Made sense.
And it left a nasty after-ring.
They followed the rest of the hounds to a huge bedroom that was every bit as stark and white as the room they’d first entered and the hallway they’d run down.
The hounds circled a body on the floor, whining as if they were in physical pain.
It took Sorcha a full minute to recognize Luke. Wearing only a pair of black shorts, he was on the ground in a fetal ball, shaking.
Her heart broke at the sight of him in such pain. “He’s freezing. Grab a blanket, please,” she said to Helly.
Without thinking, she pulled him against her, trying to warm him up.
“It’s okay, Luke. We’re here.”
His teeth chattered so hard that she was surprised they hadn’t shattered.
Helly returned with a comforter and blankets.
Sorcha wrapped them around him and still he shook from the cold. Even his lips were turning blue. “We have to get him warm.” She looked around for anything else.
There was nothing.
Sorcha could only thing of one more thing. “Find his clothes.”
Helly rushed off to look.
Gently, Sorcha rubbed at his stubbled cheeks in an attempt to get blood flowing so that his lips wouldn’t be so blue. When that didn’t work, she pressed her cheek against his, hoping the warmth of her body would help.
Luke buried his hand in her hair.
Pulling back slightly, she saw that his eyes had changed from gold to red.
That fiery gaze held hers enthralled. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his agony and hope. It was electric.
Then he pressed his lips against hers.
Sorcha felt a surge of heat at the contact. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. Her entire body on fire, she deepened the kiss until she wrung a feral growl from Luke.
This was so unprofessional and yet she couldn’t stop herself. He tasted sweet and intoxicating. Never had anyone kissed her like this.
Like she was the air he needed.
Luke’s head swam as welcomed warmth flowed through him. He had no idea what it was about her kiss, but it drove out every last bit of the cold that had seized him so fiercely, he’d been unable to stand.
“Um … do you still need his coat?”
Luke broke away from the kiss with a laugh at Helly’s question. “Yes!” He grabbed it from her hands and quickly shrugged it on with Sorcha’s help.
“You all right?” Sorcha asked breathlessly.
“Couldn’t be better at the moment.” He was finally warm enough that he could summon his powers to clothe himself.
Which made him even angrier.
Who had told Tanith that cold made him vulnerable? While he could tolerate a fair amount of it, there came a point when he was too cold to access his powers. That wasn’t something many creatures knew about.
Had Sorcha not shown up when she had…
