Destined (War of the Covens 2)

Slowly, the movements ceased and she stopped crying, snuggling into him instead. When she woke up in his arms that morning, neither said anything. Jae merely tugged away from him to sit up. Climbing out of bed, she saw the telephone smashed on the floor and turned back to smile at him gratefully, realizing the kindness he’d paid to her during the night.

After they ridded themselves of the vamp’s body, Ryder let her drive to give her something to do, but the conversation had been shallow and teasing, the dramatic events of the night before studiously avoided.

When it was time to stop at another motel, Ryder refused to let her sleep in a room by herself. Despite the warnings in his brain that he might not be able to keep his hands to himself for another night, they booked a twin room.

“I can feel you staring, you know,” she said softly. “Go to sleep, Ryder, and stop worrying about me. I’m fine.”

He grunted and reached over to switch on the lights.

“Hey!” She turned to glare at him. “You’re ruining the ambience.”

“I want to talk.”

“You’re kind of a girl. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“And you’re kind of a ballbuster, anyone ever tell you that?”

“All the time.”

Sighing, he threw his legs off the bed and leaned toward her with his elbows on his knees. “I’m serious.”

Jaeden switched off the TV with the remote before turning to give him her full attention. “I thought I’d gotten away with it.”

He frowned. “Away with what?”

“Talking about last night.”

He grinned. “Really? Come on, this is me, you should know better by now.”

She stared at him for a long time before returning his smile. “Yeah, I guess so.” She shifted so she was sitting on the bed with her knees tucked against her chest. “What do you want to talk about specifically?”

Ah, he wasn’t sure she was going to like this at all.

“Well?”

Okay, man, just say it … then duck.

“I wanted to discuss the idea of getting Caia to train you, to help you control your telekinesis.”

He waited with his hands clasped tightly in front of him while she seemed to absorb this. Finally, Jae nodded, brushing a silky curl back from her face. She pierced him with her clear-eyed blue gaze, and it got him thinking about the other thing he wanted to discuss before this night was through.

“Okay.” She grimaced. “Since she knows about the … about what Ethan did, I doubt there’s any harm in confiding in her. I’ll talk to her when we get back tomorrow.”

That had been easier than he’d expected.

Smiling, Ryder got up so he could sit on the bed next to her, especially enjoying how tense she got the closer he got. “I’m glad you’ll talk to her, but it will have to be when Caia and Lucien return from the Center.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” she replied quietly, trying to shift away from him.

He couldn’t help it. He laughed.

Her head snapped up, her eyebrows drawn together. “What?”

“You,” Ryder snickered. “Could you be more uncomfortable?”

“I’m not uncomfortable. Why would I be uncomfortable?”

“You’ve been jittery with me all day. I don’t bite … well … occasionally.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Ugh, you are such a male.”

He guffawed. “Yeah, thank Gaia.”

“And I am not uncomfortable!”

“Then stop moving away from me!”

“Stop crowding me!”

Ryder whooped, his eyes glittering as they drank her in. Deliberately, he washed his eyes over her from head to foot, lingering on her long legs, breasts, and finally her lips. She was blushing madly by the time he was done, and the heat between them had cranked up a hundred degrees.

He stopped grinning and leaned toward her, his lips inches from hers. “I’m going to kiss you now, and I would appreciate it if you would shut up long enough for me to do that.”

“How romantic—”

“Ah, ah. What did I just say?”

She clamped her lips closed tightly, glaring at him. Her rosy cheeks, however, told him she was as affected by him as he was by her.

They sat like that until her mouth opened to say what he knew would be a smart-ass comment. Before she could, he closed the distance between them, wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her into his kiss. Satisfaction slammed through him at the taste of her, and he couldn’t stop himself from crushing her against him, pressing her as close to his body as he could get her. Only one word remained prominent in his mind as he devoured her.

Mate.

She felt like she was minutes from bursting into flames.

Oh my goddess.

Jaeden only put enough distance between her and Ryder to slide her hands over his chest and sink her fingers into his thick hair, anchoring his mouth to her own as their tongues mated.

Her blood bubbled under her skin, a heat so intense building inside her she thought she was going to incinerate them both.