And you killed two of Jess's brethren by trapping them in daylight. She didn't even want to think about how the others died.
Please, please don't let me have killed a protector....
Trying not to think about that either, she got up and went to the bathroom.
Jess didn't speak as he watched her plod across the room. She had the most seductive walk he'd ever seen on any woman. Slow and sensual and full of sass. It was the kind of walk that made men turn and stare. Most of all, it made him ache to take a bite out of that hot little body of hers, especially that well-shaped ass.
Man, to have that naked and wrapped around him ...
Uh, hello, cowboy? You're not supposed to have those thoughts about a human who's been offering your friends up as sacrifice to the dark gods.
Maybe not, but he was a man, and his body wasn't about to listen to his brain, especially since all the blood was now gathered into the part of him that craved her most. It wanted what it saw, and she was definitely worth an ass-whipping or two dozen.
Pushing that out of his mind before it got him into some serious trouble, he closed his eyes and used his powers to sense Ren. He knew the moment he made contact. Ren pushed back with his own telepathy.
"What, cowboy?"
He shook his head at Ren's surly tone in his head. He didn't like anyone near his thoughts-not the Jess blamed him. Mind readers weren't his favorite thing either. "Wanted to see if you were awake yet."
"I've been awake and meditating. And to answer your next question, it's almost four, so you have plenty of time to grab ass if you want."
Jess quickly blocked the image in his mind that those words conjured. Grabbing Abigail's ass was a lot more appealing to him than it should be. "Stay out of my thoughts."
"Believe me, I'm trying to. I don't want to throw up right after I brushed my teeth."
Bastard.
"By the way," Ren continued, ignoring the insult that questioned his parentage, "I'm about as weak as I've ever been. Other than the telepathy, which I obviously know is working, how are your powers doing?"
Jess winced as he realized his were down, too. "Probably drained as much as yours are."
"Guess we're going to pretend we're human for a bit."
Jess snorted. There were many folks, including Abigail, who would say that he'd never been human. "Can you shape-shift at all?"
"Never a problem."
Now, that was interesting. "Care to tell me why that one isn't malfunctioning?"
"It likes me best."
Jess shook his head. Smart-ass.
His attention shifted as he heard the water in his bathroom come on. Abigail was taking a shower....
"I'm going to leave you to the thoughts of her naked, since I have no interest in being a voyeur to your fantasies, especially with a viper. Check in with me when you're focused on fighting and not-"
"Gotcha, Ren. I'll powwow with you later."
Jess lay alone on the bed, listening to the water run in the other room. In his mind, he had a perfect image of what Abigail would look like as she soaped her naked breasts. His body roared back to life with a vengeance. His hunger for her was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. And it wasn't just because she was a beautiful woman.
There was something else. Something he hadn't felt since the first time he met Matilda. It was a deep-seated ache. An urge he had to be near her. To protect her.
To hold her.
It took every bit of his control not to go in there and make her slap his face. One corner of his mouth lifted as he imagined her outrage if he did.
Definitely worth the slap. But he wouldn't do that to her. He was too much of a gentleman to horrify a woman. No matter how horny he was.