His Witch To Keep (Keepers of the Veil) by Zoe Forward Read Free Book Online

instinct and the urge to seek revenge on her behalf. There was no other for whom he’d throw caution to the wind, sometimes ignoring the god voice in his head.
    For years he’d been angry he couldn’t claim her. He’d wanted her even when she’d been months from turning twenty, but not as an easy lay. Never. That Hades would’ve allowed. He wanted so much more from her. The depth of his need not just to protect her but also to keep her both terrified and infuriated him. His uncle theorized a bonded relationship was forbidden, since it’d distract from their duty and create a weakness enemies would exploit. Alexi wished his need to protect Serenity only had to do with her pasirinktas status.
    He couldn’t make this long-term. Not then. And not now. She deserved the whole package. Too bad it couldn’t come from him.

    S erenity let the shower run until steam filled the small bathroom. With her back against the recently patched plaster wall and her butt on the floor, she stared at the sliding water droplets on the inside of the glass shower stall.
    Liz. She’d forgotten about Liz during the past few hours. How selfish of her. She still needed to call the kidnappers. It’d been so long since she’d retrieved the laptop. Would they have hurt Liz because of the delay?
    She forced herself to stand and get in the shower. Get through this. Think of Liz. But her mind circled nonstop around the conundrum of Alexi.
    How could she have been so stupid and let him kiss her? She could’ve easily fought him off. One well-placed throat jab or properly timed twist and she would’ve been free. Allowing him to kiss her had been a serious error in judgment. Now her active imagination tortured her with the feel of his hands on her, his lips, his powerful thighs pressing into her, and his addictive scent. She imagined his body over hers and in hers. Naked, fierce, and beautiful with his corded lean muscle and many scars. She wanted to lick her way across the sexy lettering on his chest just to hear his breath catch and feel the pounding of his heart beneath her tongue.
    Alexi’s mantra in life seemed to be discipline, order, and precision. He rarely smiled and lived off the radar with a rigorous intensity that had well earned him the nickname Shadow. She’d watched him in action with awe. No assassin was as lethal, as focused. He fought with a detached concentration, as if he already knew what was going to happen, and perhaps he did. Then, how he killed his prey, especially the truly evil.
    She’d only witnessed that once. He inhaled their life. A normal person would be horrified. It intrigued her. God, she was mentally disturbed to even think that.
    The memory of their one night together remained more potent than anything she’d experienced with any other man she’d forayed into bed with. There hadn’t been many men, certainly none since Alexi. He’d been wild and totally lacking restraint and predictability. But always dominant and powerful. She’d never felt so right as when they’d been together.
    Then it was over, and he was gone.
    Alone and betrayed, she hadn’t cried. Hadn’t allowed a single tear to spill for him, but she’d wanted to. And not just back then. She had a weak moment at least once a week over him. Eight months ago she’d wanted to crawl into a hole and rock back and forth for about a decade. But a single tear would’ve signaled her complete humiliation and his victory, proving he could best her. Instead, she’d pieced together her dignity and tried to leave him in memoryville.
    That failed. Forgetting him was impossible. He’d fought to win that night. She would’ve taken her defeat better if he’d uttered a single tender word. But then, that wasn’t Alexi. He was hard, even when she discovered the passion he hid. What happened in that bed had been a different kind of battle. One he’d won, even though she’d wanted to be there. She’d let him win and taken every moment of what he’d given