“They should sit quietly and hope their doctor doesn’t decide they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”
The scent of Liam’s blood was strong and getting stronger.
I breathed carefully through my nose, lust and hunger making it difficult to think as my fangs snicked down.
Stand down, libido. Now isn’t the time.
The response was an instinctual one, but that didn’t make me feel much better about my horny self. Liam was hurt and here I was thinking about blood and sex.
Nice way of showing empathy, Lena.
Even if it wasn’t the height of insensitivity to feed/fuck my injured boyfriend, it would probably kill me to ingest blood tainted with silver nitrate.
Joseph made one last tiny movement, drawing another low sound from Liam. “Got it.”
He withdrew a mangled bullet from Liam’s body and held it up to inspect. Covered in blood, it looked misshapen and smashed.
Liam struggled to sit up. “Your bedside manner is just as shitty as I remember.”
Joseph pressed him back down, his gaze still on the bullet. “People who let themselves get shot don’t deserve my bedside manner.”
Makoto crossed the room to the desk Daniel was standing in front of before turning to sit on it. “I’m pretty sure your bedside manner never existed.”
“If your ass touches that desk, you’ll have to heal your next wound on your own.” Joseph’s smile showed his fangs and his eyes glittered with a menace that suggested he’d be responsible for inflicting said wound.
Makoto froze in the process of lifting himself up. He dropped back to the floor and pretended he’d never thought about it in the first place.
Joseph tossed his instruments into the bowl beside him. “I’ve extracted the bullet. For now, what he needs is blood. The more powerful and plentiful the better.”
Joseph had a face that invited sin. His hazel eyes were striking against his brown skin. Healer or not, he gave off an untamed energy that made it feel like his humanity was only skin deep. As if his civilized veneer was an illusion that could shred at a moment’s notice.
Thomas swept into the room while Joseph was still giving instruction on Liam’s care. “How is he?”
“Alive.” Joseph reached for a towel to clean his hands. “Which, given the extent of his silver poisoning, is quite the feat.”
“He’ll recover then?”
“As I told your idiots, all he needs is blood. Sex would also help,” he added as an afterthought in my direction.
I made a strangled sound as several pairs of eyes landed on me.
“What’s wrong?” Joseph asked in a querulous voice. “Aren’t you two together?”
Makoto bit his lip, staring at the ground while his shoulders shook with silent laughter. Daniel was an impassive statue, his expression unchanged. Thomas looked like nothing surprised him anymore when it came to the healer.
“Was I wrong?” Joseph asked, looking around the room when no one answered him.
A tired smile hung on Liam’s lips as he watched the exchange. He rested his head on the pillow behind him, his eyes alive in his exhausted face. He was still ghostly pale, but I was relieved to see his wound no longer bled black. The trickle of blood was already slowing. It was a sign his healing was returning.
That was good. Very good.
“Why sex?” I asked, distracted by Thomas using a silver blade to slice a line along his wrist before offering the wound to Liam.
Joseph didn’t immediately answer my question as he moved away from the bed to give the two room. Liam pounced on Thomas’s arm, drawing a tiny wince from the Master of the City at his roughness.
“No matter how civilized we might pretend to be, vampires are simple at heart. Two things drive us. Blood—and sex. Both are necessary for healing of this nature. Thomas and the others can fulfill one need, but you’ll have to take care of the second.” Joseph stopped to frown at me. “Unless that is a problem for you? We can find someone more willing if you’d prefer.”
Liam pushed Thomas’s arm away, finished with him. Daniel was next to offer his already bleeding wrist.
