Page 48 of My Guardian Gryphon

“Alek,” I half-sobbed, half-begged. The entire lower half of my body thrummed with the need to release. His fingers dug into my hips, just rough enough to give an edge of pain to the pleasure of being filled by him. “Please.”

He released one of my breasts and slid his hand down between my legs, halfway bending his body over mine. It was so much. So deep. I buried my mouth in a pillow and came with a half-scream before his fingers even touched the little nub hidden in the folds of my sex.

A growl erupted from his chest, and he drove into me one last time before I felt his warm seed spill into me. My muscles quivered, and I gasped for breath, willing my heart to slow.

He released my body from his grasp and helped me lie on my side while I continued to catch my breath. Then he left the bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom.

I closed my eyes and just breathed, content and sore, though I knew I would be ready for another round in less than an hour. I couldn’t get enough of him, and I couldn’t help but worry that every second I got with him might be my last.

How long would it take for my sisters to find the man I’d knocked out?

How long before someone saw the rope I’d made from curtain ties flailing in the wind on the side of the castle?

How long before Rose would separate me from the man I loved?

A dark, slimy thread of despair wound through my stomach.

“Gretchen, you are safe with me. Don’t be afraid.” He’d returned to the bedside and began wiping my thighs and between my legs—cleaning me until every trace of his seed had been removed by the warm washcloth in his hand.

“How did you know I was afraid?” I sat up on the edge of the bed and caught his equally confused stare.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head and walked away, disappearing into the bathroom again. When he returned, he was wearing a pair of jeans that hung low on his waist, distracting me from my thoughts with the vision of his sculpted torso and the trail of dark hair that led my eyes lower and lower to that delicious V-line.

“Hey.” He touched my chin, making me meet his gaze.

“Sorry, you’re distracting.”

“I know the feeling. Breakfast then shower?”

I nodded. Eating was much higher on my priority list than removing the scent of our lovemaking. In fact, I was perfectly willing to be coerced back into bed after breakfast had been consumed.

We walked down the short hallway to his tidy kitchen, and he ushered me to a barstool while he moved silently and methodically, gathering the ingredients for an omelet.

“Do you like spinach?” He looked up from the cutting board, his hands full of chopped spinach. “I didn’t ask before I started.”

“I do.” I said, nodding.

“What were you afraid of?” He sprinkled the spinach into the egg mixture already in the frying pan and followed with a little bit of crumbled white cheese. “I don’t know how I knew, but I did.” The small glass cell phone on the counter buzzed, and he frowned, grabbing it up and typing out something on the screen. I couldn’t read it before he pressed send and set it back down. “And I need you to be honest with me.”

“I was scared about what happens next.” The words were barely audible to me, but he could hear them, just like all his neighbors could hear our conversation right now if they tried. What was even more ridiculous was that the Lycans in town could also read my thoughts. I might be a Sister of the House of Lamidae, but physiologically, I was a human.

“We’re leaving, Gretchen. We’re going to eat, clean up, and leave. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He set a half of an omelet in front of me on a white plate. “Eat up. We need to go soon, before the town starts looking for you.”

“You weren’t okay with leaving Sanctuary before. You want to go back to the Veil. I know you do.” I spoke slowly, doing my best to keep from breaking into tears. His words from yesterday in Miles’ office still stung. What if he changed his mind again?

“I want you more than I want vengeance. You are mine, and I know in my heart you are the only one who will ever truly be mine. Gretchen, I—”

A loud crash and the sound of scraping metal made him move around the counter, blocking my body from view of whoever had just come crashing through his front door. “Alek Melos, you’re not sick. Get your fucking ass out of bed and down to the—” The fire chief’s voice died off and I could practically hear the disappointment scrawled across his face. “Fuck me. You could’ve warned me that we’d need an exit strategy today instead of trying to shove off without a word.”

Alek moved aside, his shoulders falling, and I locked gazes with the man Alek considered his best friend—his brother. Out of everyone in the town, Jared MacKay was one of the only people Alek ever spoke about during our visits in the library.

The Phoenix was just as tall as Alek, though not quite as broad. Instead of short dark hair, Jared had long light brown hair that brushed his neck just above his shoulders. His bright steel-blue eyes flashed, but not with anger like I expected. Instead, his gaze carried concern—for me and for his friend.

“I didn’t want you in the middle of this. There’s no reason for you to leave Sanctuary.”

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