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

on them, but no one would
interfere. Natalia understood that she was on her own from the moment her
family was slaughtered. There was no one to help, no one to protect her. When
Eric came along she saw something in him. That night he saved her, and kept her
safe. She didn’t know why and never pressed him. Even after the smoke cleared,
after they saw what was left of her city, Eric didn’t leave her. He taught her
to fight, so she could protect herself. He found a place for her to stay,
safely hidden within the rubble. During that time, she saw flashes of someone else,
not the hard-ass, nasty prick who was standing in front of her. It was like he
was living a double life.
    The words he now spoke so callously fell from his mouth and
pricked her skin like barbs. He wanted her to believe him, but she didn’t. There
was something about him that made her think that he was more than he appeared. Eric
wasn’t just some lost jackass who happened to have a moment of glory. He was
glory, concealed by sharp words and disturbing actions. Why couldn’t she let
that go? He said it was a mistake. Why couldn’t she just believe him?
    Before she had time to think, Natalia’s fist flew directly
at Eric’s jaw. She wanted to make him stop talking. She wanted the Eric who
helped her back, because if that’s who he really was, she knew she had the
wrong guy. But that part of Eric remained hidden, tightly concealed beneath
layers of scorn. Before her knuckles connected with his jaw, Eric’s hand shot
up. He caught her fist like a baseball, and held on tight.
    He crushed her hand, twisting her wrist, pulling her closer
to him. “ This is who I am.” His eyes
met hers, burning. Natalie gasped, feeling the pain spreading through her hand,
the bones threatening to crack. Eric’s lips were so close to hers that she felt
his breath, “There is nothing more.”
    Her pink lips parted, ready to say something, but she never
had the chance. Eric looked up into the doorway and recognized the man standing
there. Dark skin, black eyes, with a body built like it was made out of steel. Mandor. He hadn’t stood in front of the Valefar for years,
but he knew they were tracking him. Eric had managed to evade them. The tricks
he learned kept them guessing, making it impossible to find him. But somehow
they found him.
    Eric released her hand, hissing in her ear, “Leave. Now.”
    He backed away from her, but Natalia didn’t move. She
glanced over her shoulder and stared at Mandor, not knowing who he was, then
back at Eric. There would be bloodshed and he didn’t want the girl involved,
but she just stood there, in between them.
    Natalia glared at Eric before turning to leave. She glanced
up at Mandor, giving him a cold glare, as she tried to shove her way through. But
Mandor didn’t move. He laughed softly at her. It was like a butterfly trying to
push a mountain lion aside. He underestimated her just like everyone else did. When
they looked at Natalia they saw a slight girl, not a dangerous creature that
shouldn’t exist. Natalia remained demure, letting Eric and Mandor think their
assumptions were accurate. Now was not the time for corrections.
    Eric ignored her, turning back to the bar, trying to access
if there were more Valefar outside. He wanted to make sure she was safe, and
the best way to do that was for it to appear that they weren’t together. Glancing
at her over his shoulder, he watched Natalia try to exit, pushing her way past
Mandor, but the Valefar didn’t move. Shit.
    Mandor glanced at Eric, deep voice booming, “Your tastes
don’t change.” He grinned a bright smile at Eric, but
there was malice behind it. There was always malice when it came to Valefar.
    Eric’s expression remained unaffected. He glanced at
Natalia, his eyes tracing her face and sliding down the curves of her body in a
completely carnal way. Heat rose to her face, making her blush, which seemed to
piss her off. Eric grinned and she looked away, back at