Part 8 (1/2)
”Let go!” she shouted.
Joseph grabbed the man's arm and tried to pull it away, but his grip was too tight.
The skin around his hand turned bright red, searing as if she'd laid it against a hot coal. She struggled harder and another cry of pain ripped through her.
Rational thought scattered under the strain as her thoughts tried to flee the agony of his touch. She felt her mind crack and fling out pieces of itself into the world, seeking shelter.
Nika tried to control it, but she hadn't been prepared for this. She was tired from too much effort last night and not strong enough to stop this involuntary reaction.
Her body grew weaker and it became difficult to stay standing. She locked her knees, praying Joseph would force the man to release her. If she could just hold on a few more seconds . . .
She felt her body jerk as both men pulled on the other. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw a huge fist fly past her head and slam into the jaw of the man burning her.
The man let go and stumbled backward, knocking both him and his companion over.
A wave of dizziness whirled through Nika and she grabbed for the wall to steady herself, but it was too far away.
A pair of strong hands caught her and kept her from falling, but these hands didn't hurt.
Madoc. She'd know his touch anywhere.
”What the f.u.c.k were you doing to her?” He shot the harsh question at Joseph.
Joseph looked at the angry, blistered spot on her arm, then back to the man on the floor who was bleeding from his split lip. Guilt tightened his mouth, making the lines around it deepen. ”Get her out of here. I'll deal with him.”
”No. I'll deal with him,” said Madoc. ”You take the girl.”
”You're the only one who can touch her. Besides, from the look on your face, you'd just kill him.”
”So?”
”So, that's not the way we do things. He lost his head. You know how it isa”how desperate the pain can make us. I'm not going to kill a man for doing something I've thought about doing way too many times for my own comfort.”
A low, warning rumble rose up from Madoc's chest. ”Don't you dare.”
The man who'd hurt her pushed himself to his feet. Nika backed away from him, tripping on her own feet in her haste.
”Go, Madoc. Get out of here,” said Joseph.
Nika regained her balance and tugged on Madoc's arm. She really didn't want to be the cause of any more bloodshed, and if she didn't get him to leave, there was definitely going to be more.
”Take me home, Madoc. I'm tired.”
He looked down at her, and his blunt features relaxed. His green eyes slid to her arm and he let out a violent curse before picking her up and heading down the hall.
The part of her that needed to prove she was independent warred against the part of her that loved being close to him like this. In the end, the practical side won. She hadn't spent the last several months getting stronger only to be treated like she'd break if the wind blew too hard. ”I can walk,” she told him.
”Nope.”
”Where are we going?”
”To see the f.u.c.king bloodsucking leech, Tynan.”
Nika flinched at his harsh words, and the slight hesitation in Madoc's gait told her he'd noticed.
”He won't heal me,” she said. ”My blood hurts him.”
”Good. Serves the b.a.s.t.a.r.d right.”
”Stop, Madoc. There's no point in waking him up again today.”
Madoc stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at her. He wasn't a traditionally handsome man, but the rough planes of his face drew her in and made her wish she had the nerve to stroke her fingertips over his skin.
”Again?” he asked. ”You've seen him today? Are you hurt somewhere I don't know about?”
”No, I had to take the bone to him, and he was really tired when I stopped by. Let him sleep. My arm will be fine.”
”Did he try to take your blood?”
”No. I just told you it hurts him.”
Madoc's chest lifted with a sigh, which pressed her shoulder against hard muscles she wished he'd let her feel with her fingers. Every time she reached for him, he'd back away.
And then it struck her that he was a bit too busy holding her to back away now. She could do whatever she wanted, and he'd have to drop her to stop her.
Before she lost the opportunity, she slid her uninjured arm around his neck and nestled her nose just beneath his ear. His scent went to her head, making it spin. There was nothing flowery about him, not even the smell of soap, just the scent of his skin and the warm peace it brought her to breathe him in.
She felt his muscles clench around her, holding her tighter as he began walking againa”quicker and in the opposite direction. She didn't really care where he took her. After so many months of wis.h.i.+ng for him to come home, she was simply glad he was here, close enough to touch.
”Tynan told me he would only help me learn the truth about that bone if you gave him blood. Will you help?”
”Tynan's had plenty of my blood. Tell him to use that.”
”So you won't help?”
”Sorry. He'll have to find another sucker.”
Great. Now what was she going to do? Maybe Paul would help.
They came to a stop in front of the door to the suite she shared with Paul and Andra. He pounded on the door with the toe of his boot. No one came.
The light on the electronic lock turned from red to green and the door popped open.
”Knew he was watching,” said Madoc under his breath.
”What?” asked Nika.
”Nicholas. He's the man behind all the security cameras. He has remote access to all the doors and let us in.”
Madoc took her inside and set her on the couch. Nika tried to hold on to him, but he managed to pry her arm free and back away. ”Paul? Andra? You home?”