Page 26 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

I sensed the war within him—the scholar wanting to understand, the predator fearing what he would become, and something deeper that had awakened in that ritual chamber. Something that had reveled in the chaos.

As Bastian spoke, I felt the immortal blood working through my body, restoring me. The ache in my muscles subsided, replaced by an awareness of Bastian’s presence and the bond thrumming between us, giving me a front-row seat to his self-loathing.

“Come here,” I said, patting the edge of the bed.

He hesitated, fear flashing across his features. “I shouldn’t.”

“Bas,” I said, gentler. “Please. I need you.”

His resistance crumbled, and he crossed the room with fluid grace. The mattress dipped as he perched on the edge, maintaining careful distance. He traced the line of a tattoo snaking onto the back of his hand with his index finger. A line I was almost certain hadn’t been there before.

“Talk to me,” I said. “Please don’t shut me out.”

Staring at the wall, he was quiet for so long I thought he might not answer. His jaw worked, and his eyes held a storm of emotions.

“What happened in the ritual chamber…” His voice roughened. “That wasn’t just a normal shift gone wrong. That was something else.” His eyes met mine, fear laid bare. “Something that shouldn’t exist.”

I reached for his hand, but he pulled back, out of reach. “Don’t, Soph. Please. I’m not sure I can control it if you touch me right now.”

The admission hit me hard, sending fissures through my heart. “What if you don’t have to control it?” I asked softly.

His head snapped up. “Soph—”

“What if what happened wasn’t a mistake?” I continued, sitting up despite the lingering weakness. “What if it was a revelation?”

“Arevelation?” Disbelief tainted his voice. “That I’m amonster?”

“That you’re more than you thought,” I corrected, extending my hand. “Show me,” I whispered. When he shook his head, inching away, I pressed further. “Don’t pull away, Bas, please.Please. I need you. All of you.” I took a deep breath, rethinking my next words about a thousand times. “Show me what’s inside you. Let’s face it together.”

Gold sparked in his eyes even as fear clouded his expression. Through our bond, I felt the wild energy responding to my invitation—not just shifter magic but something deeper. Older. Untamed.

“I don’t know what will happen,” Bastian admitted. “If I let it out, I don’t think I can control myself like I can with my normal shifts.”

“Then don’t,” I said simply. “I trust you. Eventhatpart of you.” I tugged the oversized shirt someone had dressed me in for sleep over my head, tossing it to the far side of the bed. The cool air kissed my flesh, tightening my nipples to stiff peaks, and moonlight stained my skin silver.

Bastian stared, transfixed. His breath quickened, his pupils dilating until only a thin ring of amber remained. Another flash of gold. A shiver within his pupil, threatening to split. “Sophie,” he breathed, my name a warning and a prayer.

“I want this,” I told him, bringing his hand to my breast. “I want you, Bas. All of you.” His thumb swept across my nipple, like he just couldn’t resist, and his touch sent sparks dancing along nerve endings and heat pooling low in my belly. “Let me see you too,” I whispered, tugging up the hem of his T-shirt.

He remained tense as I stood on my knees to pull the shirt up over his head. His tattoos shimmered golden in the moonlight.

“You’re so beautiful,” I told him, tracing the lines across his chest. When my fingers trailed over black ink, gold rose to the surface, an inner glow attracted by my touch.

His control broke on a groan. He gripped me by the hips and pulled me closer, dragging me onto his lap so my legs straddled him. His mouth found mine, his teeth grazing my lower lip, drawing blood, and I gasped at the wild, unrestrained response after such hesitancy. He gripped my ass, his fingers sinking in almost painfully. Possessively. Hungrily.

I gripped his hair at the nape of his neck and pulled his head back, breaking our kiss.

A sound rumbled from his chest—not quite human, not quite animal. His amber eyes flickered gold again as he fought against his nature.

“I’m not afraid,” I promised, my stare locked with his. “Stop holding back, Bas. Please.”

Something shifted in his expression. His form blurred slightly, not the violent shift from before, but something controlled. His eyes changed first, amber bleeding to rich gold, with pupils narrowing to feline slits before splitting, forming what looked like infinity signs in his eyes. His bone structure sharpened, his canines lengthened into vicious fangs.

“Like this?” he asked, vulnerable despite his inhuman appearance and deeper voice.

I nodded, my throat dry with wanting. “Yes,” I rasped, unconsciously rubbing myself against him. “Just like that.”

His transformed hands found my waist, the whisper of claws against my skin teasing the possibility of violence as he shifted our positions on the bed, laying me on my back. Seeing his partially shifted form hovering over me sent liquid desire pulsing between my thighs.

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