The way he said it, quiet and earnest, made something twist deep in my chest.
He shifted closer, slow enough that I could stop him if I wanted. “How do you feel?”
“Like I lost a fight with a freight train.”
That got a faint smile out of him. “You nearly did.”
“Yeah, well.” I grimaced. “At least I look better than the other guy.”
Simon’s gaze flicked toward the corner where the feral vampire’s body had been a few hours ago. Now, only a dark stain remained. Proof he’d taken care of it. Maybe Simon had buried it out back.
“I could’ve handled it on my own,” he said quietly.
That earned a rough snort from me. “You think so?”
He didn’t answer right away.
When Simon finally did, his voice was low, almost reluctant. “I’ve dealt with one of them before. They follow me sometimes. Maybe they can smell what I am. Maybe they know his blood still runs in my veins. I know what they’re capable of.”
Something about the way he said it made the hairs on my neck rise. I wanted to ask what he meant, but the look in his eyes stopped me. That distant, haunted kind that comes from remembering too much.
Silence stretched between us, filled only by the crackle of the fire.
Then Simon moved again, reaching for the cloth he’d used earlier.
“You tore through the bandage,” he said, nodding to my side. “I should check it.”
I stiffened automatically. “No.”
He blinked. “Kit?—”
“I said no.”
Simon looked at me for a long moment. “Fine. But if you pass out from blood loss, I’m not carrying you,” he muttered.
“Didn’t ask you to.”
That almost earned a smirk out of me. Almost. But the way he said it wasn’t sharp, more like he was trying to meet me halfway, testing where the edges were between us.
My body betrayed me before I could make another smart remark. Another wave of dizziness hit, sharp and cold. The room tilted.
I must’ve gone pale because Simon was suddenly kneeling beside me again, hands hovering near my shoulders.
“Hey. Easy,” he said.
“Don’t—”
“I’m not doing anything,” Simon pointed out.
He was, though. His hand landed lightly on my arm, grounding me. The touch was firm, steady. It shouldn’t have helped. But it did. My breathing evened out without me realizing it.
I stared at him, at the faint veins visible just beneath his skin, the way his pupils flickered slightly with each heartbeat.
“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” I muttered.
“Not when someone’s dying in front of me.”
“That’s ironic coming from a vampire.”
