HeroRevealed by Anna Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

after he pulled them from the tunnel. The frantic
bout of lovemaking might have indicated otherwise, but Kristos was not at his
full strength. Her smile trembled at the corners. Heaven help her if he had
been.
    Careful to not wake him, she leaned forward for a soft kiss.
A tear spilled down her cheek and pooled between their lips, turning the kiss
salty and bittersweet.
    Slipping free from his hold was easier then she anticipated,
which only spoke of his exhaustion. Fatigue beat at her as well, but she knew
sleep would be as elusive as catching smoke.
    She collected a change of clothing and escaped into the
bathroom, purposely turning away from the mirror. She couldn’t handle seeing
the woman who had been taken to a depth of ecstasy she would never see again.
    The soft yoga pants and t-shirt weren’t classy, but
sufficient for the cause. Instinct told her that the inevitable confrontation
was going to get heated, and she did her best thinking when she was fully
dressed.
    After gathering a few essentials from the living room, she
returned and sat in the armchair in the corner of the room. She may doze for
bit, but when he awoke she’d be ready.

Chapter Five
     
    Kristos bit back a moan as every muscle in his body throbbed
in both pain and pleasure. Something in that mine affected his powers and damn
if he knew what it was. It was as if a sickening lethargy settled in his limbs,
sapping him of his strength. It made him feel…human, or at least how he
imagined a human felt, which was something that didn’t sound all that horrible.
However, he needed all of his powers in top form if he was to have a mate as
stubborn as Brett.
    He smiled and settled deeper into the pillows as he
remembered the look on her face when he spoke the words that bound them
together forever. She might not have understood the actual words, but she
comprehended their joining was more than just fantastic sex. Her heart had been
in his hand and her body milking him dry in the most explosive orgasm he had
ever imagined. All that was needed to complete the ritual was her mind to meld
with his and they would be bonded.
    On his planet of gases and ice, it was easier to communicate
empathically than with words. When a man and woman mated, their emotions weaved
together like a tapestry, enabling them to sense their spouse no matter how far
apart they may be. It was a private ritual where each person gave the other
their entire being, mind, body and soul, in an exchange of trust so profound
that it left a physical mark more permanent than any ring. A union like that
was not taken lightly, and many of his kind never found that someone special
enough to speak the sacred words.
    As he anticipated, Brett shut down at the last moment,
preventing the connection to complete. Disappointment of her rejection was
fleeting. It was only a matter of time before she accepted him as her other
half. Of that he had no doubt.
    Smiling again, he reached for his woman, only to find
emptiness at his side. The sheets were icy to the touch and his hearts dropped
into his stomach. Had the night before been a dream, an illusion caused by the
mysterious illness? Please Gods, let it not be so.
    He jerked upright, half afraid to find himself alone in his
giant bed with only a pillow for company, or worse, alone in Brett’s bed while
she was off placing herself in danger.
    His eyesight adjusted to the soft light coming from a lamp
on the nightstand that was, thankfully, not his. Brett’s room, blessed be. He
started to relax then straightened in alarm when he spotted her in the shadows.
    The woman sitting in the chair with deceptive casualness was
one he was all too familiar with and shouldn’t have been surprised to see
again. Yes, it might have been arrogant to think one fiery encounter would
shatter all her reservations where they, as a couple, were concerned, but he
had hoped that by making love, some of the ice she harbored around her heart
would melt. Despite the appearance of