I flashed him an inch of fang.
Gen didn’t notice, thank goodness. She did step away to check Bene, which annoyed the hell out of me — until she declared his wounds less serious and sent him off to shower.
Bene gazed at her with wide, imploring eyes that said,Shower? I could bleed to death in there.
“You’ll live,” she muttered.
I shot him a smug look, then eased painfully onto my side.
“Oh, you poor thing…” Gen murmured.
I flexed my claws. Tigers were neitherpoornorthings.
You fucking love it,Bene grumbled on his way out the door.
A little, yes.
Maybe I was getting old. Or maybe it was after all those years in the military, where no one fussed over anyone. Everyone cared, of course. It was just that you weren’t allowed to show it.
“I’ll be right back,” Gen said, heading out the door.
As if I were going anywhere.
“Oh, Henrik. Could you please make a fire?” she called from the threshold.
He held out his right arm, indicating a torn sleeve. “I’m injured too.”
“I’ll check you next. Now, make that fire.Please.”
Henrik huffed, clearly wishing for the good old days when a woman wouldn’t dare boss him around. He did as he was told, however.
Within minutes, my eyes drooped, and I listened to the soothing crackle of the fire. Meanwhile, my feline entertained foolish ideas that went way, way out on a thin limb in a strong breeze and swayed around dangerously.
Maybe Gen and I…the beast started.
I stifled the thought with a snarl that Henrik misinterpreted.
“Yes, I find her insufferable too.”
I frowned. Gen wasn’t insufferable. She was chatty, tempestuous, and impulsive. She had terrible taste in music. She ate in tiny, annoying bites and slurped her coffee — black with a splash of milk. But insufferable?
Less and less, recently. In fact, I missed working beside her. More than I liked to admit.
She bustled in with a steaming bowl of water, an old towel, and a first aid kit.
Henrik snorted. “Shifters heal on their own, you know.”
“They heal more quickly with help. And it’s less painful.”
God, I liked the sound of that. The gash on my left shoulder was killing me, and the slash across my nose stung. I licked it miserably.
I tensed as she brought the wet towel closer to the gash. She tensed too, and the brows over her blue eyes creased. Eyes as blue as an ocean, and just as deep.
She smoothed her hair back and chose a smaller scratch to start with.
And, oh.Gentlewasn’t the word for it. My eyes slid shut, and my tail softly tapped the floor.
Heavenly,my tiger murmured.
