Page 22 of Bones

I can’t stop the self-deprecating chuckle that escapes, and I shrug. “Besides. You’re not the only one with secrets. You think I’m a good person? I’m not.”

Bones’ eyes narrow. “Why do you think that?”

I wave a hand at the door. “If I’m not a monster, then that makes me the monster’s accomplice. I believed the lies, Bones. I believed that I was helping to bring justice to the world. I wanted to be special and I fucking loved them at first. Because I was so naive that I believed every pretty word they told me until I was too deep to leave.”

Bones reaches out and cups my face in his large hands, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. His expression is intense, the bronze of his eyes practically glowing. “No. You’re not a monster. You’re strong and brave and beautiful. And I’m not a good man. Not by a long shot. I’m not a hero, Sloan. I’m a soldier. You think you’re broken?” He pulls back and lifts up his shirt with a hand, revealing his heavily scarred torso. “I did this to myself. My commanders had me use my own bones as weapons. I tortured innocents. I killed them in the most brutal of ways. I pulled their bones from their bodies one at a time, without hesitating.”

He takes a step forward, his eyes glowing with a darkness that has my heart rising into my throat. He takes another step forward and I fall back. The edges of my vision darken, but then I realize it’s misty shadows. Bones bares his teeth in a harsh snarl and yanks off his leather vest. Then he grips his shirt by the neck, tearing it over his head and off as he takes another step towards me. I retreat, unable to look away from the predator stalking towards me, death in his eyes.

“I’m a Hells-forsaken demon, Sloan.” Bones’ voice has changed. It’s hollower, echoey like we’re in a vast cavern. He’s changing before me, growing taller until he’s hunching over to avoid the ceiling. Somehow he’s shoved his jeans off but the fact that he’s naked before me means nothing. Not when he’s growing larger, not when he’s no longer human. “It seems like you need a reminder of that.”

I keep walking back, my eyes going wild as I try to take in everything before me. Where Bones was--is, is a giant wraith. Bones, in his human form, already towered over me but now in his true form, he’s at least eleven feet tall. Instead of his lean, whipcord muscles and tattooed skin, he’s gaunt--nearly skeletal. Gray skin clings to each bone, every rib visible, every tendon and ligament raised. His hands -are- nothing but bone, ending in wicked looking talons. Every scar I’d glimpsed on his human chest are worse now. Instead of silvered with age, they’re red and ragged like freshly healed wounds. Traveling upward, his true nature is impossible to deny. Instead of a humanoid head, his burning bronze eyes glow in the black cavities of a massive coyote skull, two spiral horns as long as my arm curling up out of his forehead.

This is what I am, Sloan.That echoing voice is all around me and inside my head.You need to accept that I’m a monster. Ademon. I’m not a human like you. You shouldn’t want anything to do with me.

He’s right. I should be quaking with fear and yet that’s not what is making me shiver. He could snap my spine like a brittle twig. His mouth gapes open, fangs the length of my hand on display. His eyes are nothing more than floating orbs set in the eye holes of the white skull.

Except, like this?

“You take my breath away,” I confess without thought. I raise a hand, longing to explore this true body of his.

Bones inhales deeply, then hot breath rushes from him to billow over me. It’s the same scent I’ve always associated with him, but evolved. The warm, comforting autumnal scent of his human form has deepened to the rich petrichor of a forest after all of the leaves have fallen and each tree slumbers.

When he says nothing, I step forward. He holds still, bronze eyes flaring brightly. I get the sense that he’s anxious, that this is unknown territory for the both of us.

I place my hand in the middle of his chest, the muscles twitching underneath me. Bones is forced to twist and drop his chin to his chest to keep me in his sight. Enthralled, I bring my other hand to him. From his appearance, I expected him to feel cold and hard. Maybe even fragile, like the thin skin of someone in their 90’s. In reality, he’s warmer than I’ve ever felt him and his skin reminds me of velvet. I don’t even fight the temptation to rest my forehead against him, nuzzling and breathing in his scent.

With the Light Justicars, I was taught my duty was to fight creatures like Bones. It never sat easy in my mind but now thatI’m surrounded by him, in his truest form, I know how wrong Father Xavius and the others are.

I could never believe someone who made the chaotic world seem so far away, who grounded me with a single touch, who made me feel safe despite their evident power, was evil.

The silence relaxes around us, transforming from tension to warm intimacy. Bones shifts and I smile against him as a massive hand rests on my back, holding me closer.

14

BONES

Sloan is still in my arms, her human form so delicate compared to my bulk. There’s the faintest whiff of fear but it’s tangled up with her tangy arousal and rich earthiness of satisfaction. The need to claim her as my own is even stronger in my true form and I hold her even tighter to me. The pleasing hum she gives makes me shudder, my cock pressing against the seam it’s hidden behind.

I angle my hips away from her. I’ve shocked her enough for one day; learning that in this form my cock isn’t like that of the primate form of humans. As much as I want to throw her onto one of the beds behind us, I cannot. If I do, I risk terrifying her enough that she tries to run. If she runs, I don’t think my tenuous grasp of control will last.

The idea of chasing down the delicious smelling woman in my arms and rutting her like a beast after catching her has a growl rumbling from my chest. If I’m not careful, my cock will extrude regardless of what I want my body to do.

“Sloan,” I murmur, my voice reverberating from my massive skull to her mind. In this form, it’s impossible to form wordswith my mouth. I try to think of something else to say but nothing comes to me. I hadn’t expected any of this.

Her cheek slides against me as she tilts her face upward, gracing me with her smile. Hells and damnation, I don’t deserve this beautiful creature. I’m too fucking selfish to let her go though.

“If you do not want me to claim you, you need to say it now and leave. We will figure out another way to draw Xavius out. But you cannot stay here with me.”

Her blue-green eyes darken and she frowns. I’m mesmerized by the blond lashes framing her gorgeous eyes, wanting to count them so I can claim another part of her for myself.

“What if I’m tired of others deciding that I’m theirs?” she asks and I’m grateful for my form. At least like this, my expression cannot change. Regardless, I lift my head so she cannot see the pain in my eyes. I squeeze her against me, one last time. I hate the idea of letting her go but I cannot, will not be another captor for her.

“What if I want to claim you, instead?”

I snap my gaze back down to Sloan, my mind suddenly stopping at her words. I look over her face, struggling to process her words. She . . . wants to claim me? Like an avalanche, thoughts crash into and through me. I say the first one I grasp onto, one that seems more important than the others.

“If you claim me, I am yours for life.” Even if the mating bond doesn’t form between us, there will never be anyone else for me. “There will be no other for me.”

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