Page 6 of God Touched

You know what? Fuck him.

She stood up anyway, her chest bumping against his, and his eyes widened. Yeah, she had never been intimidated by a man before and wouldn't start now. She shoved at him, making him step out of her way. Not before she smelled his scent of cedar and dragon's blood. Funeral smells. Under that was male. Pure, hot, horny… Imogen took another step back from him.

"I didn't say you could leave," Arawan commented.

Imogen snorted. "Why keep me here? I don't know what else to tell you."

Arawan's face shifted from confusion to something calculating. He held out a hand to the door. "You're right. Let me show you the way out."

"Thanks. And…and thanks for saving me," she said uncomfortably.

"Which time?"

She shrugged. "All of them, I guess? The beach in particular. I don't know how you turned up there, but I'm grateful."

"You're welcome, Imogen."

"You're not going to tell me why you keep helping me, though, right?"

"Correct. Mind your step."

Arawan led her through a door and up a flight of stairs. They reached a hallway with at least four different doors, and she fought the urge to ask what was behind them. Probably things that would give her nightmares for the rest of forever. The door Arawan opened led outside.

The night was black and stormy, but she wouldn't stay a second longer. Her motorbike was waiting on a stretch of grass, her battle ax resting beside it. She made an involuntary happy sound and lifted it. No damage, thank goodness. She activated the shrinking charm and tucked it into her saddlebags.

"I don't suppose you are going to tell me where I am right now?" Imogen asked Arawan. She found her phone in one of the bags. No reception, big surprise.

"As soon as you cross my borders, you will be able to find out," Arawan said and gave her a charming smile. "You could always stay the night as my guest."

She could?Imogen's mind went fuzzy, staring at him all goth and sexy in the shadows, and she began to wonder if maybe… She looked at her tattoo.Say No. For once, she took the advice and shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer," she replied quickly, not wanting to offend him. "I got places to be. Good luck finding Hafgan."

"Stay alive longer than a week, Imogen Ironwood."

"Ha! I'll try."

Imogen waved awkwardly, pulled on her helmet, and started up her bike. She didn't turn around for a last look and didn't have to. She felt his dark eyes burning a hole in the back of her head all the way down the road leading away from the castle.

Imogen's skin tingled, and she knew she had crossed through his wards. Her phone instantly started buzzing, and she pulled her bike over. She found ten messages waiting for her from various family members, two dick pics from guys she had ghosted in the last six months, and five unread emails.

Ignoring them all, Imogen clicked on her Maps app, figured out where she was in Snowdonia National Park, and set the directions to Bayn's castle in Scotland. She wasn't going to stay in fucking Wales a single second longer.

She wasn't worried about falling asleep either. It was only seven p.m., and her blood was buzzing from her monkey brain telling her to get the fuck away from Arawan as fast as possible. Her less reliable woman brain was still wondering how a dead guy looked so fucking hot.

No. No hot goth gods for you. Some ideas were so bad that even Imogen knew better than to go through with them.

* * *

Seven hours later, Imogen passed through the town of Braemar and headed into the lands that Bayn had claimed as his own. They were technically a part of the Cairngorms National Park, and while he had allowed the humans access to parts of it, he had areas that he refused to part with.

Imogen was frozen, hungry, and still sandy by the time she pulled up at the front of the ice castle. Fae guards nodded politely to her, recognizing her on sight. She slung her saddlebags over one shoulder and almost swayed on her feet.

"Allow me to take these up to your room," a polite warrior suggested and took them from her.

"Thanks. I don't suppose I could go to the kitchen for some food. I've been riding all day," Imogen said, following them inside.

"Of course you can. I can rouse Prince Bayn for you…"

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