Willing Sacrifice by Shannon K. Butcher

again, no doubt.
    “Put your arms around my neck,” he said.
    The iridescent necklace he wore shimmered with his pulse. Thick muscles and tendons stood out, drawing her eye down to the gleaming curve of his shoulders. So much of his skin was bare, dotted with perspiration. She knew if she did as he asked, he’d be hot to the touch, driving away the chill of fear that lingered just below her skin.
    His altered shirt was even more tattered than it had been before their mad dash through the woods. All it managed to do was hide enough of his body to make her stare on the off chance that the breeze would pick up and she’d get more of a peek at the man beneath.
    “Grace,” he said, her name a dark temptation coming from his lips, “grab your shoe and wrap your arms around me.”
    There was nothing she wanted to do more than touch him, so she did as he asked, uttering a halfhearted, “Why?”
    He lifted her into his arms, forcing her to tighten her hold. “That’s why. No more waiting around to see if you can put weight on your ankle. It’s time to go. I don’t think we should be out here alone in the woods together. Not when there’s so much danger, and not when you look at me like that.”
    She almost asked him,
Like what?
but she already knew the answer. She was looking at him like she wanted him, like she’d never known what it was like to want a man before he’d shown up. Because it was true. Her body was melting from the inside out, growing warm and soft in a way that made her want to lie back and give in. To what, she wasn’t sure, but she knew that with Torr it wouldn’t matter. He could do whatever he pleased, and she would enjoy it.
    There was no reason for her body to respond to him that way, and yet she couldn’t seem to make it stop. All she could do was try not to think about how good his solid strength felt as he lifted her. “I’m sure I can walk.”
    “I’m not. This first bit on the narrow part of the ledge is going to be tricky, so I don’t think you should argue with me.”
    Because he was right, and because the fall to the river below was one that would kill them, she clamped her lips shut and held on for dear life.

Chapter 10
    T he walk back to the village was the sweetest kind of torture. After so many months of wondering whether Grace was alive or not, she was in his arms, clinging to him like she couldn’t get close enough.
    Part of him still couldn’t believe she was safe and whole. No matter how tightly he held her, no matter how close she got, it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t sure it ever would be when it came to Grace. He wanted all of her. Forever.
    Having her body against his made him so erect he throbbed. Each awkward step made him ache, but he didn’t want the trip to end. Once it was over, he’d have to let go of her again, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to.
    She’d nearly killed herself today. That she would be so careless with her safety made him want to protect her and paddle her all at the same time. Though if he ever got her over his lap and put his hand on her ass, punishing her would be the last thought on his mind.
    Another harsh spike of lust surged through him. His step faltered, but he regained his balance immediately and forced himself to pay attention.
    He hated it that she was hurt and that there wasn’t a thing he could do to ease her pain. If she’d been a female Theronai and able to wield his power, she would have been able to tap into his vast stores of magic and heal herself, or at least mute the pain.
    But she wasn’t a Theronai, and her fragile human body healed slowly. An injury like this could lay her up for weeks.
    How many more times would she be injured because she had the misfortune of being close to him and the danger that surrounded his life? And the next time it happened, would it be something as simple as a sprained ankle?
    The answers to those questions were bleak, painful things reminding him of just how dangerous it was for her