Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (A Paranormal Romance—Book #6 in the Demon Kissed Series) Read Online Free PDF

like they filled
with iron, or maybe that was resolve. Either way, she wasn’t going to trail
behind him like a love-struck puppy. Her arms clamped down tightly over her
chest.
    Eric turned, glancing at the swells of flesh hidden beneath
that tight shirt. His gaze flicked quickly to her eyes. Natalia didn’t notice
that he had trouble not admiring her curves. The softness of her flesh was
enticing, but he knew why he favored her—why he let her follow him. It was
exactly what Mandor said, she was his type. She reminded him of Ivy, of Lydia,
of a time when he was someone else—someone better. There was no harm in that,
right? It meant he could be near her and do what he wanted, but part of him
held back, pushing her away.
    Part of him knew she was Natalia and very different. Her
body was taller, her curves were fuller, and her bite was harder. When Natalia
was mad, she let him have it. And by the look on her face, Eric knew she’d had
enough. This was a turning point. If he told her to fuck off, he’d never see
her again. His eyes slid over her body before he stepped toward her. Eyes
lowered, he looked up at her through his lashes, and held out the food. His
voice was soft, “Here.”
    Natalia glanced down at the insanely expensive snack and reached
for it. Eric glanced up at her and smiled sadly. When her fingers brushed
against his, she felt something that unnerved her. Her crystal blue eyes looked
away, back down at the treat in her hands.
    “Sorry about before,” he said quietly. “If they knew I
cared about you, they’d hunt you down. It was better to let them think that you
didn’t matter to me.”
    Natalia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He cared about her? It felt like someone
dropped ice down her spine. She tried to act like it didn’t matter; she tried
to think this softness wasn’t him. This was the false Eric. This was the guy
that drove her crazy because he made her doubt herself. She nodded slowly, pretending
to be something she was not, “So that stuff you said, before? It was just a bunch
of crap to get me to leave?”
    Eric stopped and turned to her. Natalia held the sandwich
loosely in her hands, her gaze meeting Eric’s. His lips wanted to move and say
two different things. He blinked slowly at her. It was like time was frozen. Finally
he said, “Something like that,” and they continued walking shoulder to shoulder
down the street. He watched her eat, and realized she must be hungry. He
wondered if her food stores had been depleted, but knew better than to ask her.
He’d have to go by her place and see for himself.
    Natalia felt happy for a moment. The simplicity of walking
with someone and eating something that was once so common brought back a flood
of memories of happier times. Her dark lashes were lowered, her eyes looking
down as she spoke, “You make me crazy, you know that?” She shook her head. Eric
glanced at her, appearing apathetic, but she wondered if he was acting,
pretending like she was. She didn’t want to cause his mood to shift, but she
had to know, “You only seem to run hot or cold. There’s nothing in the middle
for you, is there?”
    Eric grinned, “Hot? When have you seen
hot?” He tried to hide the laughter in his voice, but he knew damn well
that she hadn’t seen hot. He kept that part of himself hidden from everyone,
especially her.
    Natalia looked over at him, “Then what’s this?” She laughed
lightly, shaking her head. “ Awh , I’m so screwed. You
only have two modes: I hate you and I hate you more !!” She wasn’t entirely
kidding, and didn’t expect him to respond the way he did.
    His voice was deep, his eyes gazing at the little lines in
the pavement. “I just want to protect you, Nat.”
    “From what?” she stopped talking, her heart beating with a
deep rhythm that scared her.
    Glancing up at her, he asked, “Isn’t it obvious?” His pulse
thundered in his ears. What was he doing? Eric knew he shouldn’t go down