“Ah.” She licked her lips.
He shoved down a groan of need.
“So you can’t create your circle because you can’t teleport,” she said wisely, her eyes unfocused. “Well, that would explain why you’re somehow creating fire and explosions. You have energy that has nowhere to go. What about me?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, resting back against the rock and giving into temptation by tugging on her curly hair. Her hair was amazing. The heavy texture and tempting curls felt like heaven against his fingers, so he started to play. “You’re taking this very well.”
“I’m drunk,” she blurted out. “Plus, I’m tired. I’ve only slept a couple of hours in way too long.”
He nodded. “Got that. Best I can guess, with your enhancement, you read vibrations from people and also have the ability to smooth them out. You’ve used it to coax confessions and find liars, but I think you’re naturally helping me. How you ended up with the problem as well is beyond me, but I’m guessing you took it on without knowing. I think.” It was the only explanation he could come up with.
“Oh.” She took another deep inhale of the drink and then sipped delicately, her pink lips closing over the glass in a way that tortured him more than she’d ever know. “You’ve almost answered everything.” She looked down at her glass, and a light peach color filtered across her cheekbones.
He set a knuckle beneath her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “I would not force you to mate. Ever.” It was important she understand that fact.
Even intoxicated, her eyes showed how intelligent she was. “What does mating entail?”
“Sex, a good bite, and the transfer of a mating mark from the demon’s hand to his mate,” he murmured, fixed on her eyes but wanting her mouth.
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Thinking logically, why wouldn’t we mate? If it would make me safe and maybe help you out with the fire problem, why not do it and then just go our separate ways? I wouldn’t mind immortality, really. I’ve been thinking about it.”
He rubbed a thumb across her mouth, forcing her teeth to abandon the sweet flesh of her lips. “Mating is forever.”
Her frown was lopsided and adorable. “It can’t be.”
He grinned, watching his thumb on her soft mouth. “It is.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You told me that your mom is mated to a witch enforcer, whatever that is. I mean, who wants to enforce a bunch of witches?” She gestured with her graceful hands. “Back to the subject. The way you talked…he’s not your dad. This Daire with the very good whiskey is not your father.”
The woman was too smart. “True,” Sam allowed. “Our mom is a demoness and our father was a vampire who died a long time ago. When a mate is dead, it’s possible to negate the bond by exposing oneself to a particular virus that was recently discovered. Our mom took the virus and later mated Daire. Nobody knows the power of the virus, and there’s never been an instance of a matehood being broken when both parties were living. So mating is forever. Period.”
“Oh.” She finished her drink. “Well, then.”
“Yeah. You need to trust me, Honor. We’ll figure out a way to keep you safe.” How he could make that happen without mating her, he didn’t know. But he was Sam Kyllwood, and he got things done. He’d figure it out.
She wobbled some more, clutching his thigh to keep her balance. “You said you wouldn’t mate me against my will.”
“I promise.”
She frowned, her gaze still unfocused. “I know you wouldn’t rape me, Sam. Duh. But let’s be honest. You are you.”
Well. That was intriguing. He skimmed his fingertips down her neck, feeling the blood rushing through her veins. “Meaning?”
She blinked. “Meaning that you take advantage of situations when you decide it’s necessary. What if you decide it’s necessary to mate me? You’re very charming, and you kiss like a god. After what happened earlier, you know I want you. So much that it’s kind of terrifying. You don’t know what it feels like to have the best orgasm ever up against a tree.”
He coughed out whiskey. “That was your best orgasm ever?”
She threw out her hands, nearly dislodging his glass. “Yes. Can you believe that?”
“No.” That was just sad. He’d needed to remedy this situation. If his cock could nod, it would have right then. He shook his head. Life had gotten too weird, but he was enjoying this moment of relaxing with her. He never let his guard down—he had to get a grip. Maybe one night with her would give him perspective. Or a permanent hard-on for her for life. Who knew? “I bet I can do better.”
She swung a leg over his and set her sweet ass right on his groin.
Fire crackled down his arms, and he quickly squelched it.
“Cool.” She planted her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to press her lips against his. “I would like to do that again. But no mating. No matter what. You have to promise me.”
“I can’t.” He spoke against her mouth and then kissed her, going as slow and gentle as he could with her on his pulsing cock.
She drew back. “I knew it.”
He wouldn’t make a promise he might not be able to keep. She’d read him right. Damn, she was smart.
She squinted as if having trouble making him out. “Okay. Then let’s make a deal. Promise me that no matter what happens between us tonight, you will not mate me tonight.”
That he could do. “Sure.”
Her lopsided and tipsy smile was the cutest sight he’d ever seen. “All right.” She leaned down to kiss him again.
He tangled his fingers in her hair, drawing her head back. Her soft gasp of surprise and need nearly undid him. “Not tonight, baby.”
Her mouth turned down. “Excuse me?” She sounded haughty in her drunkenness.
Yeah, the gods were trying to kill him. Or torture him at the very least—and he’d spent hundreds of years being tortured in dimensions where time moved differently than it did here. This wasn’t fair. Her curvy body was ripe for the taking, and she was more than willing. “You’re drunk and exhausted, gorgeous.” It hurt to say the words. “We need sleep, and you need all your faculties. If you wake up sober and still want me, reach over and say so.” With his luck, she’d wake up and want to make a run for it. Another run for it.
“Boo,” she said, surprising him.
He laughed, for the first time relaxing even though his balls felt like they were rapidly turning a horrific shade of blue. “You’re killing me, Honor.”