No kidding, but I don’t get to offer my best friend any reassurances before Cade barrels past him without somuch as a glance, carrying me up the stairs like a storm wrapped in skin.
By the time we reach my bedroom, Liz and Archie are close behind, yet that doesn’t matter. Cade slams the door in their faces, and the echo rattles through the manor, final and furious.
Inside, the atmosphere changes. The tether between us burns, thrumming like a live wire. His body shakes with barely restrained violence as he holds me almost too tightly. When I tilt my chin, his eyes are there, wild and shadowed, pinning me in place.
And in that silence, one thing becomes blisteringly clear.
I’ve hurt him.
Possibly even worse than myself.
Chapter 21
CADE
This never should have fucking happened.
Chapter 22
ROWAN
Minutes tick by, and still he doesn’t let go. We just stand there beside the bed, his arms like iron around me, his body trembling with fury while mine shakes from pain. And yet…everywhere our skin touches, warmth spreads, threading through me as if he’s fire and balm all at once.
It’s the bond, Wolf murmurs, softer than usual, reverent almost.He’s healing you just by touch.
How?
I understand what she’s said, but I don’t understand how it’s possible.
That’s just what mates do for each other, Wolf states, her voice remaining quiet.You complete one another. Whatever you need, he provides, and the same of you for him. We’re injured. Our supernatural healing would be sufficient to survive wounds like this, but with Cade, it’s supercharged.
So that explains why it feels like invisible needles are stitching my shoulder blade back together. At least I really hope that’s what this is. Otherwise, I’mexperiencing the weirdest near-death hallucination of my life.
But Wolf doesn’t get the chance to say more. Cade finally moves, lowering me carefully onto the bed. His eyes are brighter again, golden sparks breaking through the storm, but the torment carved into his face makes it almost painful to look at him.
“I’m sorry,” he rasps, voice raw as gravel.
“That wasn’t?—”
His sudden snarl slices the air. I flinch before I can stop myself, but then his palm presses gently over my shoulder, right where the pain is most severe. His hand is warm, steady, achingly careful, and just like that, the fear is gone. I close my eyes, sink into the pillow, and let myself melt into his touch.
He’s taking care of me.
And deep down, I know it’s more than that. I know this man isn’t just chasing away my pain—he’s anchoring me, tying me to something I don’t know I’m ready for. But right now, I can’t process any of that. All I can do is let him.
His hand presses a little firmer, then he reaches with his other hand, grabbing the throw blanket. It’s only then that I remember I’m naked. Well, mostly. His shirt is barely covering my most intimate parts. But I don’t even care. Not now. Not when he moves with the kind of protectiveness that makes me feel less like prey and more like I’m finally home.
Without missing a beat, Cade leans down, close enough that I feel his breath against my hair. For a heartbeat, I swear he’s going to kiss me. Instead, his lipsbrush the air beside my temple as he whispers, “I’ll be right back. Please don’t move.”
The ache in his words pins me harder than his arms ever could. Even if I could get up, I wouldn’t dare.
Water runs from inside the ensuite, the sound muffled by the walls. I listen, waiting for anything else. When he returns, my eyelids are heavy as lead, but I manage to notice the damp washcloth in his hand.
“May I?” he asks, holding the washcloth aloft like it’s some kind of sacred offering.
I can only nod. Words don’t seem possible when he’s looking at me like this, when he’s this close and intense. For once, sarcasm abandons me. My usual shield is gone, leaving me raw and bare under the weight of his focus.
There’s blood streaked across my skin—stains I hadn’t even realized were there. Cade noticed, though. Of course, he did. And I know, with absolute certainty, that he won’t rest until every trace of the previous battle is gone.
