comforting hand against the back of Esme's shoulder. Esme couldn't see the slight nod Leah gave him, but she saw the acquiescence in Seth's gaze. Turning to Leah for a quick hug, she whispered in her ear. "I'd like a quick shower first."
**********
Freshly showered and dressed, Esme hesitated outside Dana's bedroom door. Her mate was on the other side, his body still weak and wracked with pain from the mercury and other substances Quentin had injected into him. From Leah's report, half a dozen healers had visited his bedside, each doubtful of a cure and all of them amazed he had lived.
Esme rested her forehead against the door, forcing herself not to cry. She had poured a little bit of her soul into Dana in the van. She would have pushed all of it down his throat if she hadn't blacked out. What was the point of living if he wasn't there to drive her crazy?
Quietly, she turned the door handle. Knowing he had refused to see any more healers, she didn't want to wake him just yet. If she was lucky, she would be able to put a sleeping spell on him and not have him fighting her every inch of the way.
Stepping inside the room, she knew her plan had already failed. She could feel his gaze on her, hard and penetrating. She shut the door and approached the bed, her eyes focused on the floor.
"Camille said you were in a coma."
Esme bit at her lip, uncertain how much to tell him. The truth would likely make him furious. Heaven forbid he might actually agree with her mother, but who knew how he would react! From the tone of his voice, he already wanted an excuse to drive her from the room.
Mute, she sat on the bed. Without asking his permission to do so, she reached up and grabbed the edge of the fur blanket covering him. He grabbed her wrists, no strength in his hands to stop her if he wanted to.
"She said I almost killed you."
Esme lifted her gaze to meet his. "None of this was your fault."
His mouth twitched, telling her she was wrong. She shook her head and freed her wrists with a gentle twist. "None of it," she repeated and peeled the blanket further down his chest. The veins stood out, black and throbbing but no longer whipping around beneath his skin.
He pushed impotently at her hands when she tried to place her palms against his chest. Only his voice remained strong enough to command her. "It weakened the others."
She continued meeting his gaze. "I'm stronger than any of them."
It wasn't a boast, didn't sound like one. She moved her hands lower down his stomach, her fingers wrapping around his trim waist. Even poisoned and disfigured, he was the most beautiful man she could ever imagine. When she looked in his eyes again, tears brimmed in her own. "And none of them were your mate. That makes me even stronger when it comes to healing you."
Dana blinked, the gesture a small capitulation granting her permission to try.
Esme released the breath she'd been holding and slowly lowered her head until her mouth hovered over his rib cage. A tilt of her head brought her nose into contact with his skin. She lightly brushed the tip back and forth, inhaling as she did so. Lungs full, she slowly breathed out. Her lips skimmed the surface of one fat black vein, the blue light leaving her penetrating the pulsing membrane. Black lightened to a deep indigo.
She repeated the process, her hands surfing along his body at the same time. Her fingertips trailed along the smaller veins. Black ash so fine it looked like a fog floated toward the ceiling. She knew it was really working when Dana grabbed her head, his grip strong enough to force her to look at him.
She let him stare long and hard into her eyes before she told him. "I’m okay, love."
That last word shattered any protest left in him. His fingers relaxed in her hair but he didn't let go. His hands moved with her head. When she captured one blackish-blue nipple and sucked it into her mouth, he groaned. His hips lifted. She pressed him back down with a palm against his lower
Suzan Butler
A Noble Dilemma
Alvania Scarborough
Trevor Scott
Carole Nelson Douglas
Sherrill Bodine
Bill Pronzini
Cynthia Joyce Clay
Lutishia Lovely
David King