Page 118 of Kiss of Magic

“Does that mean you’re considering it again?”

“It does. Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay, my beautiful shaitun.” He nipped at the skin of her neck and she shivered. “Perhaps we should start practising.”

The motion of the carriage rocked them gently as she undid the buttons on his leather doublet, spreading her fingers over the cool skin of his sculpted chest.

“You know everything will be different if we have a child,” she warned him. “Our lives will change dramatically.”

He dragged his thumb over her lower lip.

“Life is all about change, beloved.” He tilted her throat so he could run his tongue over her jugular. Her pulse quickened. “Making new starts. New beginnings.”

His canines slid out and he bit, groaning as her sweet blood filled his throat. Tala’s eyes flared silver as she surrendered to the pleasure of his venom. Delicious intoxication spread through her body and she let her head fall back.

“New beginnings,” she whispered.

Fifty Eight

Ten months after the Second Dark War

Blake landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Dani did a little victory dance around the dojo.

“I win. Admit it, loser!”

Blake scowled.

“You cheated, you little witch. You distracted me.”

“It was a legal move.”

“Pulling your top up?”

“I was showing you my new tattoo! Not my fault you guys get distracted by chest puppies.”

Blake jack-knifed to his feet.

“Let me see them again.”

“Nope. Too late. One peek’s all you get.”

She backed away laughing as he came after her. Her combat skills were getting good. He wasn’t even having to pull his punches anymore. She blocked efficiently and had a mean right hook. He twisted sharply, narrowly avoiding a foot to the balls.

She was also good at bounty hunting. It was laughable how many marks let their guard down when a beautiful woman came onto them. He’d had to do a lot less running round dark alleyways, that was for sure.

Dani could get most straight men into a private room in less than an hour. A room where he was waiting. They were a great team.

And he was crazy about her. Even now, almost a year after they’d met, he still felt like a doe-eyed fool when she gave him ablast of her smile. He would do just about anything for her. Yet the one thing hereallywanted to do, he couldn’t.

And that was take away the little pocket of guilt she still carried round with her. The regret that she hadn’t acted sooner, instead of running from her destiny. The festering sore in her heart that stopped her committing fully to him.

The first time she’d told him she loved him had also been the last. She’d never said it since. He was trying to accept that she never would.

It didn’t matter that in the end, she’d gone willingly to what she thought was her death. In her mind, she was still the selfish little witch who’d put herself first.

Nine hundred and seventy nine. That’s what they’d been told by Lenore. Nine hundred and seventy nine casualties before Dani had released the destructive force in her blood. And Blake knew she carried that with her. Would always carry that with her.

He swept her feet from under her and pinned her to the mat.

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