Page 33 of Guarded By a Monster

Jade gasped. “That’s awful. Why would she do such a thing?”

“She wants to help take them down once and for all, probably not realizing the pain Roul is in without her.”

“And there’s no way to contact her and let her know? It’s noble for her to want to help, but it’s not fair what it’s doing to him.”

Her eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth. “What if she rejects him as her mate? Would he feel better then?”

I didn’t want to answer her. If I told her the truth, then it might sway her to make a decision she wouldn’t ordinarily choose. But I couldn’t lie to her.

“Can I not answer that question until our relationship is resolved?”

A tiny, “Oh,” escaped her lips before they pressed into a thin line and she nodded.

I grinned and changed the subject, grateful she let me. “I think Nanna left enough snickerdoodles to feed an army.”

It took a few beats, but she smiled back. “Or a pack of wyrfangs.”

“That’s true.” We ate more than half of what she’d made. I wasn’t sure if the sweet tooth we shared came from our dragon or werewolf DNA, but it was strong. Ever since Kendal introduced us to the wonder that is cupcakes, we couldn’t seem to get enough sugary treats.

Kendal often said it was a good thing our metabolisms worked overtime.

“What can we do to thank her for cooking for us?” It would be a pittance for how grateful I felt for her raising Jade. Caring for her. Giving her a home.

She spun and looked at me, horrified. “Oh, absolutely not! You’ll do nothing. She would be offended at the very idea. Like I said, she sees feeding people as an important task and it’s up to her to make sure no one in her vicinity goes hungry. Why do you think I look like this?”

She waved a hand up and down her body and I couldn’t help but follow the movement with my eyes. I traced her curves, lingering on the bit of skin showing above her collar.

“I would drape her in jewels for that alone.”

Jade’s laugh sputtered as she looked at me, my desire naked on my face for her to see. I knew my eyes blazed with the heat that coursed through my veins. I slowly reached out and traced a finger down her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned in to my touch.

Her lips parted and her breath came faster as I slid my fingers through her hair to cup the back of her head and neck. I locked my muscles. I wanted nothing more than to gather her in my arms and carry her into the house. Lay her down on the first soft surface and bury my head between her thighs.

Her arousal coated the air and I no longer cared if she was only curious. I would take whatever scraps I could get.

Her eyes blinked open and the heat I saw reflected there almost took me to my knees.

“Please,” she whispered.

“Please what? What do you need from me? Ask, and I would give you the world.”

twenty-three

I had no ideawhat I asked him for. I just knew I needed something from him.

Nope, I’m a liar. I knew exactly what I wanted from him, but I didn’t know if I dared go there. Could I go there? Mentally I was pretty sure all of my lady bits enthusiastically said yes. Physically, I wasn’t sure.

But then, surely Kendal made it work somehow with Drym. It had to be physically possible, right?

Was I brave enough to find out? That wasn’t the right question. The right question was, how badly would I hate myself if I didn’t give it the old college try?

I stared at Thurl, who patiently waited for an answer, his body still and his eyes locked on mine, blazing red like some unholy demon who wanted to consume me.

And oh boy, did I want to be consumed.

“You. I want you.”

“What do you want from me, Jade?”

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