Binding Ties The Sentinel Wars - Shannon K. Butcher Page 0,80
on work now that he knew just how she tasted, how she sounded when she came?
“You wanted something?” she asked.
He had wanted something—something that had nothing to do with spinning her around and fucking her against the bathroom sink.
Joseph closed his eyes so his brain would start to work again. This was important. Whatever it was.
As the sight of her beauty moved from reality to memory, he remembered why he’d knocked on the door in the first place. “I thought of something we could try.”
“I’m not having sex with you again, Theronai.”
“Not that.” Though heaven knew he had about a million fantasies stored up—things he would so love to try with her. “I mean that there’s something we can try that none of the others searching for Eric and the kids can.”
“What?” Her tone was skeptical, but laced with enough curiosity that he knew he’d at least piqued her interest.
“How good is your sense of smell?”
“Very.”
“Compared to other Slayers?”
“I was one of the best trackers in the settlement. The fact that I couldn’t find a trail leading away from the attack meant there wasn’t one.”
“What if there was?”
“Are you saying I missed something?” She pushed past him.
He opened his eyes just in time to see her wrapping the top sheet around herself. He knew it wouldn’t take much to have her naked again, but he was going to find a way to resist the urge. Somehow.
Joseph cleared his throat and stared at the wall behind her head. Nothing sexy there. “I’m saying that you have access to a whole shit ton of power now—power you could use to amplify your natural tracking abilities.”
“You think that if I tap into your power, I might be able to find the trail leading to Eric and the young?”
“It’s possible. Andra has an uncanny ability to find lost children, and she follows a path of fear they leave behind.”
“Why the hell isn’t she out here helping us?”
“Because she’s pregnant. It’s too great a risk to her unborn child for her to put herself in danger.”
“We could have at least asked her to help.”
“I wouldn’t do that to her. It would tear her up inside to know that some kids were missing and she couldn’t help.”
“You didn’t even ask her?”
“No, I didn’t. Be as pissed at me as you like, but all it’s going to do is make it harder for you to get what you want. Anger doesn’t help our connection grow, and if you want to use my power to find that trail, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”
Lyka poked him hard in the chest—hard enough to leave a bruise. Even so, the branches of his lifemark swayed and whipped around in an effort to get closer to her touch. “Don’t think I’ll forget this.”
“Neither will Andra, once she finds out that I was hiding this from her. You’ll have to get in line behind all of the other people who are pissed at me on any given day. Comes with the territory of being a leader.”
“Yeah? Well, as your wife, I get first dibs on thrashing your ass.”
He grinned and covered her hand, pressing it flat against his chest. “So, now you claim the position as my wife?”
“If that’s what it takes to get to beat the shit out of you first, absolutely.”
Venting her anger was one thing. Letting it fester and grow was another.
He grabbed her wrists and pinned them at the small of her back. She struggled against his hold, but only for a second.
Joseph leaned down, putting his lips close to hers. “Feel free to try your hand at that whenever you like, kitten. You may be a Slayer, but I’m still more than strong enough to restrain you until you calm down.”
“What if I never calm down? What if I’m pissed at you for the rest of our lives?”
“Then I guess you’re going to spend a lot of time like this.” He tightened his grip and pulled her hard against his frame.
Her pupils lengthened, making her eyes dim to dark gold. Her lips parted, and her nipples beaded up beneath the sheet. The flush of her skin beneath the luceria had started to fade, but it was back now, proving just how much her body responded to his.
“You think you can control me?” she asked.
“Why would I do that when I like you out of control so very much?”
She closed her eyes. “I’m not going to let you do this again.”