Page 23 of Defy Me

The tinkling sound of her voice pushed his mood even darker. Why did she have to be so damn beautiful. Even with dirt on her face, a stray piece of hay in her messy hair, and a fucking hole in her ridiculous unicorn shirt she took his breath away. He couldn't breath fire to roast a marshmallow if he wanted to.

What?He snapped at her. If he pretended to hate her he could distance himself from all these damn feelings.

She took a step back with confusion in her eyes. Good. Yeah, he was going to be that asshole. If she didn't like being around him she would be more motivated to figure out how to quit controlling his shift all the sooner. Then he could leave her behind and get back to plotting the demise of the Black Dragon.

"Jakob said we should go into town and see a woman who can help me figure out powers."

Then let's go already.

Yvaine frowned and narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything. She walked away following the gravel path that led out of the estate. It was only a couple of miles to the town. Jett had seen that from the sky. Walking would take them much longer than he had the patience for.

Mark her. Claim her.

Grr.

Hurry the fuck up.

She stopped dead in her tracks and put her hands on her hips. "What's got your snoot in a root? I'm walking as fast as I can. If you hadn't noticed I missed breakfast, didn't get my coffee, and oh, yeah I was murdered earlier today. I'd like a little slack if you don't mind."

She was even more beautiful all riled up like this. Her breathing had ratcheted up, the breeze blew tendril of her hair around, and the rosiness she'd had in her cheeks the first time he'd seen her was back with a vengence. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss the daylights out of her. He was so fucked.

Jett lowered his head right down to her eye level and bared his teeth at her like he was going to take a bite. He wanted to, badly.

"Back off, buster." Yvaine poked him right on the nose and he was back to man form in less than a blink. She continued to stare up at him, the fire in her eyes reflecting his own. Hers was from anger.

His was pure unadulterated lust.

"Stop doing that," she whispered. "You're confusing me."

"Stop doing what?" He took a step closer so she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.

"Looking at me like that. One second your all crabby and the next I think you want to..." When her voice trailed off her little pink tongue darted between her lips, sliding across the bottom one leaving it shiny and wet.

He wanted to know what else was wet. "What do you think I want to do to you, Yvaine? This?"

Jett cupped her head and lowered his mouth to hers. He slid his lips over hers, teasing them both waiting to see if she would let him take the kiss even farther. Her little gasp was all the signal he needed. He took advantage of her parted lips and slipped the tip of his tongue between them, tasting her again for the first time. The flavor of strawberries and sunshine flooded his senses. He needed so much more.

He got it when she wrapped her arms around his neck and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. Jett lost all sense of time and space. There was only her and him and this fiery magic between them. She moved into his body and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her even closer. Their mouths moved together, their tongues danced with each other, and their breaths synced until he didn't know where he stopped and she began.

Swirls of black light wrapped around them and sparks of fire exploded behind his eyes amping up his need for her. Jett's wings exploded from his back and he wrapped them behind her, creating a tight cocoon around them to keep her safe from the dangers lurking in the world.

Mark her. Claim her.

Yes. He wanted the rest of the world to know if they messed with Yvaine, they would feel his wrath. Because she was his. Curse or no. Soul or no, Yvaine was his. Jett broke the kiss wanting to work his way down to her throat, but she pulled him back to her and took what she wanted from him. One more deep, lingering kiss that she got to say when it ended.

"It was either that or eat me." She smiled against his mouth and pecked him on the lips again.

"But I do want to eat you." That too made her gasp and he loved seeing her eyes sparkle with the anticipation. That made it all the harder to say, "I don't know how to do this, Yvaine. I know how to fight, I know how to fuck, but I don't know how to--"

"Shh." She shook her head. "I don't either. Do we have to? Everything else is so complicated at the moment. Let's just make this part easy. I like kissing you. I'd like to do it more. Everything else about today has scared the ever living shinola out of me. Except you. I don't know why. I kind of don't care at this point."

"I don't scare you?" The darkness of his soul sure as shit made him worried sometimes.

She rubbed her thumb over his cheek and across his lips. "You've surprised me a few times, but you're one of the good guys. I don't have any reason to fear you."

One of the good guys. He wasn't. If he'd had a heart, it would have broken right then. She might be his. But he could never have her. Jett opened his wings and the rays of sunshine hit him right in the eye so that he had to turn his face and look away. His wings shifted, tucking themselves back into his body where they belonged. He took one last second to stare down at Yvaine, imprinting this shining memory so that when the bleak lonely days that were ahead darkened his days he could take it back out and savor what could have been.

Jett smiled down at her hoping the muscles of his face didn't betray the gut-wrenching sadness he kept inside. "Let's go find this woman so you can learn to use your powers, huh?"

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