NIGHT EMBRACE by Sherrilyn Kenyon Read Free Book Online Page B

urge to bite her hand in appreciation. With the exception of the two thin braids that swung with his movements, his golden-blond hair was slicked back and his jet-black eyes flashed with intelligence and arcane power. She'd never seen eyes so dark, especially on a blond man.
    He had such a powerful presence that it made her breathless just to look at him. It was as if the very air around him were rife with energy and strength, and she wished most of all that she could capture that with her art.
    But no one would ever be able to duplicate or create an aura so intense. It was something that could only be experienced in the flesh.
    With every step he took closer to her, her heart pounded harder. The man was so overwhelmingly masculine. So very choice.
    His intensity, his raw animal magnetism… set fire to her blood.
    He'd been handsome last night in her bed, but upright and conscious, he was totally devastating.
    "You know, Talon," she said, tracing the lines of his perfect muscles with her gaze. "Towels look really good on you. You go outside like that and you'll start a whole new fashion craze."
    An amused smile hovered at the edges of his lips. "Do you always say everything that comes to your mind?"
    "Mostly. I do have some thoughts I keep to myself. I used to not care and would say anything at all, but then one time my college roommate called the psycho unit on me. You know, they really do have white coats."
    Talon arched a brow at the sincerity he sensed from her. That was a true story. The woman was eccentric, no doubt, but far from a crackpot.
    Well, maybe not
that
far.
    She reached over to his untouched "breakfast" and picked up the so-called muffin that had shiny little particles in it he couldn't even begin to identify. "You still haven't eaten your muffin."
    Yeah, right. He still hadn't eaten his boots either, and he'd rather feast on one of them than that thing in her hand.
    "I'm not hungry."
    At least not for food.
    She dropped the muffin to the counter and he swore it thunked. Her brow furrowing, she reached out and touched his tore. Her fingers brushed against the skin of his neck, raising chills and other things on his body.
    "This is so beautiful. I've always wanted a tore, but never could find one that seemed like me." She ran her thumb over the right dragon head. "Are you from
Scotland?"
    "Not exactly," he said, watching the way she studied the piece, which had been a gift from his aunt on his wedding day. Both he and Nynia had received matching tores from her. He didn't know why he still wore it, other than the fact that taking it off would cause him more pain than he was willing to deal with. In some odd way, removing the tore would be like losing Nynia all over again.
    Against his will, his mind drifted back to the moment when Nynia had placed the tore around his neck. Her smile had been blinding and her face filled with love as she kissed him on his lips.
    Gods, how he missed her. Even after all these centuries.
    There were times when he swore he could still smell the warmth of her hair. Feel her touch. It was like the ghost itch of a missing limb that, even years later, you swore you could still feel.
    There was something about Sunshine that reminded him of his wife. And it wasn't just the fact that both women possessed the ability to drive him crazy.
    Sunshine was strangely fascinating. Much like him, she saw things on another level, things that were hidden from this plane of existence.
    Her mind flashed from one thing to another like bursts of lightning, which was as intriguing as it was confusing. Nynia was the only other person he'd ever met with that trait.
    As a mortal man, he had often been confounded by Nynia's unique logic.
    "You know," Sunshine said, "you say 'not exactly' a lot. You're not exactly a vampire. You're not exactly from
Scotland, and you're allergic to daylight. What else?"
    "I hate bran muffins and grass."
    She laughed at that, a rich, throaty sound that warmed him. He watched in