Burned by Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,19
word I comprehend, ma belle. Have I not told you that I am a certified KISA?”
Tayla frowned. She’d become fairly proficient in Levet-speak, but this was a new one.
“KISA?”
“Knight In Shining Armor.”
Ah. Of course. She swallowed a small chuckle.
“I don’t doubt your…skills, but this is a matter of honor. I have to stay with Baine until he choses to release me.”
“I do not understand.”
“My father, Odel, owed the trolls money,” she reluctantly admitted. “A lot of money.”
“So…mon dieu.” Levet’s tail snapped around his feet as he realized what she was saying. “It is your father’s debt to pay,” he protested.
She felt a familiar stab of resignation. Odel was an expert in screwing up his life and expecting someone else to suffer the consequences.
“He paid it with me.”
“You are saying Odor—”
“Odel,” she corrected.
“Odel,” Levet muttered in disgust. “He used you to settle his gambling debts?”
She gave a reluctant nod. “Yes.”
Levet’s wings drooped. “Please do not do this, ma belle.”
As if she had a choice?
Tayla abruptly grimaced. Dammit. There were few things she hated more than those who wallowed in self-pity.
She’d made the decision to honor the debt.
She wasn’t going to moan and groan about it now.
“I have to go. I’ll return as soon as I can.”
She reached out to gently touch one of the stunted horns before she headed down the stairs. Following the tiny shockwaves of power that pulsed through the air, she found Baine waiting for her on the porch, her suitcase in one hand.
On the point of joining him, her feet came to an abrupt halt as she caught sight of the tiny figurine that’d been busted when the trolls had forced their way into her home.
With a sound of distress, she bent to gently gather the shattered pieces off the floor.
It wasn’t a masterpiece. In fact, it was a cheap trinket from some fairy celebration. But it was one of her mother’s few possessions that her father hadn’t sold over the years.
Which made it priceless to her.
There was a brush of warm air wrapping around her before Baine was standing at her side, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
“It can be repaired.”
“I suppose,” she muttered, setting the pieces on a nearby table.
She would deal with the destruction later.
Straightening, Tayla was caught off guard when Baine brushed his fingers over her cheek, capturing a stray tear that she didn’t even know was sliding down her face.
“You seem…sad,” he accused, his voice rough as if angered by her emotional reaction.
Tayla sniffed, her gaze moving to the door that was hanging at a drunken angle.
“I should have known better than to try and create a home,” she muttered, talking more to herself than the dragon studying her with a brooding gaze. “Every time I do it only leads to disappointment.”
His fingers aimlessly drifted to outline her lips. “Your father didn’t provide you with a nest?”
She gave a lift of her shoulder. “He tried on occasion, but he spent most of our time on the run from his bookies.”
His touch heated against her skin, as if he was struggling to contain his dragon-fire.
“Worthless creature.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She squared her shoulders. Hadn’t she just promised herself she wasn’t going to give in to self-pity? “Not any more.”
“You’re under my protection now,” he growled, grasping her chin to tilt back her head. His amber gaze scorched over her face with blatant possession. “Unlike your father, I will always make sure you’re safe.”
She shivered. But it wasn’t fear.
No. The delicious tremors were in direct response to the strong arms that were abruptly wrapping around her to tug her against his hard, half-naked body.
“Even from yourself?” she breathed.
His arms tightened as his head lowered. “I cherish my treasures,” he assured her, his lips skimming over her forehead, then down the length of her nose.
A groan was wrenched from her throat as his hands cupped her backside and he tugged her tight against his thickening cock. His lips brushed her cheeks, then over her mouth before skimming the length of her jaw.
Each tiny caress set off a series of sparks that raced through her with dizzying pleasure.
Mmm.
Her fingers landed on the bare skin of his chest and treacherous desire curled through the pit of her stomach. He was heat and raw male power.
She didn’t know if he actually cherished her, but he certainly knew how to make her smolder with need.
Dragon-magic…
His clever mouth explored along the line of her throat, searing the skin over her racing pulse before heading down to the curve of her breasts.
“Baine,” she choked