She nodded, pushing herself slowly to her feet. A soft chuckle bubbled out of her when he hovered, his hands outstretched to catch her like he would for a child just learning to walk. “I’l be fine, Merek. No permanent damage was done. Physical y.” She swal owed hard. “I’m real y, real y glad you’re here.”
He jerked her back into his arms, needing that contact. His heart hammered in his chest. Gods, what would he have done if he hadn’t gotten here in time? Another loss he couldn’t have prevented because of a blankness in his fucking precog gift.
She trembled against him, a violent shudder racking her body. “Oh, gods. I was sure I’d gone crazy when I saw you here.”
“Sweetheart, I—”
He didn’t get a chance to respond before she pressed her mouth to his. He stiffened, but her fingers shoved into his hair to hold him tight, and the feel of her lips against his registered over his shock. Then it was al over. His arms banded around her, pul ing her closer. The fear and the need to confirm in the most basic, carnal way that she was safe and sound overruled his better judgment. She bit his lip, her movements as frantic as his, and he could taste the terror she’d been through, her need to forget.
One hand lifted to cradle her head, the silk of her hair spil ing through his fingers. He tilted her face up and took control of the kiss. His tongue traced the seam of her lips until she parted them for him. He plunged into her mouth, the taste of her lush and female on his tongue. A low groan shook his chest, and he hauled her closer.
She twisted to get nearer, as desperate as he was to reassure herself that everything was al right. Her fingers skimmed down his arms, around his waist, over his ass, up his back, everywhere she could reach.
Her touch had a predictable effect on his body. His cock went hard, his body ready and wil ing to give her anything she wanted.
Cupping the smooth curve of her buttocks in his hand, he lifted her into his body until he was right where he wanted to be—or as close as he could get when they were stil dressed. He could feel the heat of her sex through their clothing as they rubbed against each other.
Releasing his grip on her hair, he let his hand drift down until he cradled her breast. Her tight nipple jabbed into his palm. He grunted in satisfaction at her eager response. He stroked the little nub with his fingers, pinching it, toying with it until she writhed against him. She whimpered and tried to climb him, her body straining against him, her leg wrapping around his to pul him closer.
It was al he could do not to back her against the nearest wal and take her.
Shuddering, he broke his mouth away from hers. “We can’t.”
“Why not?” Her palm slid between them to cup his cock and rub it through his pants.
“Gods,” he groaned, and he couldn’t keep the torment from his voice as he thrust against her hand before he forced himself to stil ness. “Because I’m a big enough idiot to turn you down, but not a big enough asshole to take you up on your offer. And I real y, real y want to take you up on your offer.”
“So take me up on it.” Her breasts brushed against him with each panting breath, and her eyes were wild.
“I’m offering. I’m not protesting. I want you.”
He caught her fingers and removed them from his cock. Each digit was puffy and swol en from bronze damage. That brought a cold rush of reality in to chil his ardor. “We have to get out of here. We’re not out of danger yet.”
Her head tilted as if she was listening to something. Then she blinked, nodded, and dropped her hands.
She stooped down to scoop up the scattered contents of her purse and hooked the bag over one shoulder.
“Okay, let’s go.” She gave him a sturdy nod. “Luca went to get my godson, Alex, so we need to find them. If I wasn’t safe in a safe house, they certainly aren’t.”
Dropping the shielding spel on the house, he led the way out, palming his pistol from its holster and keeping a death grip on her forearm, careful not to touch her chafed wrists. “Luca can take care of himself and your godson. I’d trust him with my life, unlike Peyton, who I didn’t know. Right now, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“I’m just fine, thank you.” She tugged at her arm, but he just hauled her along behind him. “Alex is—”
He spared her a bare glance. “I’d rather have a doctor confirm that. The kind of spel s people use for that kind of questioning can have some nasty side effects. A doctor could take the edge off of those for you.”
“I am a doctor.”
“You’re a medical researcher. You don’t treat people. Even if you did, you don’t have the energy to fix yourself, and I don’t have the expertise to deal with bronze wounds.” Pausing at the end of the garage, he peered around the corner to see if anyone was paying attention to this house. No one. At least, no one he could see or sense. They’d have to risk the run across the street to his car.
“If you—”
She broke off, stopping in her tracks as abruptly as if she’d hit a brick wal . “I can’t go to the hospital yet. I need to go home.”
“The hel you say. You’re not running around after your godson, and you’re not going home. We can cal Luca on the way, but that’s the best you’re going to get.” He palmed his keys before propel ing her toward his vehicle. “Because you’re going to the hospital, and that’s final.”
“Fine, Detective Control Freak.” She snatched the keys from his hand and slid into the driver’s seat, shutting and locking the door behind her. He blinked, but instead of standing there like an easy target while he tried to get her out of his seat, he loped around to the passenger side and climbed in. The woman had a knack for throwing him off balance that he didn’t care for at al . She started the car. “I appreciate your saving me, but my life isn’t the only important one. Put your seatbelt on.”
He growled at her, but obeyed. “Your life is important enough.”
She chirped the tires when she pul ed away from the curb, quickly navigating Seattle traffic . . . and not going toward Harborview Medical Center with its Magickal ward that could treat her. “You want to tel me where you think you’re going?”
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere. I’m definitely going home. I have to go home.” Those hazel eyes were wide with pleading. They both knew in her current condition he could overpower her easily if he wanted to.
The thought of scaring or hurting her more than she already had been was too much for him. He stayed on his side of the car and fumed. If possible, her eyes went even wider. “I swear I’l go to the hospital without protest afterward.”
He sighed and kept an eye out for a tail. “Chloe—”
“It’l take us—what?—an extra fifteen minutes? If I was going to drop dead, I would have done it by now. If you thought I was that bad off, you’d have cal ed an ambulance instead of wanting to take me there yourself.”
She was right; he wanted her checked out, but he didn’t think she was that injured. He shifted in his seat to look at her. “There are people watching your house. And those people aren’t necessarily the good guys.
Hel , at this point, we don’t even know who the good guys are except Caval i.”
They hit Lower Queen Anne and started working their way up the hil . Even though they were already on their way, she kept trying to reason with him, which he found both amusing and annoying. She shot him a grim look, her swol en fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel. “I understand that, but here’s how this is going to be. You can either let me go home now, and then take me to the hospital, or you can force me to go to the hospital and when I’m done there, I’l go home without you.”