Page 5 of The Fate of Black Hearts

He pulled away to make eye contact. “Admit it. No one, not even your new boyfriend, kisses you like me.”

What boyfriend?She had sensed something watching when she’d met with her deceased mate’s brother, Ian, last week. Not a romantic encounter. The lycan had threatened her.

Aha!Everything about the mage allowing her to catch him tonight made sense. Jealousy.

She teased her blade down the line of his neck while testing if he could pick up on her thoughts. She forced herself to remember a time when she’d seen Ian naked in his bedroom, an accident a long time ago. Not something she wished to repeat.

Every part of him tensed. If he could kill with a solitary scowl, she’d be dead.

Get. Out. Of my head.

He jerked as if she slapped him. Horizontal wrinkles spread across his forehead. “Was that the lycan you met with in the restaurant? That can’t have been Ian Lanzo. Tell me you didn’t…not with him.”

She pricked his neck with the blade’s tip and watched the blood bead. “Perhaps it was Ian. PerhapsI did.” Everything inside her chilled. “Are you a friend to him?”

“Never. He was anasul sap. Andvov si mulo. Don’t go near him.”

What was that language?

“Are you the person the demon warned me about?”

“What does your gut tell you?”

She gazed deep into his dark eyes, which held a strange glow. This mage might be deadly, but if he wanted her dead, she would already be gone. She whispered, “No.”

“This addiction of yours to go on solo outings to get target practice with demon heads is out of control,” a male with a British accent yelled at her. “Roman is in a snit about the mess you left. You might be my fight or die, love, but…” Efrem’s voice trailed off. “Who the bloody hell is this?” The lycan emoted007with his impeccable thousand-dollar suit and his Walther PPK now aimed at the mage. Over the centuries, Efrem had become her caretaker, co-conspirator, bodyguard, general life manager, and partner in business as contract assassins. She had no doubt he could hit the mage anywhere he wanted, even with their bodies entangled.

She held up her hand to call off Efrem.

With a forced lip scrunch of disgust she addressed the mage, “I had to see if I felt anything. I felt nothing. Also, too much tongue.” She pushed away from him. “My ride has arrived.”

As she strolled away and grabbed Efrem’s arm to pull him with her, she heard the mage whisper on the night air, “You felt it,miri thagarni.”

She paused to swivel. “Next time, I won’t show restraint. I’ll end you.”

His answer was a low laugh that shot a wave of longing through her center.

Chapter Two

Dom threwhis head back against the brick wall behind him. Allowing Evie to catch him had been a selfish risk.

Bad move to underestimate her. She called his bluff of indifference.

That kiss while she held a knife to his throat…

The vision of the curvy blonde blowing off the head of a demon with a rifle while laughing… So badass.

Something he’d shoved into dormancy six years ago awoke—something he’d forgotten. It was almost obsession, but stronger—more a fevered madness. For the first time in ever so long he experienced a breathtaking buoyancy, as if surfacing from a deep dive when he’d held his breath for far too long.

I missed my wolf.

Not that she’d want him to call her that. She despised the term werewolf or any suggestion she’d turn into something small and furry. She did turn into something stronger and vicious when she turned “feral.” It was something more muscular with sharp claws and elongated teeth. The transition didn’t happen often. Only when there were no other options, and she needed to fight viciously, would she shift.

Chasing her tonight had been the epitome of weakness. He should’ve let her go when she left thebar. Yet, for her to get shot and then allow a second demon to sneak up on her meant she was off. She needed him far more than she would ever admit. Her showing any level of weakness wasn’t normal.

After touching her, he felt a return of his focus. Never had his purpose been so clear. He existed to protect her. The strength with which he believed in this directive made him feel whole.

However, touching her was likely to trigger a cascade of events he knew better than to unleash. He twirled the obsidian ring on his left hand, the one The Mage Conclave used to monitor him and dampen his ability to feel. A tug found the magic holding it in place still in effect. They’d come after him, possibly her.