Page 17 of Fated Guardian

There’s a huge puddle of flesh and blood at his feet…

But Nolan is standing.

He’s terrifying. Ass-naked, he’s covered in blood. His face is going to bruise on one side, and when he slinks forward, he’s holding himself like his ribs are bruised as well. He’s limping, on top of everything.

But he’s alive.

He’s standing in front of me. He’s not dead. He’s not gone, like they were.

Nolan is alive.

I’m not thinking. I’m acting on pure, total impulse when I stand.

Nolan steps over the carcass of the jaguar shifter. “Coral, are you?—”

I cut him off. With a kiss.

Nolan smells like blood and sweat. He’s so tall that I have to go up on my tiptoes to kiss him. But underneath that, there’s the smell of sage and oak. And Nolan’s lips are firm under mine.

It’s just an instinct. It really is. And when I come to my senses and realize what’s happening, I’m… terrified.

I’m kissing Nolan. But he is not kissing me back.

Chapter 6

Nolan

Coral’s kiss is like fire.

I feel hot everywhere, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I just ripped a jaguar to pieces. I can feel her kiss in every part of my body. I can feel it from the bottoms of my feet to the top of my head.

Her kiss is like holding onto a live wire. I think some of it might be her magic, but most of it is just her. She makes my body light up like an electric storm. I can’t even hide the fact that I have an erection… that’s covered in blood.

I back off, breaking the kiss. Coral opens her eyes slowly. They’re so blue, and they seem to glow as she looks at me.

For a second, I think she’s going to say something. Then, her face falls.

Shit.Shit.

“Coral…”

“Sorry. I guess that I just got caught up in the moment. Sorry. I didn’t mean to kiss you. I just… I’m sorry,” she whispers. She turns to go, but I absolutely cannot let her walk away from me thinking that I didn’t want her kiss.

I do want it. I want it very, very badly. I want to do more than just kiss her.

Catching her hand, I pull it and put it on my chest. It’s covered in blood, too, and the sight of her pale, slim fingers on me make me lose my mind for a second. I take a deep breath.

“The kiss was good. Really good. Can you feel my heart?” I ask.

Coral frowns, then her eyes widen. She looks up at me. “It’s beating really fast.”

“Yeah. Because I liked your kiss.”

“But that could just be adrenaline from the fight…”

“If you slid your hand down my torso, it would be really clear that it’s not from the fight,” I growl.

Coral gulps, nibbling on her bottom lip. “Oh.”

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