Page 163 of The Edge of Dawn

His eyes, sightless and yet all-seeing, were filled with immense warmth.

Her heart swelled.

She reached up and touched the side of his face, trying to reassure herself that he was indeed real and that, for once, this wasn’t all a dream.

“I’m here,” he murmured, sliding his arm across her waist, pulling her toward him, tightening his grip. “And we are firmly in the present, in the physical realm. This isn’t a dream, my sarien.”

“I know it isn’t, but it feels like one to me,” she replied, enjoying the sudden closeness; the way his honed body pressed against hers until they were perfectly molded together. “And that isn’t a bad thing.”

“It’s because your human world is so small.” Dragek dipped his head, nuzzling the hollow of her neck. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “The things you could fathom before are different to what you know now.”

“That’s true.” She tensed and then relaxed as he kissed her there, in the place just above her collarbone. His lips were molten bliss.

“I’ve waited so long for this,” he whispered, trailing kisses up her neck, pausing just below her jawline, over the spot where her pulse thudded wildly. Then, his lips found her earlobe. He sucked on it gently, sending a thrill of desire through her. “Finding you was a one-in-a-billion chance. You’re mine now, Jade. There’s nothing in the Universe that could make me let go of you.” His aura surged in intensity, and she allowed it to engulf her.

She was cocooned.

His devotion was all-encompassing.

She knew that with him, there was no going back. There would never be another, and he would never abandon her.

They were entwined. He was the only one who could temper the chaos of her world, and she was the only one who could break through his hard layers.

And he was the most shockingly attractive man she’d ever seen in her life.

Her arousal flared.

How lucky she was.

“You never cease to surprise me.” Instinctively, she shifted until she was on her back.

He moved with her until he was above her on his hands and knees; powerful and sinuous, his dark eyes burning with desire.

His lips were slightly parted, giving her a glimpse of his fangs.

His hair was tousled and unbound.

Unable to help herself, Jade reached out and ran her fingers through his long, silken strands.

He smiled and kissed her.

She responded eagerly, losing herself in his warmth, in the sheer intensity of his need.

A growl escaped him, reverberating from deep within his chest: a low, primal sound that she felt in her very bones.

Impossibly, she became even more aroused.

His deft hands roamed over her body, slipping beneath the thin fabric of her top. The material tensed then became loose and somehow fell away. For a moment, something sharp danced lightly across the soft skin of her belly.

His… claws?

As sharp and dangerous as the tip of a blade.

But not once did he hurt her. She actually enjoyed the sensation, the contrast in the sharpness of his claws and the tender caress of his lips against hers.

His hand slipped lower. He did exactly the same thing with her pants, then her undies, exposing her bare skin to the cool air.

The only thing left was the silken robe that was draped around her shoulders.

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