Page 134 of Grave Beginnings
He leaned in, lips brushing my cheek to whisper in my ear. “You have a tattoo on your back, of a dragon.”
Angel’s touch forced a shiver of desire to ripple through me,and I gasped, more focused on him than his words—at least, for a few seconds. “Tattoo?” I didn’t have any tattoos.
“I know.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but his gaze was sharp and worried.
I stared at him, trying to decipher a thousand things at once. Was the tattoo related to the creature?
“Say nothing about it. Pretend our bond is what healed you,” he said as he perched on the edge of my bed, gaze intense. He tilted his head back, glancing toward the door as if he heard something I didn’t.
The sound of voices in the hall grew, as well as movement. Footsteps. What was happening? Angel’s expression turned unreadable, his breathing going rough, gaze tense, like he’d made a decision he couldn’t take back.
“Sorry this has to be very public, but I need you to trust me,” he whispered, two seconds before he leaned in and kissed me.
I froze for half a heartbeat, completely caught off guard as his lips pressed to mine in a whisper of contact, and then he slipped his fingers around the back of my neck to hold me closer. The noise from the hospital surrounded us, but I sank into his kiss, closing my eyes, letting my lips part as his tongue slid in, warm and confident as he tasted me. Kissing Angel was unlike any other kiss I had experienced in my life, and I loved it. Hopefully, he’d kiss me more often, since we had this mate bond between us.
His fingertips caressed my jaw. The hand on the back of my neck was firm and demanding, even as he sucked on my tongue. My heart raced, echoing in my ears, drowning out everything but him. The sounds and sensations of the hospital crept away, beeps and bright lights fading. The warmth of his lips, the sweet but deep kiss—it all unraveled my many years of careful control in a handful of seconds. Everything about the two of us together was right and perfect. What the hell had I done to deserve this man?
I slipped my hand beneath his shirt, seeking his heat, and wasrewarded with the cool rush of my power and his, swirling. We both gasped, the kiss broken for a half second before he pressed me back against the raised head of the bed as if seeking to devour me.
The lights and machines blurred to nothing, my world overtaken in that moment by Angel and his kiss. His fingers massaged my neck, lips on mine. His touch grounded me while setting me adrift on an ocean of swirling desire, like he reached into the core of my soul and touched something, awakening it to a sensation I’d long searched for. Angel’s heat and strength gave me focus and tenderness.
I forgot to breathe, and all I knew was him: his scent, his touch, our desire. My mate. The tension slid away, barriers bursting as I melted under the heat of his touch. My heart hammered as he slipped his fingers over it as if to study the beat and claim it.
The sound of a throat clearing startled me out of the kiss. I gasped, eyes popping open as Angel pulled away, his gaze meeting mine, pleading forgiveness as the room came back into focus. Sergeant Hanna stood just inside the doorway with another man I didn’t know in a high-ranking uniform.
“What is this?” Hanna demanded.
I blinked at the pair, at a loss for words. Both from the kiss frying my brain and the panic of being caught kissing my partner by my boss and some military guy.
Angel slipped off the side of the bed, putting his back to me and standing between me and the pair, my hand grasped in his. “He’s my mate,” Angel said. “We’ve already bonded.”
Hanna blinked at him, gaze narrowing. “Explain.”
“I didn’t realize until he was hurt,” Angel said. He let out a long breath as if this whole thing were too much for him. “I mean, I felt something when we first met, but then, when he was injured, it was like the world was coming apart. We bonded a few days ago and were working on strengthening it when Ezra wentmissing and the Veil opened. He’s mine.” The last comment blurted from him like he had to get it out or descend into panic. But I had no intention of leaving him. What was I missing?
“I can take them both,” the man said.
Take us where? What the hell?
Hanna stiffened, her expression hardening. Angel’s grip on me tightened, but Hanna said, “Angel has served his time.”
The man crossed his arms over his chest, looking annoyed. “We can’t let this sort of power go to waste.”
“I apologize, Major General Phelps,” Hanna said. “But I have to remind you that we have a contract with the military. We lead the SED and stay out of your affairs in the military as long as you abide by the contract. Mates are inseparable, and since Angel has served his time, you can’t take him or his mate.” She met my eyes, her expression stoic, but knowing. She didn’t miss a thing. Because she was fae? Or because she knew Angel?
Was this guy saying they were going to drag me off to the military?
The Major General looked pissed. “An SV and DV with healing abilities is unheard of. I’m certain we can work through an override…”
“He’s healing because he’s bonded to me. And I’m not going back to the military,” Angel said. “I did my time. Killed and watched others die in a war I never asked to join. Jude is my mate, and I won’t let you have him. We are fulfilling our part of the contract by working in the SED. That will have to be good enough.” His gaze met Hanna’s. “Else, we would have to seek asylum across the Veil and you’d lose our service completely.”
My heart hammered with apprehension. Angel was putting everything on the line to keep me from being dragged off to the military and likely disappearing for good. I prayed that whatever this contract was, his ploy would be enough to keep them from taking me.
The Major General scowled, but Hanna stood her ground. “Wevalue mates above all else,” she said, “as they are rare. It’s why it’s in our contract. Would you threaten the peace treaty for one HV?”
“Would you?” he tossed back.
“For one mate, yes,” she agreed.