Page 46 of Bond of Passion

“He’s a Seminus demon.” Eidolon took a syringe from his bag. “He needs sex, or he’ll die. The injection will help him control the need for a little while.”

“No, I get that.” She washed, cringing at the amount of red water running down the drain. How much of that blood was hers, and how much belonged to how many different demons? “I’m talking about Sleeva.”

He uncapped the syringe needle. “She possesses some of the most powerful healing abilities I’ve ever seen. She’s a physician at the London UG clinic, but her real skills are her succubus talents.”

Deja froze with hot water running across her forearms. “You mean sex?”

He nodded as he injected Tavin in the shoulder. “Her species can take or give health to their partners. Since she’s employed by Underworld General, we ask her to only take health from scumbags.” He capped the syringe and tossed it back into the bag. “I think she’s his only shot of healing well enough to live out a normal lifespan.”

Deja felt sick to her stomach as what Eidolon was saying sank in. “So you want her to come have sex with him.”

“Yes. At this point, unless he takes a mate, it’s his best chance of healing fully.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll let you know when you can expect her. I’ll try to make sure she’s here around the time the shot wears off.”

She nodded numbly as she shut off the water. The idea of another female with Tavin…

No. She couldn’t think that way. He wasn’t hers anymore. She didn’t want him anyway. She hated him. Wanted him dead. Why should she care who he fucked?

She seethed. Because for all her tough denials, she did care. She snatched a towel off the counter and dried herself, being careful around her newly healed injuries. Eidolon’s gift had left angry red welts in place of open wounds, but while they were tender, they didn’t hurt as long as she didn’t touch them.

Tavin moaned, and his eyes flickered open for a few seconds. They glittered gold as they locked on her. She sucked in a harsh breath at the raw emotion in them. Lust, pain, and something unreadable.

But hot.

Liquid heat spread through her in response. Damn, Seminus demons were a dangerous breed. Dangerous to females who didn’t want to want them. And, in Tavin’s case, just dangerous in general.

She watched, her gaze locked with his as if she were being held prisoner. Slowly, Tavin reached out. She found herself moving toward him, her gaze locked on his. His lips moved, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“What is it?” she asked as she stepped closer.

“…is len…”

She looked at Eidolon as if he could interpret. He just shrugged.

“Grist…len.” The whispered word, barely audible, sent a tremor through her. His hand dropped, his eyes closed, and his broad chest settled into a steady, shallow rhythm.

“Did you understand that?” Eidolon asked.

She swallowed. “No,” she croaked. “No.”

Eidolon studied her with a cool, measured gaze that made her start to sweat, but thankfully he didn’t press the issue. It was getting harder and harder to deceive him. Not only did it feel like he could see directly into her soul, but she respected him, and lying was the ultimate in disrespect.

“He’ll be desperate when the shot wears off,” Eidolon said. “Maybe even out of control. You might want to restrain him until Sleeva gets here.” He pulled a sheet up over Tavin’s bruised, blood-crusted body. “How did you manage to get both of you out of this alive anyway?”

Sheer luck, mostly. That didn’t sound too heroic, though.

“I pretended to be one of his assassination victims.” She tossed the towel into the hamper next to the bathroom. “When it was my turn to torture him, I released him from his restraints. But if he hadn’t turned into a maniac, I’m not sure we would have made it, even with Sin’s help.”

“His viper glyph.” Eidolon tipped Tavin’s head to the side and studied the symbol. “It’s cursed. Affects him in a lot of bizarre ways. Ask him about it when he wakes up.”

“When will that be?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” He thrust a frustrated hand through his dark hair. She got the feeling he didn’t like not knowing things. “He’s pretty beat up. He’ll probably be hungry, and he’ll need protein. Make sure he’s got plenty of food around. If not, I’ll have something sent over. I’ll also see if Wraith can stop by for a brain scan. Tavin’s been through a lot, and there’s going to be some mental trauma.”

It took her a second to understand what Eidolon was saying. But when she glanced over at Tavin, it clicked. Back before he’d killed her, he’d explained a little about his breed and their healing gifts. The rarest of the three was the ability to get inside someone’s head and heal mental trauma. Or cause it. Apparently, the main purpose of that particular gift was to seduce females for sex, and like the other two gifts, it could be used for good—or bad.

“Okay,” she said. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Just take care of him.” Eidolon gave her a pointed look as he shouldered his medical bag. “He means a lot to us.”