Bayou Shadow Protector. Debbie Herbert
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Название: Bayou Shadow Protector
Автор: Debbie Herbert
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Зарубежные любовные романы
isbn: 9781474055550
isbn:
“Yes, but I bet you know exactly where our spots are and why they’re special to us.”
“True.” No sense lying about something that obvious. “But we can’t let humans get too close. You were able to see me in Fae form because I had dropped my guard on my way there.” Thinking about his hot kiss.
He didn’t need to know that either. Chulah was arrogant enough without further ammunition.
“Why are you so protective of this tree?”
“It’s sacred,” she said, skirting around the edge of his question. “As you discovered, we protect it mostly by moving it every night. It’s never in the exact same place twice.”
“Fascinating.” His eyes seared her. Was he talking about her or the tree?
The kiss was there between them as if it had happened seconds ago. Which reminded April—she still hadn’t conducted an experiment to see if all humans were electric when she touched them. Was it magical between any Fae and any human?
She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Could barely breathe, for that matter. He felt the pull, too. He was still as an oak; only his eyes moved, lowering to her lips, and then lower, focused on the rise and fall of her breasts under the thin cotton shirt.
The silence grew as thick and hot as Alabama humidity in the midst of summer. A fever of longing burned, scorching her with desire. This was not the mischievous kissing game of a fairy lad. This was sensual human desire. All-consuming. All-engulfing.
Exactly what her mother must have felt with her human lover. The one she chose to live with over her own daughter. The dousing reminder cleared her brain. April tore her gaze from his face and stared at her hands in her lap.
Chulah stood abruptly and paced again, bare feet padding the wooden floor, scarcely making a sound. For such a large man, he had the stealth of a bobcat stalking prey. No doubt one of his many hunting skills honed over the years.
“You realize I looked like a fool last night in front of my friend. No tree, no fairy.”
Ah, the male pride was injured. “But if he’s truly your friend, that shouldn’t matter.”
He whirled around. “It matters. Where I come from, friendships and family are the foundation of who you are. We are loyal to each other. We are nothing without one another.”
April regarded his impassioned face. Chulah was what mattered to her. Exactly as he was. Unencumbered by his needy stepmother and half siblings and his fellow shadow hunters. You are important for just being you, she wanted to say. But that would only anger him. And possibly alienate him.
She couldn’t bear that. To lose all hope of his returning her love would break her heart. And it would destroy any chance of recruiting his assistance to the Fae cause. It was still important to her that she restore her family’s name in fairy. Not for her mother, but to prove to her kind that she was loyal and honorable. That halflings shouldn’t be viewed as inferior species. She needed to prove all that to herself as well.
“I understand about loyalty,” she assured Chulah. “It’s huge in the Fae realm. Maybe even more important than it is for you.”
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