“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs in the shell of my ear as he strokes my hair. “I already called Malik. He’s on his way.”
I don’t know how much time passes while Kaiden holds me to his chest, but his intoxicating scent wraps around me like a warm blanket. We are immersed once again in our little bubble where nothing and no one can touch us.Thump. Thump. Thump.My breathing finally slows down as I concentrate on Kaiden’s steady heartbeat. His presence equally tethers me to reality and soothes something deep within me.
There’s a knock on the door. “Kaiden?”
“Just a second,” he replies to Malik. “We’ll get out, and then Malik’s going to heal you, okay?” he says softly.
My grip on Kaiden’s neck tightens in panic. “No! I—I can’t—no. P-please. I can still feel the blood. It’s everywhere.”
His gentle hand wraps around my jaw, and fresh tears blur my vision. “Okay, we’ll stay in here. Malik?”
“Yeah?”
“Come in.”
“I hope you’re not naked because seeing your dick wasn’t in my plans for the day.” All the mirth in his tone vanishes the moment he opens the door, and his feline hazel eyes land on my back. He lets out a sharp curse before his legs eat up the small space in two long strides. “Hey, sweets! I see you’ve got yourself in some more trouble. I’m surprised it took you this long. You know, women are usually happy to see me, but they’re not quite as wet as you. At least, not with their clothes on.”
The joke helps, and I let out a small snort.
“Shut the fuck up and heal her. She’s in pain,” Kaiden growls.
Malik purses his lips as his palm settles on top of my chest. “Jeez. It’s not my fault your bedside manner is nonexistent. I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” His magic envelops me like a thick fog. Skin tissue pieces itself together until there’s no more pain—at least physically. Now that my back is no longer screaming, I can draw my first breath without it catching fire.
“Thanks,” I say when the inky fog dissipates.
He winks at me. “Anytime. Well, if you guys don’t need me anymore, I’m going to help Logan clean up in the other apartment.”
“Wait!”
Malik looks back over his shoulder.
“Ms. Rob—the fae woman is—was my neighbor. We need to have a proper burial for her.”
He only nods in understanding before leaving the bathroom and closing the door at his back.
“How are you feeling?” Kaiden asks after a few moments.
“My back doesn’t hurt anymore…”But my heart does. The unspoken words hang heavy in the air. However, I don’t have to voice them for him to understand.
Obsidian eyes search mine. They bulldoze through all the barriers I erected around myself as if they’re made of nothingmore than papier mâché. “Now that the lacerations are healed, I can wash you properly. Or I can let you do it yourself. Just tell me what you need.”
I’ll surely regret this tomorrow, but I’m not strong enough to push him away. Somehow, it feels as if I’ve lost my mother all over again. Or, at least, a part of her. And I can’t face that on my own. “No. Don’t leave me alone. I needyou.”
“I’ll have to let you down and undress you. Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” I whisper.
Kaiden peels the blood-soaked clothes off my body before he starts washing me slowly, as if I’m the most precious thing in the world. And even if the usual electricity charges in the air between us, there’s no sexual tension—only tenderness. I’ve never felt more cherished than when Kaiden takes care of me. It blurs the stark line I have drawn between us. Because as hard as it is to admit, my feelings for him only grow instead of wilt. And that mask of indifference I so desperately cling to whenever he’s near? It’s nowhere in sight tonight.
Twenty minutes later, Kaiden carries me to my bedroom and sits me on top of my bed. I clear my throat. “The clothes you left here are still in my closet if you want to change.”
The corner of his full lips lifts in that sexy, infuriating way that makes my blood pressure go through the roof. “I’m surprised you didn’t burn them.”
“Not gonna lie, I did think about it more than once,” I mutter.
“Will you be okay if I leave you for a few minutes so I can take a shower, too?”
I nod, and he strides to the closet to rifle through the drawer I gave him when he was still my shadow. Picking up a pair of his usual black jeans and tee, he disappears through the bathroom door, his sopping clothes leaving a trail of water behind. As much as I try not to think about tonight’s events, they replay in gory details the moment I close my eyes. I don’t even realizeI’m crying again until the bed dips under Kaiden’s weight. He thumbs the tears gently as he frames the side of my face.
