiny but valid distinction, she supposed, but the truth was that she was beyond separating the two.
    “I’m new to this, so you’ll have to forgive me for being unsure.” Talking was getting her nowhere, so she closed her teeth on his lip in a gentle bite.
    He groaned, and the gentle hand at her nape tensed, holding her in place even as he surged forward.
    Her head tilted back, and his mouth opened in a kiss that demanded everything.
    Everything , and it still wasn’t enough. Marci’s head buzzed with pleasure—at his taste, his touch, how it felt to mold her body to the hard wall of his chest. She gasped for breath and wiggled closer, protesting with a moan when the sheet she’d worn to bed tangled around her legs and halted her progress.
    At least that was easily dealt with. She worked her way free of the sheet without taking her mouth from Gabe’s, and she sighed with relief when she slipped into his lap, wound her legs around his hips and rocked against him.
    Another groan, and his fingers twisted in her hair, urging her head back until his mouth settled against her throat. “Hell, woman, that was one enthusiastic kiss.”
    “You’re the one asking if I really want to kiss you.” She arched her back and clutched at his shoulders. “It’s a stupid question.”
    “Mmm, maybe.” He kissed the spot where her pulse beat frantically. “And maybe I think this is too fast, not the right time.”
    Marci groaned. “I hate you for being right.”
    “No, you don’t.” The words were cocky and utterly self-assured. “If you want to kiss me when we get to my drop? I’ll kiss you anywhere.” Teeth scraped her skin. “ Anywhere you want.” She was already shaking, and the words only intensified the ache that plagued her. “It’s really not the magic, is it?”
    “Magic’s not helping us slow down.” The grip on her neck eased as he inched his hand away. “But