Page 23 of Bond of Passion

Interesting. She must have known at least one Seminus demon pretty well. “Who told you that?”

She looked down as she scooped up some mashed potatoes. “An old family…acquaintance.”

“Hm. Well, he was right. Sometimes, it’ll be altered in some way after our second maturation phase, but usually, if it’s going to change at all, it happens during the mating bond.”

Now he had her attention, but he wasn’t sure that was a good thing. The intensity in her gaze made him feel like he was under one of the lab’s microscopes. “So has your symbol been altered?” she repeated.

“You’re very curious about my personal glyph.”

“I have an inquisitive mind,” she said, shoving potatoes into his mouth like he was an infant. Man, this sucked. “And your symbol is covered by the brace, so it’s a mystery. I love mysteries.”

He swallowed the gluey potatoes. “Like books? Movies?”

“Like true crime mysteries. Some of my nursing school friends got me into true crime podcasts and sleuthing.”

“So that’s your hobby, huh? Solving murder mysteries?”

“It’s actually quite fun. I can’t blend into the human world, but I can concentrate on murders in Sheoul.”

“They have true crime podcasts for demons?”

She lifted a glass of juice with a straw to his lips. “They do. A lot of them. Sheoul is a violent place.” She shot him a glare. “As you’re well aware, I’m sure. Heck, your victims might be the subjects of some of the podcasts.”

“Yikes,” he murmured. “Aren’t you a venomous little thing?”

“Sorry.” Her apologetic smile didn’t reach her eyes, which were like daggers. Daggers of cold, blue ice. She was a constant contradiction, and he liked it. “The Neebless are a peaceful people. It’s one thing to listen to podcasts about murder, and another to meet someone who commits the murders the podcasters talk about.”

“Double yikes. Spicy nurse strikes again.”

This time, her smile was genuine, and she even laughed. “Maybe we should change the subject.”

“Great. Let’s talk about you—” He broke off as the door swished open and Eidolon entered. Dude never knocked. But then, this was his hospital, and if he wanted to enter a room, he did. Only an idiot would call him on it.

“Good news, Tav.” He dumped a few pill bottles and syringes onto the counter next to the bed. “I’m giving you the all-clear to go home.”

Yes! The doc could be forgiven for not knocking. “Finally.”

Eidolon acknowledged Deja with a nod and then turned to Tavin. “But…”

Tavin groaned. “But what?”

“You’re going to need injections twice daily for a couple of days to help promote healing.”

“I can do that.”

“No, you can’t.” Eidolon tugged a pair of surgical gloves out of the dispenser on the wall. “Not into the back of your neck. You’ll either have to come in, or I can send someone to do it at your place.”

“I’ll volunteer,” Deja offered, sounding eager. Probably sucking up to the boss. “Since I’ve already been handling most of his care, it makes sense.”

Eidolon nodded. “Perfect. You’ll need to get his vitals and do a couple of function tests too. Make sure he’s eating and taking his meds. We’ll go over that later.”

As great as it sounded to have Deja at his house a couple of times a day, it also sounded too much like babysitting.

“Why can’t you just zap me with healing juice?”

“Because at this point, I’ve healed all I can.” Eidolon reached for one of the syringes he’d brought. “Shade has already optimized your body for healing the rest of the way on its own, but the local nerves and tissues need a little more help.”

“So…what’s up with the shots?”