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her sleep
tunic, anger giving his move more force than he’d intended.
    She stumbled and jerked, lashing out with the
knife.  Burning welled in his chest. He grabbed her forearm
and jerked her still. "You'll stop now."
    "Rot in hell!" She aimed at his neck but he
moved, catching the blow across his shoulder. He ignored the second
burn as he yanked the knife free of her grip. He flung it across
the room, hearing it embed in the wall. She screamed and backed
away, her eyes wide on his.
    It was nowhere near the worst injury he'd
ever received, but none had ever hurt him more.
     
    ****
     
    Emily felt the heat of his blood on her skin
as he wrapped one hand around her neck. Panic filled her. He was
going to kill her now, rip her throat out as punishment.
    She stifled a second scream when he jerked
her off her feet and carried her back to the bed, throwing her
roughly across its surface.
    "Sleep, now." He spoke through gritted teeth,
and his eyes burned the orange flame. His hand covered the wound on
his shoulder. "While I take care of this."
    Emily didn't argue, sliding back in the bed
and watching him. When he returned he said nothing to her. The bed
dipped from his weight and she felt herself rolling toward him.
    She lifted a hand as a barrier between them.
Her fingers brushed the small bandage on his shoulder. Tears filled
her eyes as she imagined what the knife slicing through his flesh
must have felt like. How it must have hurt him.
    Hard fingers covered hers,
held tight. “Do not touch me again unless it’s to give me your
acceptance as my Rajni , to give me your body.” He pushed her hand away. “Sleep. We
will speak of this night no more.”
    Emily felt oddly bereft as he turned his back
to her and flipped off the light. She lay in the darkness for
several hours, thinking and listening to the sound of his
breathing. He should have—could have—killed her, yet even though
he’d been angry he hadn’t hurt her. But what did that mean?
    He shifted in his sleep, sliding close to the
bed’s center. Crowding her. Moonlight snuck through the windows and
highlighted his chest, making the white bandage glow. Emily ghosted
her fingers over the cotton before she remembered the warning he’d
given her. Still, it wasn’t as if he was awake.
    Beneath her hand, the warm skin felt human.
Her hand lingered in the small covering of hair. Yes, he felt
human. But she knew he wasn’t. Everything about him was different
from any other man she’d known. So why did she find that so
alluring?
     
    ****
     
    Rydere felt her exploring fingers and he
fought to keep his body still. Hunger was upon him, the wound she’d
inflicted having bled more than he’d expected. He’d thought if he
ordered her to sleep, he’d not be tempted to taste her again. He
wanted nothing more than to replace the blood he’d lost with one
more taste of her sweetness.
    A small finger brushed over the bandage and
she sighed. Did she feel some regret for what she’d attempted?
Rydere stretched his arm over her pillow, casually scooting her
closer to his side. She didn’t resist. He kept his voice at a
whisper as he said her name.
    She jerked her head up to stare at his face.
“You’re awake. I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
    “No...” Rydere couldn’t help himself. He
needed to taste her more than he’d needed anything in six hundred
years. It took him little effort to pull her over him. Her hand
landed on the bandage hard enough to have him hissing out a curse,
but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but...“Kiss me.”
    She shook her head, sending floral-scented
strands of hair over his chest. “I...”
    “Do it, Emily.”
     
     

Chapter Ten
     
    Rydere watched her from the window in his
office. She strolled through his gardens, arms wrapped around her
middle. Occasionally, she'd stop and touch a bloom, but her
demeanor told him how she truly felt. 
    Keeping his restraint was the hardest thing
he'd ever done. Only the knowledge that she