Tethered (Novella) - By Meljean Brook Page 0,73

him, gathering every bit of hate and anger inside her before projecting it outward. Unmoved by her rage, his flat obsidian gaze held hers for a long moment before dropping to read the symbol between her breasts. She blinked with surprise when she felt the touch of his healing power, then gasped as pain flared through the raw flesh. The warmth of his Gift immediately vanished.

“It has to be cleansed with fire,” he said softly. “I will kill her for doing this to you.”

Khavi? Arms still pinned over her head, Taylor looked down at her chest, trying to ignore her tits on display. The skin surrounding the symbol appeared swollen, infected. Just looking at the wound seemed to make it hurt more.

Taylor despised having to ask him, but she wanted to know. “What does it say?”

“‘Release.’”

“What will it do?”

“Take me from here.” His thumb brushed her temple. “Just as you wished. But destroying the body will do the same. Give it to me.”

This time she didn’t hesitate. “No. Not when you’re like this.”

And not when he planned to make himself invulnerable and fill her with his seed.

“Then there is another way to destroy it.”

Gently, his hand wrapped around her neck. Icy horror slithered through her veins. He only had to rip off her head and the body in her hammerspace would be forever lost.

“Make your choice, Andromeda.”

Decide whether to let him kill her? Cold sweat trickled down her spine. “You wouldn’t do it.”

His fingers tightened. “No?”

“No.”

She wheezed past his hold on her throat. Choking didn’t matter; she didn’t need to breathe except to speak. His dark gaze bore into hers—perhaps he was wondering if she was as certain as she sounded. Taylor was certain. He’d protected her, after all. He’d tried to heal her. She had faith that he wouldn’t kill her now.

Stupid, maybe. But she couldn’t protect herself, so that faith was all she had left.

The seconds drew out. She couldn’t stand this. “Do it, Michael. Or don’t. Just stop fucking around.”

His grip eased, but her relief was short-lived. With a sharp smile, he bent his head again. “Perhaps I can convince you to give me the body…one bite at a time.”

Still holding her wrists, he pulled her up, off her feet. She tried to wrench away. The weight of his body held her in place. His fangs pinched the side of her neck and she froze, fear wracking her frame with involuntary tremors.

God. Would he really torture her? She couldn’t see his eyes, his face—but Michael knew she’d feared he would eat her. Maybe he bluffed, trying to terrify her?

Maybe he wasn’t bluffing. Michael wouldn’t kill her, but maybe he would hurt her. After all, he could just heal her.

Taylor knew that a part of her would never heal from that—and she couldn’t summon even an ounce of faith in him now.

One bite at a time. Damn him. She would survive this. Let him do his worst.

“Go on, then. But even if you chew down to my bones, I won’t give the body to you.”

His mouth was a brand against her skin. The pinch of his fangs became a piercing pain, and beyond their points were his sharpened teeth. She braced herself for that bite, the shredding agony. God, would he really do this? Would he really tear a piece of her away? Her eyes burned. The crimson sky blurred.

Damn him for that, too.

“I might cry,” she said hoarsely. “I might scream. But I won’t give it to you.”

The moment stretched out, endless. Was this more torture, drawing out her horror and fear? He could draw it out all he wanted. She wasn’t going to give him a goddamn thing—

“I know you will not,” he said against her neck. “And I cannot, either.”

He hadn’t been extending the torture, then. He’d been trying to work himself up to biting her, and couldn’t follow through. Thank God. He couldn’t kill her, couldn’t hurt her. There was nothing he could do to her.

So why wasn’t he letting her go?

The touch of his healing Gift soothed the pain at her neck. A burning lick up the length of her throat followed. Taylor shuddered, recoiled.

His left hand gripped her hip, held her still. “So we will sate your hunger instead.”

Her hunger? But she wasn’t— Oh, God.

Arousal burst inside her like a summer storm. Wet. Hot. Electric. Her body arched, straining against his. Her bare nipples brushed his chest. The delicious rasp of his reptilian scales wrung a moan from her throat, but this