Archangel’s Enigma (Guild Hunter #8)(138)
Author: Nalini Singh

His chest rumbled under her, his skin bearing tiger stripes. “You should miss me. I’m your mate.”

He sounded so smug that she kissed him again. “Why didn’t you come? I waited and waited!” Slapping her hand on his chest, she sat up on her knees. “I looked for you every night.”

Scowling at her, he said, “I had to think of a way to get you out of Charisemnon’s clutches.” He bared his teeth. “Then I had to hunt down Alexander and point out that he owed you and me a very big favor.”

Her mouth fell open. “Did you really say that to him?” It came out a squeaked whisper.

“Why not?” Hands behind his head, he shrugged. “Alexander was always known for his honor, and he likes you.”

Still astonished that he’d brazenly gone up to an Ancient and demanded repayment, she shivered. “He could’ve killed you in anger.” And she could’ve lost him forever.

“No. He likes me, too.” Grinning, he pulled her down and flipped positions so that she was pinned under him. “He tried to steal me from Raphael but I can’t be stolen.”

Stroking his cheek and feeling that fine, near-invisible fur that sometimes appeared with the stripes, she felt her eyes burn. “I was so scared.” A ragged confession.

Thunder in his expression. “Did anyone hurt you?”

“No.” Her wild chimera had no need to know how close it had come—that one thing, she’d keep from him, because it would cause him pain for no reason. “I knew you’d come.”

His eyes told her he saw her secrets anyway. “I knew you’d be strong, that you’d stay alive no matter what.”

Eyes hot and wet, she held on to him, was held, for a long time.

When Naasir moved, it was to pull something out of his pocket. “This is for you.”

Surprised by the way he’d ducked his head, as if shy, she looked down. Her hands flew to her mouth. “For me?”

“Mates wear amber.” Tugging one hand away from her mouth, Naasir slipped on the ring of gold that bore the patina of great age.

Its heart was darkest amber.

“Oh,” she whispered, staring at it and sniffing and smiling. “You gave me amber.” She touched the ring with the fingers of her other hand, made incoherent noises of naked joy. “It’s so beautiful.”

“It has a story, a history,” Naasir told her, openly smug at her delight. “I thought you’d like it better than a new ring.”

“I do. So much.” She smothered his face in kisses again. “I designed a ring for you,” she admitted shyly afterward. “I couldn’t have it made yet.” Too much risk her grandfather would hear, would learn she’d bonded that deeply with another. “It’s going to have my name written on the inside,” she added, daring him to argue.

Naasir’s eyes glowed. “Because I’m your territory.” A clawed hand caressed her cheek. “Possessive mate.”

“Yes. Very.” She snapped her teeth at him.

Laughing, he snapped back, and they tussled in the bed like two big cats. She was breathless by the time she ended up under him again. Blowing her hair off her face, she said, “Tell me everything about how exactly you got Alexander to agree.” Brazen and courageous, her mate astonished her.

Naasir sighed. “Can we rut first?” Grinding his sizable erection against her, he closed his hand over her bare breast. “I want you.”

Andromeda shivered. Spreading her thighs, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He sank into her kiss as his fingers stroked and petted her between her thighs. When he thrust his fingers inside her, she arched her back, lifted herself for his claiming, but he wasn’t done. Kissing his way down her body, he licked and sucked at her with a feline playfulness that had her writhing on the bed, the robe she still wore twisting around her.

Hauling her lower body closer to his mouth with a powerful grip under her thighs, he licked her between those thighs and straight into a wrenching orgasm, then kept going. The graze of fangs made her moan and grow even wetter, but he was only playing. Playing with her like she was his favorite and most delicious toy.

“Naasir.”

A rumbling growl against her, a wet suck of her clitoris. Her stomach tensed, her spine snapped into a hard curve and she came all over again. Boneless, she moaned as he scraped his fangs lightly at her inner thigh, then went back to his licking and tasting and sucking. Her breathing was so harsh it almost hurt, and the pleasure, it was the blood in her veins.

When he scraped his fangs over her inner thigh a second time, she shivered.