Part 10 (1/2)

”You need to deal with her. Clearly, she has some reason to be hanging outside your door.”

”She's crazy. No help for it.”

”d.a.m.n it, Madoc! She's not even dressed. She's wearing a nightgown, all curled up like she's freezing.”

”Get her a blanket.”

”Don't you think that if I could touch her, I'd be out there already, taking care of her?”

The picture Nicholas painted made a protective rage swell up inside him, but he knew that if he opened that door, Nika was going to be the one to regret it. No one seemed to understand that like he did.

Of course, his c.o.c.k thought opening the door was a great idea. She was all sleepy and vulnerable. He could lay her down on his bed and bury himself inside her before she even had time to wake up. If he covered her mouth, he could m.u.f.fle the screams.

She might even like it. She sure as h.e.l.l kept throwing herself at him enough to make him think she was asking for it.

Something in that logic was flawed, but with Nicholas's voice buzzing in his ear and Nika right outside his door, he didn't have enough mental s.p.a.ce to figure out what it was.

Silence filled the line, like Nicholas was waiting for a response.

Pretend you have honor. The reminder rang inside Madoc's head.

A man with honor would not be thinking about f.u.c.king a crazy chick's brains out. He'd open the door, take Nika home, and tuck her safely into her own bed.

She'll just come back, a dark voice whispered inside him. Why bother?

Impatience rang in Nicholas's tone. ”One of those foreigners is going to pa.s.s by and think he can touch her. Don't you think she's already blistered enough?”

”Call Joseph.” If Madoc opened that door, he was going to bring her inside and hurt her a h.e.l.l of a lot more than a few blisters could.

”Screw it. I'll do it myself.”

”Good choice.”

”You know, you're probably right. It's been a long time since I've seen any action. My cameras are pretty good, and I'd bet my favorite gaming PC that she's not wearing panties. I'll check and give you the juicy details later.” The line went dead.

Rage poured into his system, making his head pound. Nika was his, d.a.m.n it. No f.u.c.king way was Madoc going to let Nicholas get anywhere near her.

He dropped the phone and was off his bed before it hit the ground. He jerked the sheet from the bed, wrapped it around his hips, and shoved the kitchen table away from the door. It toppled over, hitting a wall hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall.

Madoc opened the door and saw Nika curled up in a tight ball. The racket he'd made getting to her hadn't even made her stir.

Something in the general vicinity of his chest broke open and bled as he looked at her. It was torture being so close to her, knowing it was wrong, knowing what he wanted to do.

But who else was there to take care of her? Her sister was gone. None of the other Theronai could touch her but him, and none of the humans here was strong enough to be entrusted with her care.

He was her only option, and as s.h.i.+tty as that was for her, they were stuck with each other. At least until the right Theronai came along. And he would. Madoc had to believe that as much as he dreaded it.

He picked her up, enjoying the weight of her in his arms, the feel of her against his bare chest. He would have liked it better if she'd been naked, but even with the barrier of cloth between them, the contact seemed to calm something raging inside him even as it tempted him to let his l.u.s.t take the wheel.

Madoc kicked the front door shut behind him, laid her in his bed, covered her up to her chin, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He knew that if he looked back, he'd climb right in that bed with her and find out firsthand whether she was wearing panties.

Pain hammered at his bones, and he knew that if he didn't do something to stop it, his body would fly apart. Mere flesh could not house so much pain. Every step he took away from her made it worse, so he didn't go fara”just outside the bedroom door.

He unsheathed his sword, set it on the floor, and knelt beside it. Years of meditation allowed him to slide into that s.p.a.ce where time became nothing and his body faded, along with the pain and l.u.s.t that threatened to drive him mad. It would all be there, waiting for him when he was done, but until then, he would occupy this gray, meaningless place to keep Nika safe from himself.

Grace plastered a bright smile on her face and walked into Torr's suite. ”How are you doing today?” she asked, trying to sound like her usual cheerful self.

”Better now that you're here,” said Torr. The words were more slurred today than before, though whether that was because she was later than normal or because he was worse, she couldn't be sure.

He lay on a hospital bed in his living room. The standard furniture that had been shoved to the walls rather than removed was now gone. Grace had no idea who'd done it, but it made Torr's condition seem somehow worse. Instead of hoping that they'd find a cure and the bed would no longer be necessary, it seemed that now people were giving up on him, accepting that this was going to be the way things were for the rest of his long, long life. He'd given up on himself months ago. Maybe he didn't like the hopeful reminder.

His dark hair had grown out since the night of the attack so that it was now long enough to cover his ears. She secretly liked the new look and the way the silky strands felt sliding between her fingers when she groomed him. She'd kept his beard shaved for him, though, relis.h.i.+ng every moment she was allowed to spend touching him.

His long body made him look thinner than he really was, though he had lost a lot of weight. Muscles that had grown hard with centuries of use had wasted away inhumanly fast, making him appear shriveled.

Grace still thought he was beautiful, especially his pale amber eyes that followed her wherever she went. Moving his head had become increasingly difficult for him, but his eyes rarely left her, making her feel self-conscious and alluring all at the same time.

She sat on the edge of the bed, taking his hand in hers, even though she knew he couldn't feel it. ”I wanted to talk to you.”

”Sounds serious.”

She shook her head, feeling her curls bounce around her shoulders. ”Not really. I just . . . need to leave for a little while.”

”Where?”

”I need to take a little time for myself, maybe take a trip to see the ocean. I've always wanted to see the ocean.” She'd probably never get to now, but the best lies were those bathed in the truth.

”That's good. You should go.”

Even as his words encouraged her, his eyes told another story. After so many months of seeing each other every day, he'd probably grown as used to her visits as she had. She was going to miss being able to touch him.

”I don't want to leave you,” she told him. At least that part was true.

”I can't go.”

”I know. I'll miss you.”

A faint smile lifted one side of his mouth. ”Too fun to miss me.”

”I could never have that much fun.”

His eyes slid over her features and she wondered if he'd lose his ability to see, too, if this thing she was going to do didn't work.

”What?” he asked. ”Something bothering you.” His speech was more broken today. More halting.

”It's nothing,” she lied. ”I'm just worried about my brother. He's having some issues in his cla.s.ses. It's no big deal. I'm sure he'll work through it.”