The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

being a trap. Like I said, they know exactly how to draw you
out. But not for one second do I want to prevent you from
going to see Ian. I just—I want to stop you from feeling that
kind of pain if I can. I was hoping…” He shook his head. “I
don’t know. That you wouldn’t have to deal with that on top
of everything else,” he said. “But I should’ve known better.
Life doesn’t wait to hand you a new puzzle until you’ve
figured out the last one.”
“It would be nice if it did, though.” I exhaled roughly. “I
can handle this, no matter what happens.”
Casteel touched his forehead to mine. “But you have no
idea what the weight of that kind of pain is like. I do,” he
whispered. “I know what it feels like to kill someone I once
loved and respected. That pain is always there.”
Knowing he was talking about Shea, I resisted the urge
to take his pain. “It lessened, though, didn’t it?”
“It did. A little with each passing year, and even more so
when I found you,” he confided. “And that’s no lie.”
I curled my fingers into his shirt. “And it will lessen for
me because I have you.”
He swallowed and then pulled me to his chest, wrapping
his arms around me. “I know it’s selfish of me to not want
you to bear that pain.”
“You not wanting that is one of the reasons I love you.” I
lifted my mouth to his because saying it wasn’t enough.
And that kiss of gratitude and affection quickly turned
into something needier, more demanding. The one kiss
quickly spun out of control, or maybe that was the thing
about kisses. They weren’t meant to be controlled.
I didn’t know how he got me undressed so quickly, but I
was completely nude by the time I managed to pull his shirt
off over his head. He caged me in, my back flush with the
wall and my front against his. My senses nearly shorted out
at the feel of his warm, hard skin.
Scraping a fang over the side of my throat, his hands
skimmed down, one stopping on my breast and the other