“No, I’m not objecting. Only—what if—what if you come back like this or worse?” She nodded toward the living room. “Our medic’s semi-out of commission at the moment, and you clearly know more than basic first-aid but that doesn’t mean you can treat yourself.”
“Ah,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
“Its claws are still perfectly functional.”
“True enough.”
Adrenaline rose as she thought about all the possible outcomes of this hunt. As she realized she did not want the alpha dead. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but when fighting a bear on your ownanythingmight happen to you. Case in point, Aaron’s condition right now.”
“No. That’s incorrect.”
She blinked up at him, five-foot-two making eye contact with six-foot-seven. And she understood. “Youcankill a bear. On your own.”
“Barring an unlucky crippling paw swipe, so can Aaron.”
“But you’re not worried you’ll be equally unlucky because…”
“Because I won’t be.”
“Because you’re just that hulking powerful.”
“Exactly.” He turned to go.
“Wait.”
He looked down over his shoulder, one red-blond eyebrow arching. “Well?”
“I was just wondering…your preferred form of address. I don’t know if, as a human, I’m supposed to use your title, or if I’m supposed to…”
The right side of his mouth curved. “You’re welcome to call me Malachi, Ember.”
He strode out into the night and shut the door behind him.
He was fairly certain shock wasn’t the reason he wanted to sleep. Blood loss was physically depleting, that’s all. Pain was too. But for the next few hours, Ember wasn’t going to give him a minute’s peace. Every time his eyes drifted shut, she poked his arm.
Touch meant nothing when a guy was injured. Nothing like what Aaron wanted it to mean. She had held his hand, finger-combed his hair, rubbed his back, and all it meant to her was comfort. He was weak right now, and she saw him as weak, and that’s why she touched him. The only reason.
It sucked. All he wanted to do right now was sleep…with her.
Not sex. Not in this moment. He was exhausted. His leg throbbed in time with his pulse. He wanted to stretch out on the couch and open his arms to her. He wanted her to nestle in beside him and let him tuck her in close, let him rest his chin on the top of her head. And maybe his hands would explore a little, test the map of her that lived in his head, but that would be all. To hold Ember as they both slept was all he wanted tonight.
“Stay awake,” she said close to his ear.
He jumped, jostled the leg, and hissed as the pain spiked.
“Sorry.” She crouched in front of him and held out a steaming dish of mostly roast beef along with a few potatoes and carrots. “Here. High protein content.”
He took the dish and tried a forkful of beef. Not too hot. He ate a few more bites while she sat watching. At last he looked up. “It’s good. Thanks.”
She nodded. And continued to watch him eat.
“What?” he finally said.
“Oh, I was just thinking how weird it is, serving you leftovers after midnight when a few hours ago we were eating s’mores and I was planning a memorable dinner.”
“What were you planning?”
She smirked. “Nope. No clues. It’s all going to be a surprise.”
