Free Her Black Heart (The Dark Amulet Series Book 2) by A.J. Norris Page A

put the towels up to his face and groaned. Drops of blood ran down his chest. Aza pulled the towel away for a second. It was covered in red, but the flow had already slowed. She knelt in front of him. Her knees cracked as she lowered herself.
    “Are you all right?” His eyes flipped over to hers. “I’m so sorry. I…I shouldn’t’ve kissed you like that. I know you hate to be touched.”
    So stupid.
    He took the towel away from his face again and cleaned himself the best he could. The towel got chucked to the floor. As she crawled over to retrieve the bloody mess, pressure in her upper back stopped her. She sat up on her knees and reached her hand around to feel the place where the pressure felt the strongest. Her skin was smooth and the painful pressure stopped.
    What the hell?
    Julia looked up to see Aza watching her. His forehead crinkled from how wide his eyes were. “What’s that look for?”
    He opened his mouth like he was going to say something. Instead of speaking, he went to the bathroom and closed himself in. The sink faucet turned on. She heard water splashing around for a few minutes then everything went quiet. Julia sat on the floor hugging her knees to her chest. How could she try kissing him? Gawd, he already told her he didn’t want to be touched. But why? This question rattled around inside her head. Obviously, he’d been abused at some point. Of course, he had been, he was a demon. That place he was from couldn’t be a happy place of peace and tranquility.
    She went to the bathroom and knocked gently. “Aza. Aza, you okay in there?” Julia tugged the lapels of the robe together. The door cracked open a tiny bit. A sliver of his face showed. She put her hand around the door in case he decided to shut it again. “Hey, can I come in?” she whispered.
    “As long as you don’t touch me again.” He stepped back and allowed her to enter.
    His nose was slightly swollen, though not bleeding anymore. His face was also a little discolored, although nothing horrible. She looked over his features. “I don’t think it’s broken or anything. You’ll probably have black eyes…” Her words trailed off as he stared at her mouth. “Why are you, looking at me like that?”
    “Like what?” he rumbled.
    “Like you want to either kill me or kiss me, I can’t tell which.”
    “I definitely don’t want to kiss you.” His pupils flared. He licked his lips.
    Julia’s jaw dropped. She’d heard his words and knew what they meant all strung together in the same sentence, but they didn’t sound like a rejection. Her head tilted back as he stepped closer. His naked body brushed against her robe. She released the lapels and the garment parted at the top. Her cleavage was revealed down the center of her torso.
    Aza’s face hovered over hers. His scent intoxicated her.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER
    TWENTY
     
     
    Aza’zel
     
    Aza looked down at Julia. Her once pale reddish blonde hair had turned more golden from when she was a child. She had tasted like nectar when she’d pressed her lips to his out in the bedroom. He knew the sweetness was from Abaddon. Julia was Tainted by the Demon Lord, poisoned by his venom.
    The bathroom door shut when Julia backed up against it. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why she’d done that, until he realized his hands were on her shoulders. He’d guided her toward the door. Looking down between them, he could see the skin and side swells of her breasts. He swallowed hard.
    Oh, Deus.
    How was this helping them get the amulet back? It wasn’t. Still, he found that he wanted to taste her again. His body needed to be touched even if he didn’t.
    “Um…are you okay?” she asked. “Because your—”
    He nodded. “Why do you ask?”
    “—fingers are digging into my shoulders. Let go.” She twisted and shrugged his hands off her shoulders. The top of the robe opened further. His breath caught. Her hard nipples were the only things keeping the