Fleeing Fate Read Online Free

the electric sensation arcing directly to the straining, desperate tips made
her shiver and her legs tremble. More , she tried to say. Touch me
more. But she was hardly able to breathe, each harsh, sharp inhalation
scorching straining lungs, each rushed exhale taking a little moan out with it
to echo between them.
    Lost in the whirlpool of his gaze, all she knew was the
incredible heat of his skin on hers, the ache of need and twists of pleasure
writhing over her body.
    “And where do you want this tattoo, sweetness?”
    She knew how he would react. Already she felt a jolt of
power, even before she spoke. “On my breast, just over my heart.”
    His face went still, then his eyes closed momentarily and a
low sound rumbled in his chest. “Ah damn. You trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
    The little bubble of laughter that rose to her lips
surprised her. “It wasn’t my intention.”
    “But you just might.” He shook his head, tension vibrating
off him in waves, the suddenly grim set of his features making her amusement
flee. “Don’t think I can help you, sweetness. You come back tomorrow, when
Hervé is here. He’s the expert on arcane tats.” A self-mocking smile tilted his
lips, but it was the flash of sadness in his eyes that caught her attention.
“And he has better self-control than I do.”
    Her heart plummeted, and instinctively she tightened her
grip on his wrist. “No! I can’t come back. It has to be tonight.”
    “Why?”
    By tomorrow the Council would have found her and Goddess
alone knew what they’d do. Inadvertently, in her search for personal truth,
she’d become a menace to everything they held dear. They wouldn’t hesitate to
squash her like a bug.
    “This is the only time I have.” Maybe the last night of her
existence. “If you won’t do it, I’ll have to try to find someone else.” How,
she had no idea. Maybe she could chance a translocation spell or two, but the
residue would make her so easy to track. She’d be limited to portals, and
wasn’t at all sure they weren’t being watched. “Please.”
    Indecision flashed over Jakuta’s face, and she couldn’t stop
herself from pleading again.
    “Please, at least try.”
    Letting his hand drop, he broke the contact between his
finger and her skin, and instinctively she let go of his wrist. The sense of
loss as they separated made her gasp again, and the fear gripping her chest
tightened its hold.
    There was no way to read the expressions chasing each other
across his face. She could only subject herself to his searching gaze and hope
he could see how vitally important getting the tattoo was.
    Finally he turned away and put the clipboard down on the
table with what she thought was a bad-tempered slap.
    “All right then, sweetness.” Yeah, there was a decidedly
irritable edge to his voice. “I’ll see what I can do, but no promises, you
hear?”
    “Thank you.” Where the urge to hug him came from, she had no
clue, but before she could stop herself, her arms were around his waist, and
she was hugging his back. “Thank you.”
    He froze, and she did too. The instant she touched him waves
of sensation began buffeting her, flooding her, until she thought she might
drown in them. Jakuta growled, and the vibrations shot from his back into her
breasts, making her shudder with yearning.
    By the Goddess.
    Her brain was screaming for her to let go, but her arms
tightened instead. It was Jakuta who grabbed her wrists and tugged, breaking
her grip. Before she could step back he turned so they were once more
face-to-face, so close his heat scorched her and his earth-and-wood-smoke scent
filled her head, making it impossible to think clearly. Suddenly all she could
see was his mouth. Even pulled tight and stern, it looked soft, inviting, made
her want to bite the lower lip, trace the upper with her tongue, taste him,
drink him until his kiss was all she could feel.
    “If you look at me like that, it won’t be a tattoo I’m
giving