Page 84 of Tethered to the World
A couple of drops of blood splotched on the counter just a few inches away from the vial and the butterfly. The creature stilled, then launched into the air, landing over the blood.
In seconds, it was feeding.
Tiny blue veins began to thread into his wings, the spark of florescent blue glowing brighter and brighter. It took less than a minute for the blood to vanish.
The only thing left on the counter was the vial with just a trace of the drug and the now-matching butterfly.
“Fuck me,” Camden whirled away as he cursed, tunneling his fingers through his hair.
Xander didn’t move as he continued to watch the tiny creature, a hardness entering his eyes that she didn’t like. She waved her hand, banishing the darkness, and the butterfly vanished in a wisp of black smoke.
“But how would they learn how to do that?” Logan indicated the vial holding the drug, but made no move to touch it. The yearning was there, the craving, and she caught his fingers in hers. Only then did she realize it wasn’t the drugs that he wanted.
He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. Touch intensified their connection, and she sensed that the sight of her blood had freaked him out, and he was doing this to distract them both.
He gently pried open her fist to see the cut had already scabbed over, but not yet healed.
“Heal it,” his voice was gruff.
A demand.
His body warmed until the heat became a sauna.
“I don’t feel it,” she murmured, trying to soothe him, which only ended up pissing him off more if the low, rumbling growl against her back was any indication. She blew out an exasperated breath, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Fine.”
The darkness seeped up from her pores, an almost invisible black mist that congealed over the wound. It sank into the injury with a sting, the blackness weaving through her flesh, slowly stitching her back together. The pain was low-level, a delicious lick against her nerves, hovering between pleasure and pain.
Then the injury was gone, taking the sensations with it.
Xander reached forward, caught her wrist, and uncurled her fist. He then dragged his fingers slowly across her palm, over the freshly healed skin, sending a shiver of desire down her spine.
She wasn’t sure if the sensation was from her or him, and didn’t actually care.
He picked up her hand, bent, then lightly brushed his lips across her palm, gazing up at her the whole time. Tingles of lust swept through her, a sharp demand for more. He seemed pleased by her reaction. He released her slowly, the heated look making her sway toward him. Logan’s hands slipped up to brush the undersides of her breasts, and her breath caught. Any thoughts of the case fell away.
For the first time in her life, she actually wanted something—or certain someones—for herself.
Would it be so wrong to be happy?
* * *
Xander watched the play of emotions across Annora’s delicate face, his heart banging against his ribs with both hope and fear. He’d felt her in the back of his mind, a calming presence, and he liked it.
Not only did it soothe his beast when he thought nothing would, she was sexy as fuck, the human in him craving her love just as much, if not more.
She grounded him.
Kept him sane.
Made him feel like he was more than the bringer of death and destruction.
When she vanished, disappeared from his mind when she was knocked unconscious, his whole world imploded. He barely kept his beast from breaking free to wreak havoc across earth and destroying anyone who got in his way. It was only when he felt her reach out to him, the connection distant and hazy, that he was able to take back enough control to function normally.
His beast had calmed, knowing that their human form would be better able to help her. He was only able to breathe again when he saw her, touched her, and smelled the scent that was uniquely hers, like flowers that grew along the tidal areas of his ocean’s homeland.
After nearly losing her, he was through with waiting.
He wasn’t ever going to let her go.
