Free Immortal Blood by Magen McMinimy, Cynthia Shepp Editing

her slightly parted lips. Izzy jerked from the shock of his satin lips against hers. Part of her wanted to sink into him, while the other part of her knew this was not a sexual move; he was trying to help her breathe.
    “Stop fighting me ,” Bain whispered against her lips, “and open your mouth.”
    Izzy let her lips fall open and closed her eyes . Bain’s breath was cool and sweet as it flowed through her mouth. She could feel her tongue tingle at the contact with Bain’s healing breath. It flowed over her tongue and against the back of her throat, finally making it down her throat and into her lungs.
    She could breathe again, but Bain made no move to pull back , and she made no attempt to force him back. Izzy fought to keep from slipping her tongue into his mouth and exploring every inch of what lay behind that wickedly sinful smile.
    Bain left his lips unmoving against Izzy’s . This was insane on more than one level. Things were getting worse, and now he knew Zander was lurking somewhere too close for his comfort. Not to mention he was having trouble fighting this need he was feeling for her. He wanted to run his lips over every inch of her body, to know her intimately, and after feeling her soft body rub against him last night, he was losing the fight to act professional. He wanted her, like he had never wanted anything else before in his long existence.
    “ Bain ?” Izzy whispered his name against his lips, sending a shiver of need through him.
    He closed his eyes and sighed as he pulled his lips from hers, the loss of her softness against him registering instantly. Bain laid his forehead against hers and simply breathed her in.
    “Maybe we should go see Rowan now,” she said softly.
    Bain nodded . “Yeah, we probably should. Do you want to go see your family tomorrow night first or leave now?”
    “Now, I think now is good .” She smiled, but there was a shakiness to her voice.
     
    *****
     
    A smooth chuckle greeted Bain’s ears as Uriah picked up his cell.
    “Hello , Bain.”
    “Hello , Uriah.”
    “What’s going on, brother? Thought you said you’d be back with one Isabelle Moreno in hand over a week ago.”
    Bain grunted. “Shut up… Did you know how stubborn she was when you left me here?” he asked in a deadpan voice.
    It had been over a week since Uriah had left him there.
    Uriah laughed . “That I did, and it’s what I like about her.”
    “Yeah , same here. Where’s Ro? I can’t get a hold of her or Cree.”
    “They left the compound early this morning , headed out to check on one of the villages on the border.”
    “Is everything all right?”
    “I think so, just some small-time minions causing some disturbances, nothing all that threatening.”
    “ All right. Izzy had a close call this afternoon. We’re going to head to the compound now.”
    “Is she all right?”
    Bain grunted, but it sounded more like a growl . “She is now, but she got a good scare. Plus, we ran into Zander last night.”
    “What happened with Zander last night?” Worry was written all over Uriah’s tone.
    “Same shit as always . He tried to knock me off my game, hoping I would let my guard down and he could get back to Izzy. From what he told me last night, he wasn’t quite finished with her.”
    Uriah mulled that over . It wasn’t encouraging information. “That doesn’t sound good. Is he actively trying to kill his marks now?”
    “No, I think he had other intentions with Izzy.”
    “Oh I see,” Uriah said steely.
    “Yeah , so we’re heading out in a few. We should be there in a couple hours.”
    “Sounds good, I’ll let the others know. ” Uriah’s voice took on a snarky tone. “Should I have Darnell set up one of the guest rooms, or will she be staying with you?”
    Bain did growl this time. “I’m not in the mood, Uriah, and you shouldn’t give me any ideas. Have Darnell set up the room next to my own.”
    Uriah laughed and smiled to himself. “You got it, brother. I look