To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 by Jackie Ivie Read Free Book Online

sound. He stepped closer, willing a touch, but her hands dropped. That’s when he knew for certain that the heat sensation was disappointment. It was tinged with a flash of anger, too.
    “ Hai? ”
    “Forgive me.”
    “Forgive you?” he echoed.
    “I...have violated your personal space. I...was taught better.”
    She whispered it. Breath touched his exposed skin as her cheeks darkened with a blush. Naraku! The curse word for hell wasn’t sufficient for what happened. Everything within his frame reacted. Fire erupted somewhere deep in his belly. It flared outward, reaching every nerve ending. It sparked. Singed. Grew. Pounding hit his temples. His fangs sharpened, making small slices in his inner lip. All kinds of stimuli raced to his loins. His loose-fit trousers didn’t have enough room to hide this. Takeshi fought the physical reaction. Sent commands that got ignored. He pulled every muscle taut, trying to contain the scope of arousal. The unbelievable want. Supreme carnal desire. He’d never dealt with such a thing. Ever.
    “It was...offensive,” she continued.
    She was still whispering, sending the slightest touch of warm breath his direction. He trembled anew before conquering it. This was beginning to resemble torture.
    “No, watashi no ai. No.”
    Her eyes widened at his endearment. His voice cracked. The timbre was lower, too. He would’ve checked it, but nothing on his body was obeying. She had dark brown lashes surrounding her dragon green eyes. His legs wavered. He locked his knees to remain upright. That was more than stupid. The move sent proof of his arousal into view between them. He was in luck that she didn’t look anywhere but up at him.
    “L-love?”
    He would’ve smiled at her hesitation, but it might compound his trouble. He didn’t dare show his fangs. He settled for a nod. The center of her eyes darkened. Imaimashi subete! He silently damned everything. It didn’t help. She had the most amazing eyes! Looking into them clouded his mind, tied his tongue, and sent even more unnecessary stimuli right to his groin.
    “I...do not understand.”
    He lifted an eyebrow. He didn’t know how to answer. Or even if he should. He hadn’t believed love even existed until he’d found her.
    “I mean...this...thing between us. This—uh. I just...I don’t know. What is happening here?”
    “Would you like to find out?”
    Damn everything again. His voice was still a croak of sound. He was trying desperately not to frighten, but everything worked against him. His tone projected something predatory. Dark. Sinful. He’d been mistaken, too. Her eyes might have been wide before, but they’d been nowhere near as shocked-looking as the expression he got with his question.
    She broke eye contact, turning her focus on something in the approximate location of his chest. The twin spots atop her cheeks darkened again with her blush. Takeshi reached for her, very nearly grabbing her to him. His entire body pulsed toward her. And then he groaned. All without one bit of conscious volition. It took every ounce of strength at his disposal to rein it in. His frame went rigid with the expenditure of energy. He watched the slightest smile touch her lips. He’d been wrong. This was beyond torture. But then she looked back up at him.
    And nodded.
    Every thought fled, replaced by action. Nervous energy. Intense excitement. Takeshi reacted like a sprung trap, grabbing her to him and plastering her to him, and then he went airborne. The walls weren’t much of an issue. The rooms he spanned, even less. He slammed through any obstacle, intent on one objective. He was taking her to the center of his home. The place that held his history. His existence. His honor. It was his honden . His innermost sanctum, mirroring the man he’d been.
    And the man he’d become.
    Every second with her gave him more new sensations to experience and somehow absorb. He’d given up fighting it. His mate had too much in her arsenal. Her