Fever (Blood Moon Rising, #1) by Lola Taylor Page A

few White Witches or Warlocks are gifted with it. If
they all came psychic, we would have asked Penelope.”
    Danica chewed on her tongue. This
world was turning out to be more and more complex by the minute.
She wondered if they had some sort of “supernatural Bible” she
could learn from.
    “ Why do you think they want
to kill me?” she asked.
    Gage’s gaze turned deadly. “More than
likely to unseat me. Could be for revenge, one of the contenders I
beat.”
    Danica grasped his forearm and
squeezed.
    He squeezed her hand back. “It’ll be
all right. I’ll keep you safe.” He pressed a kiss to her
head.
    Danica smiled. She could look out for
herself - had been for a while now - but it was nice to know
someone cared.
    They sat like that for a while before
Gage murmured, “I need to check on Nik, see how things are going
with the arrangements.”
    She nodded. “Of course. Whatever you
need.”
    He stroked her cheek, staring into her
eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
    Her cheeks grew warmer. “Well, I
consider myself pretty lucky to have met you.” She pecked a kiss to
his lips. “And I want you to know I’m here for you, no matter
what.”
    His shoulders visibly slacked as he
rested his forehead against hers. They both closed their eyes,
enjoying a moment’s peace.
    Sort of.
    It began with a kiss, a slight tug of
the bottom lip, which quickly turned into something much hotter as
hands began to roam over naked flesh. Breaking away when she
reached for his hardening erection, Gage said, “Soon. I
promise.”
    Kissing her hard, he started toward the
door. “I’ll post guards outside. Yell if you need anything, or just
think my name. I’ll hear you. I’ll be back soon.” With one last
lingering look, he strode out of the room, closing the door behind
him.
    Danica stood there for a moment,
debating what to do. Next to hot sex with Gage, one thing in
particular sounded wonderful.
    Heading to the massive bathroom
connected to the bedroom, the first thing she did was take a nice
long bath. After filling the tub with sweet-smelling bubble bath
she’d found amongst some more feminine products she assumed Gage
had set aside for her use, she lounged in the steamy
water.
    It was a pity her intended couldn’t
join her. She saw the fear reflected in his eyes as he spoke of the
attempt on her life, and she wanted to do something to make it go
away. The fact he worried so much over her safety was endearing. No
one had ever shown that much concern over her before.
    The dread he would someday run away
returned, making the air seem chilly despite the steam. Bitter
reality sank in as her common sense gave her a talking to. Popping
floating bubbles idly, she considered what the hell she was doing
here. Did she really want to stay? Gage had said mating was
forever, and forever was a long time to spend with someone you
barely knew. She couldn’t be stupid about this.
    She sank deeper into the tub,
reclining her head back on the porcelain rim. She closed her eyes
and smiled. Seth had never looked at her the way Gage had in the
cave, like he couldn’t take in enough of her. For the first time in
a while, she hadn’t felt conscientious about the extra curves on
her body. She had felt desired, and it had been amazing. It also
made her wonder what was the catch?
    Sighing, she began washing her hair.
Honestly, she could think of worst fates than being cosmically
linked to a hot werewolf forever. It wasn’t like she had much to go
back to - as in, no one. Even her cat had run off. She knew what
awaited her back home - an empty house, a job she could care less
about, and an empty life.
    “ How depressing,” she
muttered, rinsing her hair out. She wasn’t afraid to be alone
because she’d been alone for most of her life. But was she just
staying with Gage because she didn’t want to be alone anymore?
Sure, there was a spark between them, and more than enough lust to
fill a room, but she knew she didn’t