Page 49 of Scaled Hearts

“We need to find,” she pants in sync with me. “My sister’s Lotus.”

I grab her wrist and tug her hand out of my hair.

“Yes, we do.”

Her lips crash against mine one more time. Our tongues dance with each other while we eagerly exude all of the pent up energy we sustained while we were fighting off the naga. I’m glad that she’s glad I’m alive. It reassures me that she won’t be leaving once we cure her sister.

“I love you,” she mumbles against my lips.

It makes my heart jolt in my chest.

I growl and run my hand down her spine, parting the side of her dress where I ripped it apart and grip her bare ass.

“You say that to me right now when we have things to do, Kelly…”

I feel her lips smile against mine. “Say it back.”

“I should take you right here and now,” I grumble.

Her hands find the sides of my face. “After the Lotus.”

I squeeze her ass cheek again.

It’s a promise of things to come. I’m hard against her thigh and her body wiggling against me as she laughs is only making it worse. I itch to bury myself inside of her and plunge into that soft heat between her thighs to lose us both in the feeling of being one.

“After the Lotus,” I solemnly agree.

“Good.” I take my hand out from under her dress and grip her chin with it, locking eyes with her in a steady gaze. “I will have you.”

A sly smile crosses her fair features. “I don’t doubt that.”

My thumb runs over her bottom lip, bruised from my kisses. I sigh softly to myself. I really am done for with her. There is no stopping me from becoming completely vulnerable to this human who I’ve claimed as my own.

She holds my whole heart delicately in her hands. She has the power to shatter it at any moment, and all I would be able to do is watch as the pieces of it fall to the ground beneath her feet.

Though I’ll give myself to her willingly, as much as I hate to admit it. I’m not sure when all of this had begun to change in me, but it has and I can’t stop it now.

“I love you, Kelly Brockhurst.”

Her eyes widen. Had she not been expecting me to admit it so willingly? “You do?”

I smile and squeeze her cheeks. “Of course, I do.”

She lets out an incredulous laugh and throws her arms around me, hugging me tight.

“I love you, Angurus. I really, really do.”

I can’t help but bury my face into her neck, breathing her in and soaking in her warmth. This human woman has changed me in more ways than I can count. She’d come crashing into my life and had made herself a permanent resident inside of my heart.

I kiss up from her neck to her jaw, peppering her skin along the way. I don’t want to let go of her, but I know we have a job to do. Saving Kara outweighs more than our newfound feelings for each other.

If only for just a little while longer.

When I pull back from her, I help her to her feet and brush off the dust that has collected on her dress from the rocks bursting apart when she’d called upon the magma. She smiles at me gratefully and squares her shoulders.

“Ready?”

I nod to her. “Let’s go find your sister’s Lotus.”

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