When I could finally see them all, they wound all the way up to cover the top of my shoulder too.
But somehow, looking at the vibrant red lines, I wasn’t filled with joy. There was only one word I could use to describe them, the emotion welling up deep within not my own. It was his.
Rage.
Lucien
Icame awake with a gasp, the pain searing my abdomen the first thing I noticed as I sucked in oxygen as if it was my last breath on earth, every muscle going tense as my fight-or-flight instinct roared to the surface. The second thing I noticed was the sweetest perfume I’d ever smelled, hanging in the air like a delicious, seductive cloud. It was fresh, citrusy orange with sugary peach, and something earthy. Cotton? Yes, that was it. Summertime and desire all rolled up in one sweet package.
Something niggled at me, something that felt important, but I couldn’t place it. All I felt was pain, pain and cold hands plastered to my chest. And the damn magic cuffs that were still on my wrists.
As my awareness came back fully, I realized that those cold hands belonged to the omega healer, and her magic was cool, fighting against the burn filling me from the inside out.
We made it out. Relief had me sagging deeper into the bed, even as my body protested the tiny movements.
“Brielle?” My voice came out as a dry croak, but it got her attention. Her eyes flew open, and when she saw that I was indeed awake, her shoulders slumped with relief and fatigue.
“Thank the Goddess. You’ve been out for a while, and I was starting to worry…” She trailed off, seeming to think better of whatever she’d been about to say. “Let me go get Olivia. She just ran to the bathroom, and I’m sure you’ll want her with you while you’re recovering.”
Her kind smile was confusing.
Olivia?
It took me a moment to remember the other healer, and I squinched up my forehead when I realized who she was talking about.
Why the fuck would I want her at my bedside?
Olivia was stunningly beautiful, sure. Most wolf females were gorgeous, so it made sense that she was no exception. The first time I’d seen her at the pack castle was imprinted in my brain like a photograph.
She’d been standing in one of the big, old windows, like some romance movie bullshit. But the way the light highlighted her cheekbones, the shine of her red hair… She was an angel, and I knew in that moment that she was too good for the likes of me. Too pure.
I’d decided then and there that I would never touch her. She reminded me of someone I’d loved, someone too innocent for a bastard like me.
Poison. You poison everything you touch.
I gritted my teeth as my father’s words echoed in my brain, forcibly putting them aside, as always.
But the lovely, timid female couldn’t do anything for me that Brielle couldn’t, as far as I knew.
Whatever floats her boat, I thought idly, deciding not to question it. I was still fuzzy, my hazy memories of how we ended up here not sticking with me at the moment. It was torture, Samuel’s appearance, a Jeep, and then nothing.
Weeks of torture would do that to a man.
The pain and the heat came back to the forefront, and for a few moments, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling and wishing for some cold water as I dragged every breath through a sandpaper throat.
Cold packs. Popsicles. Jell-o. Hell, I’d lick an icicle at this point if that was all that was available.
I must have a fever.
Before I could ponder the implications of that, Brielle appeared back at my bedside, grinning as she pulled the other healer along with her.
“Here she is!” The announcement was unnecessary. A lot of my body was busted to shit right now, but my eyes worked just fine. She was every inch as breathtaking as the first time I’d caught sight of her. And the scent was hers. Fuck, why had I never noticed before how mouthwateringly amazing she smelled?
I kept the thought to myself, though, because it was unwise to piss off the people who handled your medical care. Best to stick with the basics. Even if the she-wolf in question had crystal-green eyes I wanted to get lost in. Her hair cascaded over her shoulder in soft red waves, hints of gold shining from them even without the sun to light her up. Little freckles dusted her cheeks and nose, and I was suddenly overcome with the urge to pull her down closer, so I could kiss each one.
What the fuck? I did not kiss noses and wax poetic about eye color. Delirium was a bitch.
“Could I have some water?” I snapped the question, unnecessarily harsh, but the healers didn’t flinch.
“Of course! Olivia, you stay with him. I’ll run and get some ice from the kitchen.” Before either of us could protest, Brielle darted from the room with speed I’d never seen her use before. Wolf speed.
Part of me knew that was an interesting development, but I wasn’t quite sure why in my haze. I was going to have questions when I felt better.
Damn, I hoped I felt better soon. Every part of me hurt like I’d been run over by a train, tossed off a cliff, fallen down a waterfall, and hit every damn rock on the way down. I raised one arm, scratching at my eyebrow. It also burned, but in an itchy, distracting way.
“No, don’t do that. You don’t want to pick at a scab while it’s healing.” Olivia’s soft voice sent a shiver through me, a tingle down my spine that was surprising given my wrecked physical state.
A scab? I wanted to scoff, but with my slow healing right now… I supposed it was possible I’d have marks. It wasn’t going to stop me from scratching them.
She grabbed my hand, easily stopping my weak efforts to scratch, and it was like the whole room shifted around me.
I blinked once, slowly, trying to urge my sluggish brain to figure out what was going on.
Mate.
My wolf’s voice startled me so badly, I actually jerked on the table, the motion bathing me in fresh agony. My wolf rarely spoke. Rarely enough that I could count on one hand the number of times in my long-ass life he’d done it, and never since Lilly.
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