“Your blood?” Malachi repeated. “You already fed him your blood? Was he willing, or was that when he was unconscious?”
“I will tear your arm off and beat you with it,” Shadrach growled over his shoulder.
“Hey,” Luke protested.
“We’ve got an extra sandwich left over from lunch,” Ira said. “Why don’t we give Isaac some food and water? Healing takes a lot of energy.” He shot Talon a narrow-eyed look, and Talon shrugged unapologetically.
“Did you learn anything?” Storm asked.
“Didn’t sound like it,” Wolf said.
“No, nothing worth knowing, besides this one’s pain tolerance,” Talon said, jerking his head toward Isaac, who was watching them all with hooded eyes.
Shadrach was equal parts proud and frustrated that Isaac still hadn’t given them anything that would satisfy Talon’s curiosity.
“Yes,” Shadrach said, getting them back on track. “Food and water. I’ll get it.”
Isaac’s head rolled wearily toward him, and he was ensnared by the depths in Isaac’s gaze. One of the others spoke, but he didn’t hear them. All that mattered was the human in front of him.
Hishuman. Isaac was the one Ira told him about. The rope in his chest pulled harder than ever, and now he finally knew what it meant. Isaac belonged to him.
Talon made a noise of disgust and strode away, pulling Alex after him, and one by one the rest of them trickled away.
“Why did you stop him?” Isaac asked, his eyes roaming Shadrach’s face.
It took him a moment to find his voice. “I like your eyes right where they are.”
Isaac’s brow furrowed in confusion, and Shadrach took the opportunity to escape. “I’ll get you something to eat and drink. How’s your arm?”
“Sore, but better.” Isaac’s expression was guarded once again, and he pushed himself up to sit straighter in the chair.
“We’ll leave the ropes off for now. You’ll need your hands to eat.”
“You could just leave them off for good,” Isaac rasped. “That’d be a step toward earning my trust.”
“Oh, really?” Shadrach asked archly. “How do I know your feral ass wouldn’t chew through the drywall to escape?”
Isaac snorted. “At this point I’m too tired for that. Food and water is also a good start,” Isaac said. “Staying out of my dreams would be another.”
Shadrach pouted. “Are you sure you really want me to? You didn’t seem to mind having me there last time.”
“I didn’t know you werereallast time.”
“One could argue that what happened wasn’t real at all. It happened in your head. I’ve never actually touched you like that.” His eyes trailed down Isaac’s muscular body. Freckles dotted his pale skin like stars in the night sky, too numerous to count. Coppery hair dusted his chest and trailed down his stomach, framed by his ripped shirt. Blood had dried in streaks, leaving behind only the memory of the cuts Talon had made. The sweet scent filled the air, and Shadrach wanted to lick him from head to toe.
Color flushed from Isaac’s cheeks down his neck. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” Shadrach asked, his gaze lingering on Isaac’s groin. Yes, he’d only touched him in a dream, and he wanted to experience the real thing. It was like an itch under his skin, one he was desperate to scratch. He didn’t think he’d ever wanted anyone this much.
“Like you want to eat me.”
Shadrach smiled, slow and wicked.
Isaac glared.
Talon’s voice rang out from beyond the doorway. “Shadrach, get the fuck out here!”
He sighed.
