“Jason didn’t take Hunny,” Nessa reminded him softly. “She and her babies made it out of that situation without a scratch.”
“Do you think that’s why I’m angry?” Murphy asked hotly, turning fully toward her. He dropped his hold on her arm and grabbed the side of her neck gently, almost urgently, his thumb brushing over her jaw as he leaned in.
“You almost died, Nessa. If I hadn’t reached you in time, Jason would have taken you from me.” The words were barely more than a whisper, but they echoed in her mind nonetheless, his tone filled with a misery she couldn’t describe.
“But you got there, Murphy. Look at me,” she instructed, trying to calm him down. “I’m alive because of you.”
He shook his head, leaning his forehead against hers and squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t think you remember, but you almost bled out. You’d lost so much blood, even my mom didn’t think you’d make it,” he whispered, emotion thickening his voice. “The only way to save you was with a blood transfusion,but the nearest hospital is almost an hour away. If I hadn’t …” He trailed off, taking a shuddering breath.
“What?” Nessa asked in confusion, looking down at their joined hands. It felt so good being this close to him, touching him, breathing in his air. She didn’t want to let him go, not if she could help it. “What did you do, Murphy?”
“Shifters aren’t the only supernatural creatures in this world,” he began, pulling away from her to stare down into her eyes. His thumb swept over her jaw again, the touch soothing her in a way she’d never experienced before. It was intimate. Sweet. Perfect. “There is a vampire coven in a city nearby. Shifters and the undead rarely get along, but I have their leader’s contact information.”
Nessa blinked at him in shock, a small gasp lodging in her throat as she covered her mouth. “Vampires are real?”
Murphy nodded solemnly. “Yeah, and this coven owns the hospital there; it’s the easiest way for them to keep blood on hand when they need nourishment. I contacted Constantine, and in exchange for a favor, he delivered the human blood you needed faster than anyone else could have. It saved your life, otherwise I’d have lost you.”
She tried to wrap her head around everything Murphy was saying, and while a million questions danced through her mind, she could only focus on one. “But … You said shifters don’t get along with vampires.”
“We don’t. There’s something unhinged about them,” Murphy explained. “They’re unnatural, and their existence is taboo.”
“What favor did you owe him?”
“I don’t know.” Murphy shrugged, though the tension had returned to his shoulders. “He hasn’t come to collect yet.”
For a long moment, she was too stunned to speak. A few months ago, Murphy had barely known her, and yet he’d goneabove and beyond to protect her. She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so safe, so cared for. “You did that for me?”
Murphy’s eyes darkened as they found hers, the brown of his irises melting into such deep pools of onyx, it felt like she was staring into a starless night sky. “I’m quickly learning that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Nessa.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering for the briefest moment before he pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get you to work before you’re late.”
“Okay.” Reluctantly, she stood up, scooting to the side to give him enough space to do the same. Her brow furrowed a second later. “Wait, what did all of that have to do with you coming here last night?”
Murphy took her hand, his expression guarded. “Marcus caught Dante’s scent in this town last night. It was a few days old, but I think Dante might be staying somewhere close by.”
“And you think he might try to hurt me?” That’s why he’d shown up here suddenly. She’d worried it had involved his mating sickness, but it hadn’t been that at all.
That was really sweet of him.
How did I ever think Murphy was a dick?
“I hope not, but I won’t take a chance with your safety, either. I won’t let anyone hurt you again,” he vowed, pulling her against him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest. Butterflies took wing in her stomach, and before she could lose her courage, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
She’d hold onto him forever if he’d let her.
Chapter 15
Three days later ...
“That smells phenomenal,” Murphy stated, biting back a small groan. He inhaled deeply, catching traces of sugar, garlic, onion, and soy sauce, the sizzling meat adding a savory element that had his mouth watering.
A few days had passed since Murphy made Nessa breakfast in her home, and now she was returning the gesture, makingchicken adobo for him at his place. He’d never had it before, but his stomach growled with hunger, eager to sample the dish.
His bear, who last week would have rather clawed at Murphy’s insides instead of seeing him excited about something, was now curled up into a content ball in his mind, enjoying Nessa’s presence almost as much as Murphy.
Nessa looked up from the chicken searing in the saucepan and over her shoulder, sending him a shy, sweet smile that nearly melted him into a puddle on the floor. “Just wait until you taste it. You’re fine with broccoli and rice, right?”
“Rice, yes. Broccoli …” He trailed off, willing his nose to not wrinkle in distaste. He rarely ate vegetables—even his bear disliked them. But if everything tasted as good as it smelled, he’d definitely make an exception tonight.
Hell, even if he hated it, he’d eat the entire damned thing, simply because Nessa had taken the time to make it for him.
