Free Unclaimed by Sara Humphreys Page A

body reacted to her on a primal, animalistic level. However, that’s not what set him on edge. If he’d only been attracted physically, it would be a hell of a lot easier to distance himself from Tatiana. It was the flood of unexpected emotions that had him all fucked up.
    Hell, after that kiss, he knew she wanted him just as badly. Her body said yes to everything, but her head screamed hell no. He couldn’t blame her because he wasn’t feeling all that different. He didn’t have the time or the luxury to wade through his feelings. Dominic cursed under his breath and kicked a stone out of his path, glowering at it as it tumbled into the tall grasses along the edge of the road.
    Dominic knew he’d shown all the self-control of a goddamn dog when he jumped her bones back in the medical lab. It was like something or someone took control over him. It didn’t matter that she told him she didn’t want to be his mate. All that mattered was tasting, licking, and nibbling those sweet, cherry lips until he couldn’t breathe.
    There was no thought or concern for consequences. He didn’t think, he merely acted on impulse, and that was unacceptable. He let his emotions cloud his judgment, and it was those emotional blinders that could get people killed. His sister, Daniella, had been a Purist traitor, and he didn’t see it until it was too late.
    Dominic clenched his teeth and fought the urge to shift as the energy rippled over his muscles. The animal inside strained to be released. No. He would not allow his feelings to blind him anymore. He would keep his distance from Tatiana, do his job as Guardian, and let her go home to Oregon.
    It would mean eventually losing his powers, but what good would they be if he ended up with a woman who loathed him? Better he lose his abilities and live his life as a human, rather than force Tatiana to be with him.
    Nothing would make him forget the look on her face when he told her he’d killed that Caedo assassin. It was a mixture of horror and fear. Dominic had plenty of people look at him fearfully, and it never bothered him. On the contrary, it made him feel like he was doing his job. But when Tatiana looked at him like that, it was a kick in the gut, as if he’d somehow let her down.
    Bullshit.
    Dominic straightened his back. He didn’t owe her an explanation. He would never apologize for doing his job no matter how many disapproving looks she gave, but as he walked up the flagstone path to Tatiana’s cabin, he knew that was a full-fledged lie. If she looked at him like that again, he might fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness.
    â€œJesus,” he muttered as he took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “I’m acting pussy-whipped already.”
    Just as he stepped into the cabin, he heard tires crunching along the dirt road, and Tatiana’s now-familiar energy signature whisked over him on a warm breeze. He breathed deeply and willed his eyes not to shift as he stood on the porch and watched them pull up. Tatiana wore a pair of dark sunglasses, but he could tell she was tracking his every move.
    â€œHey, Dom,” Layla said, stepping out of the passenger seat. “Thanks for dropping off the keys.”
    Tatiana and Matt emerged and gathered their bags. They’d been running tests all afternoon in the lab, and Dominic was glad to see they were finished because having that human in the main house made him uncomfortable.
    Layla let Cass down, and the puppy quickly began to claim the area as his by peeing on one of the stones lining the path.
    â€œHope Cass isn’t going to mark up the inside too,” Dominic muttered as the puppy bounded enthusiastically along the path and attacked various pieces of grass on the way.
    â€œHe’s claiming his territory,” Tatiana said with a grin as she watched Cass tumble along.
    â€œYou know how male animals are,” Matt chimed in. “They want