He moved closer still. “I need you.”
He was killing me.
It was taking me a shit-ton of effort not to reach out and touch him as it was, to not even take his hand, cup his cheek, offer any physical comfort, because I didn’t know if something awfully physical had been pushed upon him by that demented True Celestial.
I mean, something must have. To keep Winter Nox anywhere against his will would mean powerful restraints. That was bad enough, but if anything else had… if it had gone beyond that…urgh, just the thought of it made me sick to my stomach.
I cleared my throat and eased back a bit as I said, “Anything. Just tell me what I can do to help, to make you feel better.”
He grasped my hand, urging me back to him, not wanting the distance.
“I’m… I’m cold.”
I frowned. “Cold? I don’t—”
“Like… an unbearable emptiness. A void. It feels like… like I’m… more defective and deficient than usual. And… and it… it hurts.”
Fuck it.I had to ask. I fucking had to now.“What did he do to you?”
He snatched his hand back.
“Win?”
He turned his head and sucked in a shuddering breath, before shifting back to me and imploring, “I just need you—your help.” His gaze dipped to my hands. “Your Ifrit flame.”
“You want the connection?” With somebody who wasn’t that fucked-in-the-head True Celestial.
“I need to stabilize before they wake up, before they see me like this and it worsens their panic, which is no doubt already through the roof. It’s gonna be touch and go as to whether they’ll lock me down in this house again as it is. I can’t push that over the edge. I need to be fine by the time morning comes and they’re all awake.”
“Win, youdon’tfucking need to be fine. You don’t. People don’t just suddenly snap back or get over shit like what happened to you. And that’s okay. It’s part of—”
“It’s not okay, though. Not for me. Never for me.”
“What do you—”
“The world around me doesn’t allow for that.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I can’t be seen as unstable. In any way whatsoever.”
Shit.“Win—”
“Please, Z. Just help me with this.”
“Okay. It’s okay,” I said softly.
I tucked my legs under me, then moved up close and eased his double robes open, baring his hella muscular chest beneath.
His breath hitched, and I blinked his anticipatory reaction away, forcing myself to focus as I pressed my palms to his skin.
Averting my eyes at the intensity coming off him went to hell in the next second when he grasped my biceps for grounding. What it did to me… I couldn’t allow myself to acknowledge it too deeply right now, or it could mess with my focus. Him needing me like this was already doing a shitload to me as it was.
I sucked in a steadying breath and carefully called my fuchsia flame.
He hissed as it sparked into being, emanating from my palms against his bare skin.
His eyes rolled back in his head.
But he didn’t push back with his Wraith frost.
He didn’t counter.
