Defended by Darkness (Wings, Wands and Soul Bonds #2) - Terry Bolryder Page 0,3
evening,” he says, standing right next to me.
“Really? It was just me talking about work.”
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
As I look into his eyes, the lights above us brighten his gaze, making his eyes look like starry night skies.
He wets his lower lip as his eyes dart to my mouth, and I feel my stomach tighten, warmth pooling inside.
I barely know him, but I’ve never wanted anyone more in my life than I want this man right now.
He steps closer to me, and instinctively, I wrap my hands around his waist, feeling tight muscle beneath his shirt.
He hasn’t even touched me yet, but my body is begging for him.
“May I?” he asks, and I nod as he reaches up to push a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. The touch is electric, and his palm rests right beneath my left ear, teasing my skin.
Please, oh please, don’t stop, Tanner.
“You are just… amazing.” He inches closer. Every centimeter of distance makes my heart race faster.
I can’t even explain what this is between us. Just pure animal attraction?
Something more, but I just don’t understand it yet?
Just as his lips brush over mine, I meet him the last little bit, our lips crashing together gently. His hand is still on my neck, his other teasing the side of my hip, pulling us tighter as warmth fills my core. I can feel my heartbeat pulsing in my chest as it races with the intensity of the moment.
Tanner just holds me, our mouths enmeshed, his lips warm on mine.
Suddenly, there’s a honk behind me, and all too soon, the moment between us is over as he pulls away, looking me over one more time before he turns to wave at my ride.
The driver looks upset, and I’m honestly not sure how long we were just kissing there on the sidewalk.
Time seems to have no meaning around him.
“I guess this is my ride,” I say balefully.
Tanner strides forward and opens the passenger door for me. I hand him back his jacket as he motions for me to get in.
“I suppose I’ll see you around, as they say,” he says.
Wait, what?
“Oh, shouldn’t I get your number or email address or something?” I ask as I sit down, the death glare from the driver pressuring me to go faster.
Tanner leans over me, just smiling, a certainty in his smile that my mind and body do not share right now.
“Don’t worry. I promise we’ll meet again. Very soon.” He looks me over one last time, making my body ache for what it can’t have once more.
“But seriously, how do you plan to do that?”
“Close the door, miss, please,” the driver barks at me.
“Don’t worry,” is all he says.
Don’t worry? How am I supposed to not worry when I don’t even know his last name?
Reluctantly, I close the door, and the driver peels off into the rapidly moving traffic.
I glance over my shoulder, watching the tall shape of him disappear into the darkening night behind me, wondering what that all meant.
And as we head for home, I can still feel his lips on mine as though they’re still there.
When on earth am I going to see him again?
Tanner
Eva. Damn, there’s no doubting what I know now.
She’s the beacon we’re searching for, and she’s my soul bond.
And I don’t have time to deal with either of those realizations because I can sense chaos lingering nearby, probably drawn by her presence.
I catch the last glimpse of her cab as it disappears. Then I turn around to walk the other direction down the sidewalk. I pass the doors to McKinley’s, making a right as I follow several dark threads hovering in the air around me like invisible ribbons.
Time to hunt down some monsters.
As the commander of darkness, fighting chaos in my world used to be an everyday occurrence.
Here in the human world, I can follow the threads people leave behind as they come and go, but I’m mostly interested in the kind of insidious trails left by the stronger sources of chaos.
Chaos fae from my world.
I take a deep breath of cool night air, wishing I could still be kissing Eva. Still be talking to her. Still be basking in the radiance of her beauty and her personality.
Too bad the forces of chaos had to decide tonight was a good night to go looking for a beacon.
I’m absolutely certain that Eva is one. A fairy princess hidden amongst all these humans, unawakened to her true powers just yet.