Free Blood Oath by Kit Tunstall Page A

her. “Are you all
right, Anca?”
    She nodded. Her stomach tightened, and she
licked her lips. “Fine, Demi.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the
other, which caused her chest to brush more fully against his. She put her
hands on his chest. “Just fine,” she said in a husky whisper.
    He cleared his throat. “Well…“ He trailed
off as his eyes met hers.
    Anca stared up at him, enchanted by the
ruddy color in his cheeks. As she licked her lips again, with deliberate
slowness this time, his cock hardened and pressed into her hip. She wriggled
against him, smiling when he cupped his hands around her buttocks and pulled
her lower body closer to his.
    “What game are you playing?” he growled.
    She shrugged as she moved her hand up to the
back of his neck and twirled a lock of his hair around her finger. “I don’t
know,” she said honestly. “I don’t think it’s a game.” She cuddled closer. “I
want you, Demi. I felt it the moment I touched you. I saw us making love
that night in my shop.”
    He made a sound of frustration. “It’s too
soon, meu dragostia .”
    “ Meu dragostia ?” she repeated with
confusion. “What’s that?”
    “It’s Corsovan.”
    Anca rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. What
does it mean?”
    “It was a slip of the tongue.” Demi shook
his head. “I should leave you to sleep.”
    She
shook her head. “Tell me what it means.”
    He sighed. “It would be best—“
    Anca yanked gently on his hair. “I’ll just
ask someone else if you don’t tell me.”
    Demi’s mouth tightened. “Very well. It means
‘my love’. Are you satisfied now?” His face flushed a brilliant scarlet, and he
refused to meet her eyes.
    She blinked at the telling statement, and
his even more revealing reaction. “You felt it too.”
    He cursed. “I’ve always felt it, Anca. I’ve
known you were my destined lifemate since before you were born. All my life,
I’ve been prepared…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind.”
    She frowned at him. “What? I don’t
understand.”
    He eased her away from him. “Don’t ask me to
explain it all. That duty falls to your father or Ylenia.”
    Anca’s head spun as she tried to absorb
everything he said. “Please, I don’t understand what you mean, Demi. What’s a
destined lifemate, and who is Ylenia? Is she my father’s mistress?”
    Demi scowled. “Ylenia is the spiritual guide
of our people. She will tell you what you need to know.” His expression
hardened, and he dipped his head. “Goodnight.” He turned away from her.
    Before he took a step, Anca put her hand on
his arm. “Wait.” He stiffened, but he didn’t move forward. “I’m only trying to
understand. Everything is so different here.” She took a deep breath,
suppressing the sob that wanted to emerge. She was appalled at the urge to cry
and blamed it on jet lag. “Everything has changed in the last three days. My
only constant has been you. Don’t leave me.”
    Slowly, Demi turned back to face her. His
hand trembled when he stroked her cheek. “I will always be here for you.”
    She bit her lip, overwhelmed by the
tenderness in his expression. “Am I truly your love, Demi?”
    This time, there wasn’t a hint of
embarrassment in his expression. “Yes. I love you, Anca.”
    A tangle of conflicting emotions whirled
through her. Pleasure at his words, mingled with fear. What did he expect from
her? In New York, if a man she had known three days told her he loved her, she
would run away as fast as she could. She would write him off as another crazy
and move on.
    She didn’t doubt Demi’s sanity or sincerity.
Looking deep into his dark eyes, she could see the honest emotions reflected
back. More than that, she could feel his love emanating from him in waves. She
could almost see it and wondered if being in Corsova had honed her psychic
abilities.
    “I don’t expect you to love me.” His voice
was hoarse, but he spoke levelly. “I didn’t plan to tell