Black Moon Draw

The Shadow Knight circled her with his thick arms, ready to protect her when they fell. "Quickly," he urged her. "Devise some spell."

"I don't know how."

This was not going quite as planned. He had hoped she would figure it out - before they started to fall. His mind worked fast, and he evaluated the other times the medallion flared to life. The only link: danger and . . .

. . . emotion. Her emotion. Strong enough to break whatever bonds were preventing her from using the medallion at will.

Without a word, he lifted her chin from his chest, looking deeply into her pretty eyes. Her face was inches away, and he traced the line of her jaw with one finger before resting his hand behind her neck.

She had stiffened and was still, her eyes dropping to his lips. A faint flush of pink spread across her cheeks, yet another sign she was aware of him the way he was her.

For a moment, they were no longer dangling from the skies, moments from their own deaths, with the rattle and smash of things rolling around them. Together, they were safe, wrapped in one another's arms in their own world, breathing each other's breath.

"You have a betrothed," she whispered uncertainly.

The Shadow Knight claimed her warm, soft lips with his. To his surprise and satisfaction, she responded the way she had the night she passed out: with hunger and passion. He did not hesitate to deepen the kiss and slid his tongue between her plump lips into the velvety, wet depths of her mouth. She opened to him, pressing against him. Her distinct flavor was faint but present, and it spurred the fire in his blood, made him want to conquer something other than his world.

The spark of need was overpowering, stronger than he thought possible, a reminder she was not a normal woman, a physical acknowledgment he had begun to understand ran much deeper than desire.

Her arms went around his neck, and he maneuvered her, lowering her back onto the bed and sliding his knee between her thighs. He rested half his body on hers.

Another jolt, and their kiss broke off. She held him tightly. The Shadow Knight looked up at the ceiling that would like smash into him soon, once they began falling. He covered her with his war-scarred frame, one arm beneath her to keep them pressed together while the other looped beneath her neck as he prepared to shield her head from hitting anything.

"I will protect you," he reminded her.

She pressed her soft, smooth cheek to his roughened one, and he dipped his face into the nape of her neck to smell her sweet scent. The pulse in her neck was racing, her breathing shallow.