Page 21 of Bond of Passion

Chapter 7

As promised, Shade returned a few hours after Eidolon left, gave Tavin a zap of healing juice, and performed a thorough examination of Tavin’s injuries. The worst part of the evaluation had been getting rolled by Shade and Grim, who had drawn babysitter duty until Deja showed up for the next shift.

Now, he was lying on his face, his hospital gown splayed open, his ass exposed to the cold air. Grim had been full of dumb jokes until he finally, mercifully, left to go to the bathroom or have sex or whatever.

Shade’s gloved hands prodded sensitive spots on Tavin’s back. “You’re healing well. Still a lot of bruising back here, but it looks like it’s ten days old instead of two. You’re doing great.”

He heard the door whisper open, felt a breeze on his bare butt.

“That was fast,” he muttered to Grim and braced himself for more ridicule. What were brothers for, after all?

“I’m a bit early for my shift, but I wouldn’t call it fast.”

Deja. Fuck.

His entire body went hot with humiliation. Was his butt red? Because it felt red. Sora demon crimson. All he needed was a swishing tail to complete the look.

“Deja,” Shade said. “Glad you’re here. We need to roll Tavin onto his back.”

Tavin cursed under his breath. “You know, you could take the neck brace off and I could do it myself.”

“Sure,” Shade said, all chipper and shit. “Internal decapitation is always fun.” Then Shade slapped him on the ass, which was totally not professional.

“Come on, man,” Tavin pleaded—with as much dignity as he could muster in his current situation. “My neck’s gotta be fully healed.”

“If it were up to me, I’d take the brace off. But it’s Eidolon’s call.” Shade moved to the head of the bed. “Deja, let’s get him onto his back.”

Tavin felt the air move over his legs and buttocks as she stepped next to him, and he swore that when they turned him over, she intentionally brushed her soft hand across his left butt cheek.

Which meant that he now had a raging boner that tented the gown.

“Well,” Shade murmured, “good to see there’s nothing wrong with that.” Casually, he pulled a blanket over Tavin’s hips, and Tavin had never wanted to hug a guy harder than he did at that very moment.

“Thanks, man,” Tavin said, feeling a burn in his face. He risked a glance at Deja, but thankfully, she was pulling up a tray of food. Lunchtime. His stomach growled in appreciation.

“See you later,” Shade said. “We’ll have you back on medic duty in no time.”

He took off, leaving Tavin alone with Deja, who, from the glimpses he’d gotten as she moved around the room, had her stunning silver hair in a messy bun, revealing delicate elvish ears. Were they sensitive? Gristlen’s had been.

Damn, she was pretty.

That’s because she looks a lot like Gristlen. You have a type, dude. Fangs, pointed ears, and full, lush lips.

The voice in his head was right. He’d always loved females with athletic builds and angular features, but the latter, as well as her coloring, was where Deja differed from Gristlen. Grist’s nose had been narrower and more hawklike, and her cheekbones had been blades beneath iridescent pale skin. He’d thought she was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen.

Until Deja. Somehow, she was even prettier.

He smiled up at her. “So, you’re my babysitter again?”

“Lucky me.”

“You don’t sound particularly thrilled.”

She jerked as if he’d punched her, and suddenly, she was smiling. “Sorry. I just gave a DNA sample and they poked and prodded me. And I’m new at this job, so I always feel like I’m screwing up. I guess I’m a little tense.”

Yeah, he could see that. He’d been freaked out for weeks after he first started working at the hospital. Going from killing people to saving them had taken some getting used to. Not to mention the fact that some of the people he saw on a daily basis knew about his past.

And then there were the people he’d actually tried to kill. Like Arik, Shade’s brother-in-law and husband to Limos, the only female Horsemen of the Apocalypse.