Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Safia was absolutely certain Petru had insisted her brother go with her if she had to hunt and destroy demons. Not insisted. He would do more than insist. Petru was the type of man who would command. He was a dictator. Why had she thought sweet things about him? Why had she secretly harbored romantic fantasies about him? Because he was the most sensual man she’d ever met in her life. She’d been captivated by him. He was intelligent. Worldly. Okay, sexy. His voice. The touch of his fingers on her skin. But he was a dictator, and she wasn’t having any of that. She never had and she never would.
She glared at her brother, slid her equipment into her bag, anchored it to her waist and indicated for him to do the same.
“We’re going to be facing the worst kind of nightmare, Izem. I’m sure this is a sea centipede.” She delivered the bad news in a matter-of-fact voice. “If you’re going with me, we might as well come up with a plan.”
CHAPTER
8
A man could have every noble intention in the world and then end up with a lifemate such as Petru had. He didn’t need to fight armies of vampires to find himself in a grave. Safia Meziane was going to do that all by herself. The moment the sun sank from the sky and he was released from the paralysis of his kind, he burst from the ground, taking to the air, streaking toward the harbor.
He had awakened knowing she had once again placed herself in harm’s way. Not just harm’s way; the woman was maddening. It was going to be a full-time job just keeping her alive. Knowing he had a lifemate was one thing; being obsessed with her was another. The little he’d shared her mind, he’d learned a great deal about her in a short amount of time.
He found her intriguing and courageous. She was giving and compassionate. Emotional. She practically ran on emotion. She was everything he was not. He was a man with no emotion—until it came to her. She brought out the worst in him. Or maybe the best. Perhaps a combination of both. He only knew the world was better with her in it, and if it was going to be a safe place, she had to stay alive. If he lost her . . . well, that wasn’t even going to be considered.
What was she doing right now? Going after the Algerian sea serpent. Naturally, his woman wouldn’t think twice about diving into the harbor and confronting the demon of the sea. The centipede-like crab could grow to the size of a whale, given time, and was amphibious. The pincers were lethal. It could crush ships once it reached its full size. The fins ran from head to tail and could propel the creature at great speeds. Those fins were legs when on land, so the crab could run at an astonishing rate as well. More, the teeth inside that round mouth were jagged and dripping with venom. It was a nasty demon any way one looked at it. The last thing Petru wanted was for Safia to be anywhere near it.
Petru knew his woman hadn’t hesitated, and she wouldn’t again. She had been trained to fight demons no matter how dangerous or how many there were. He cursed in his language and signaled to his brethren as they took to the sky with him. They needed to feed. It would be bad enough that he was going to follow her without first feeding, but he wouldn’t take a chance on losing her.
Is it possible that she knows what she’s doing, Petru? Benedek asked.
She has been training for this since she was a babe, Nicu added. Adalasia and Vasilisa both were demon slayers. I did not see you lose your mind when they sought to kill the creatures.
They didn’t understand that Safia was soft inside. All jasmine and honey. Not that he knew anything about jasmine and honey, but he imagined that was what she was like inside.
You have lost your mind, Tomas announced.
He has, Lojos agreed.
Go feed before you make an utter ass of yourself, Mataias added.
I never thought I would see the day when Petru Cioban would be besotted by a woman, Benedek crowed.
It is impossible for me to be besotted. I have no feelings. No emotions. No heart or soul, Petru denied. It is my duty to look after her. She is my lifemate and I betrayed her once. I cannot do so again.
Perhaps his brethren were correct, and he needed to feed before he plunged into the harbor and took on the sea centipede, interfering with Safia’s position as the defender. He should at least be a silent watcher in the background, waiting to see what skills she possessed before he interfered. The last thing he wanted was to make her think he didn’t believe she could slay a demon.