Page 18 of God Touched

"That's. For. Killing. The. Dog. You. Fuck," she shouted, each word punctuated by a blow. The creature slumped to the ground, Imogen still on its back. She yanked her ax free from what remained of its head and spat on the corpse.

Arawan blinked. He hadn't seen that kind of brutality in centuries.

Imogen whirled on him, smeared with black blood, her eyes shining with battle fury. She pointed her gory ax at him.

"What the fuck kind of help are you in a fight?" she demanded. "Why are you staring—"

She let out a startled cry as Arawan grabbed her by her filthy face and kissed her.

9

One second, Imogen was shouting, and the next, the God of the dead's tongue was in her mouth. It wasn't a friendly peck either. It was a breathless, hazardous to her health type of kiss that felt like they were trying to climb inside of each other.

A feeling of euphoria and ecstasy rushed through her; this was the exact feeling she had when she died. Except now, she felt a million other things on top of it.

The ax slipped from her hand, and she grabbed Arawan by the lapel of his jacket, dragging him closer. Strong hands pushed her up against the nearest tree before yanking on her braid to tilt her head up.

Fuck, his mouth was magic, and Imogen was too high on him to push him away. One of her hands tangled in his long black hair. It was as silky as it looked, and she gripped it tighter, unsure if she wanted to make him hurt or get him closer. Both.

His hips ground up against hers, and an involuntary moan escaped her throat.

Arawan pulled back from her, eyes filled with fury and lust. "Now, I know why you've died so many times. You are insane."

"Someone had to be because your situational awareness is rubbish," Imogen replied. She expected him to move, but he stayed where he was, pressing her into the tree.

"Never put yourself in danger to protect me like that again," he growled.

Imogen glared up at him. "If I hadn't, you would've been torn apart by those claws."

"I am immortal! I would've recovered!"

Imogen's temper flared. "Right. Let me up. If that's the thanks I get for saving your scrawny ass, you can fuck right off."

Arawan gripped her face so she couldn't move. "No. Not until you promise me."

"I promise to let you get torn apart by the next monsters we meet. I will even push you in front of them like my own fucking shield so that you get horribly clawed to pieces!" she shouted at him.

Arawan didn't even flinch. He moved his lips against hers. "Good. I'd rather get torn apart than watch it happen to you."

Imogen really wanted to shove him off, but her body wasn't getting the message. Her mouth opened to his, and he took the advantage.

His kiss was deep and slow and absolutely controlling. It was the kind of kiss that would've led to something more if he would've been anyone else.

She could feel his restraint, the roar of his power under the human guise he wore. Warm wet heat spread through her with every flick of his tongue and scrape of his teeth over her lips. She ground up against his leg that was pressed between hers, and he hummed against her lips before pulling away.

Imogen cleared her throat and pulled her jacket straight. "Okay. We need to figure out where those creatures came from."

"No. We need to get you back to the safety of the castle," Arawan said. He moved away from her like their mind-blistering kiss and mild dry humping never happened.

He crouched down beside his dead hound and placed a hand on its head. Power filled the clearing, and Imogen's knees trembled. It licked against her skin, and her side ached in memory of its touch. The wounds in the hound's side closed over. It whimpered, its legs kicking out before it sat up.

"What in the…" Imogen hurried over to it and ran her hands through its thick fur.

Arawan's hand covered hers. "Do you understand now? Everything in this place can be revived because it is an extension of Annwn. You are the only thing that is truly alive and irreplaceable."

Imogen looked down at their hands and back up to his face. Realization smacked her in the back of the head. She had scared him; that was why he had been stunned into inaction. The last of Imogen's temper slipped away.

"I get it, but it's not in my nature to run from a fight. Doyouunderstand that? I won't just sit there and do nothing if we are attacked."

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