I hesitate.“There’s nothing for me back home but bad memories.I want to do the job I came for.I want to help.Even if it means dealing with whatever this is.”
He frowns.“It’s not something youdeal with.After this, your heat will start, and we don’t know what will happen if we?—”
“If we what?”I breathe.
“Never mind.”He starts walking again.“I should let you know that Oliva caught on.She might have found some information.We can discuss it with her in the morning, after you get some rest.”
I nod into his chest.It’s probably best to think it over in the morning.We both fall quiet as the sounds of the forest take over.
This time, I’m awake when he sets me into bed.He doesn’t bother clicking on the light and lays me gently on the mattress, covering me with a thick fur blanket.I snuggle into it, realizing how cold I was after all.
“Wait,” he orders before disappearing into the bathroom.The faucet runs for a minute, then he comes back with a cloth in his hand.It’s warm and soft as he gently runs it over my face.
“What are you doing?”I mumble, my eyelids sliding shut.
“Aftercare.”
I grin.“I bet you’re a good dominant.”
He goes still.“Not if I harm you.”
“You didn’t,” I protest.Fighting the fatigue, I raise my arm and brush my thumb over his jaw.His beard is coarse and thick, his skin hot.
He lets me touch him for a moment, watching through hooded eyes.His nostrils flare, then he tucks me back under the blankets.His attention shifts to the bite mark on my neck.I try not to wince as he wipes it off.
“I went too far tonight, Nova.”He folds the cloth and stands.“And if you stay, I can’t guarantee I won’t do it again.”
7
NOVA
The next morning,there’s a knock on Roen’s side of the door as I finish getting ready.I set down my eyeliner and make sure my hair covers the dark bruise on my neck.Going to my new workplace with a bite mark wasn’t in the plans—even though I don’t think it was in Roen’s plans, either.
I’m not entirely sure what to expect when I see him.Will he seem more monstrous now that I know his secret?Or will he hide the side of him that watches me in the dark?No, even when he tried to conceal it, I’ve always been able to sense the wolf.
As I open the door, the familiar comfort of his presence washes over me.I take a deep breath to control my increasing heart rate.Instead, I’m hit with the full effect of his scent, fresh pine with rich wood undertones.There’s something else, too…
“Morning,” Roen greets, voice low and rumbly like it’s the first word he’s spoken today.A navy shirt stretches across his chest, and loose jeans hug his hips.
I lean a little closer.“Good morning.”
“How are you feeling?”His eyes linger on the side of my neck, and I feel myself flush.
“Still overheated, but better.”The pull of his magic, or the mate-bond as he called it, tugs at me.This time, I don’t fight it.My eyes slip closed as I bury my nose in his chest.I can’t get enough of the depth to his scent, warm and almost spicy.I rub my cheek into his shirt, stretching on my toes to nuzzle into his neck.
“Dammit, Nova,” he curses under his breath.“You’re going to be the death of me.”
I bite my lip so he can’t see my smile.“I think you said it’s the other way around.”
His mood shifts immediately.Shouldn’t have brought that up.I step away.“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.”He lifts his hand and brushes it over my temple.“The swelling from your accident has started to go down.That’s a good sign.”
“I’ve been a train wreck, haven’t I?”It’s supposed to be a joke, but again, it hits a little too close to home.
He frowns.His hand traces down my cheek, lingering at the corner of my lips.The touch soothes my fever, but worsens the ache in my chest.It takes all my willpower not to hurl myself into him again.
Then he drops his hand.“We can visit Olivia wherever you’re ready.”
