My lips crashed into his before I could reason my way out of it. He froze beneath my touch for only a second before his mouth softened, his lips parting. They were soft and familiar like slipping into a warm bed on a wintry night. His tongue caressed mine, every move gentle and tentative. My lusty she-demon wanted more.
I backed Talon into the wall, running my hands over the hard planes of his back. A deep growl shook his chest, the profound rumble vibrating right through me. Digging one hand into the soft hair at his nape, I tilted his head to deepen the kiss and pressed my body harder against his.
“Azara,” he growled against my lips. “I can’t…”
“What?” His words were like a bucket of ice to the molten embers burning my core.
Talon staggered forward and held me out to arm’s length. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamt about this moment. Of getting you back and finally being with you. But not like this. Your memories are gone, you barely have a hold on your demon, and Thax could take you away from me at any moment.” He raked his hand through his hair, driving it up in messy spikes and loosed a breath. “I want you, Azara, more than you could ever fathom. But not like this.”
A swell of anger bubbled up inside, eclipsing the warm and fuzzies from before. Without the prison’s wards, darkness inched into the corners of my vision, and my she-demon crept her way to the surface. “Seriously? Do you have any idea how many dark lords were lined up to spend a single night with me?”
The infuriating dragon’s lips curled into a smirk. “No, but it’s just what I was hoping to hear about.”
I could feel myself slipping away as a dark fog curtained my irises. Black blotted out my vision, and my demon took control. I jabbed my finger into the shifter’s firm chest. “You’re lucky you’re pretty to look at, or I’d drain you dry for disrespecting me. First you want me, then you don’t. Make up your damned mind, dragon.”
He didn’t even flinch. In fact, a hint of amusement danced across his twinkling irises. “I was hoping you’d come out to play. You and I have something to discuss.”
I popped my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes. “What’s that?”
“I love that girl you’re residing in, and I won’t allow you to ruin her. Do you understand me?”
A sharp chuckle burst from my lips. “Love? How human of you.”
His pupils contracted to thin slits, and a growl vibrated his barrel of a chest. Thick fingers coiled around my neck and hard obsidian rock dug into my shoulder blades as he pushed me against the wall. “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I’d like to work together to get Azara’s life back, but if you refuse to play nice, I’ll find a way to extinguish you for good.”
My eyebrow arched as I scrutinized the surprising shifter. “Don’t get in my way, and perhaps we can coexist peacefully. That means I get my revenge on Thax. Or I’ll make my presence more permanent, and it’ll be Azara’s humanity that gets buried for eternity.”
“Fine. As long as we take Thax on together.”
“Deal.”
His hold around my neck loosened before falling away all together. “Now bring Azara back and don’t you dare tell her about this conversation.”
We’ll see about that. “Ta-ta, dragon douche.”
Chapter Fourteen
The savory scent of bacon filled the air and my stomach rumbled, waking me from a fitful sleep. I pried my heavy eyelids open and scanned the black walls. Dammit. Still in prison.
“It’s about time you woke up, one thirty-eight.”
I pushed the rough blanket back and forced myself up. A mild headache throbbed at my temples, and I took a quick gulp of GG’s potion I hid under the bed before turning to face my dragon bunkie. “What happened?”
Talon strutted over and leaned against the wall by my bed. “Before or after you tried to follow me out the tunnels?”
Ah, yes. That was a miserable fail. “After,” I mumbled.
“Your demon decided to come out, and we had a nice chat.”
My eyes widened, my brows nearly reaching my hairline. “Really?”
“Really.”
“She talked you out of your little trip to the Underworld?”
“Not exactly. I was simply waiting for you to wake up. I thought you’d make a better travel companion than her.”
I leapt off the mattress. “You’re going to let me go?”
“Your demon didn’t exactly give me many other options.”
My mind flashed back to the tunnels, to our conversation and our kiss… Then everything went black. My eyes lifted to his then trailed down his scruffy cheek to his curved lips. “We kissed and then you—”
He raised his hand cutting me off. “You must have imagined it, one thirty-eight. I don’t make out with soul-sucking demons.”
Stupid jackdragon. I wrapped my arms around myself and glared up at my mercurial bunkie. “I didn’t imagine it.”
“Daydream, then?” A lopsided grin twisted his lips.
I threw the poor excuse for a pillow at his head. He ducked, and it hit the wall and slid down to rest on the dirty floor. Eew. “So, when do we leave?”
“As soon as you’re ready.”
I eyed the black jumpsuit hanging from the edge of my bed and grimaced. “Do I have to wear that?”
“No, I still have some of Ella’s clothes. I grabbed them from the tunnels yesterday.” He sauntered over to his bunkbed and bent down, flashing me an eagle’s eye view of his perfectly sculpted butt. A second later, he popped up with some clothes pressed to his chest. Tossing them at me, he turned around to face the back wall.
I slipped into the warm clothes and laced up my prison-issued boots as I watched Talon from the corner of my eye. He actually kept his eyes glued to the sleek obsidian the entire time.
“You ready?”
I jumped up. The idea of getting my revenge on Thax had my adrenaline pumping. I was itching for a good fight. “Yup.”
He spun around and stalked toward the door to our glass enclosure with a quick glance back at the empty bottom bunk. I was about to ask him about our missing angel cellie. “Are any of the guys coming with us?”
Talon shook his head. “This was supposed to be a solo mission. The SIA still doesn’t know you’ve been found, and when they find out, I don’t want to take my brothers down with me. Hiding you is my call, and I won’t let them take the fall for it.”
The muscles around my heart squeezed, and my whole chest tightened. I may not have remembered much about Talon, but from what I’d heard from the guys, he was all about his job. “Why are you still protecting me?”
“Because it’s what I do.”
Somehow, I knew it was the truth.
“Ready?” He ticked his head toward the empty corridor.
“Well, I was supposed to be an SIA agent, right?”
He nodded and ushered me toward the door. “That you were.”
We walked in silence through block eight as the lights flashed on and our inmate neighbors awoke. As usual, all eyes were on me. I’d been back for over a week now, but still, anytime I went anywhere I couldn’t escape the burn of eyes on my back.