Chapter 21

Rayth reaches for something on the nightstand, and when he holds up an IV kit, I blink at him in surprise. ”You good with needles?” he asks, and I feel a genuine smile tug at my lips.

”I was premed,” I respond, and he chuckles as he starts to get it prepared.

”I know, I remember, but that doesn”t necessarily mean you are okay with needles yourself. I studied medicine too, and I still get a little queasy when I have to stick a needle in myself or get Damon to,” he explains as he wipes an antibacterial wipe against my skin.

My lips part in surprise. They had all told me a bit about their hobbies while we were at the cabin, but they never delved into anything else. I understand now why they didn”t tell me what they did for work, but taking lives is a big difference from saving them.

I flinch slightly when I feel the needle pierce the skin of my hand, but I allow myself to ignore it in favor of finding out more about the man in front of me. ”You studied medicine?” I ask curiously as he moves to wheel over the type of IV setup I would normally see in a hospital. My eyes widen as I take in the two bags of clear liquid, the antibiotics as well as what I assume is saline, and the IV line fully set up already.

He clips the line to the needle he has inserted in my hand before adjusting the port and then the clamp. Glancing at me again, he chuckles. ”I had almost finished my residency,” he answers as he watches the liquid move through the lines.

”Then how--?” I start to ask before I cut myself off, realizing what I was about to ask.

”How did I end up working for Owen?” he finishes for me, raising an eyebrow. I close my gaping mouth as I nod.

”Hospitals don”t take kindly to you killing the patients,” he says simply, and I go back to gaping at him.

”Damon and I worked at the same hospital, both of us in the same residency program. We were already friends, and we had one too many abused wives and children come in during our rounds. So, when an abusive piece of shit came in for surgery and he told us while he was high on painkillers about what he did to his wife most days, I helped his wife be free of him by making sure he didn”t wake up again. After that, I basically developed a way to look into any hints of abuse, and if the abuser came into our hospital, I took care of them,” he explained.

”What about Damon?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

”He couldn”t stand suffering. He killed out of mercy,” he responds simply, and something triggers a memory.

My mouth drops open as I make the connection in my mind. ”I read about you,” I whisper. ”I remember reading about the angels of St. Andrew hospital.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, adjusting the port and the clamp on the IV line again. ”Stupidest fucking names. But it”s because we started making a name for ourselves that we were stopped. We were pretty much about to be arrested when Owen offered us a job and helped us disappear.”

“Killian was already in The Order when we joined and for some reason he saw something in us. He took us under his wing and helped us adjust to this life, taught us to use the skills we have. We have been together ever since.”

Rayth studies the IV and line for a few more moments before nodding and turning away. ”I”ll be back, make sure you don”t move that hand,” he says as he walks toward the bathroom, leaving me alone in the bedroom. For the first time, I wonder where Damon and Killian are, but then I”m distracted by the sound of the shower turning on and steam starting to escape the open door.

Jesus fucking Christ, he is in there naked having a shower, and Killian had already reminded me of how good they all looked naked. I sigh, pushing my head back into the pillow beneath me and shifting my thighs in an attempt to relieve the ache between them. My body misses them no matter what has happened between then and now.

Get better first, he said... I better have a miracle fucking recovery soon.

I sigh again and try my best to sink into the bed while listening to the shower. It”s a certain kind of torture that has me not even able to move my hands to try to relieve the ache. But soon enough, the shower turns off again, and moments later, Rayth is walking back out of the bathroom in sweatpants and a shirt. His blond hair is damp and slicked away from his face, which only makes the scruff along his sharp jaw and his green eyes stand out more. He checks the IV once more before walking around to the other side of the bed and getting in next to me. He doesn”t touch me though, just lays on his side facing me, his eyes moving over my face.

I glance toward the door and then back to him, curiosity gnawing at me. ”Where are the others?” I ask, breaking the silence.

Rayth frowns slightly. ”Making an appearance where they can be seen. It”s morning, and we thought it best we take turns appearing in public and pretend to actually search for you as per the orders from Owen,” he explains.

My eyes widen at his words. ”He actually tasked you to find me? But he knows I was with you. He tried to convince me my time with you was set up and under his orders. He knows we know each other,” I say in confusion.

Rayth”s frown deepens. ”He said that? No wonder you were wary of us when we got you out,” he mutters, his expression darkening.

”He also told me that all I was to you was a reward, and just before you rescued me, he tried to tell me that he was going to give me to you to use. That all I was good for was a glory hole,” I tell him, my voice trembling with anger and hurt.

Rage crosses Rayth”s face. The veins in his neck stand out, and the muscles of his jaw jump as he grits his teeth. ”I”m sorry that”s what he made you believe, Everly, but that”s as far from the truth as possible. As we said, we didn”t even know of the connection at all, and we have spent the last three weeks searching for you,” he says, his voice low and intense.

I nod and look at him sadly. ”I believe you,” I whisper, feeling a mixture of relief and sorrow wash over me.

I release a long breath and close my eyes against the raw emotion I”m feeling and what I can see in his eyes. The bed moves as he shifts, and when I feel his hand touch my bare leg under the covers, I open my eyes to look at him again in surprise.

”Want to know what else I learned during my studies?” he asks softly, his fingers brushing against my skin over and over, inching higher with each pass.

A smile tugs at my lips as I arch my eyebrows. ”And what”s that?” I ask, though I already have my suspicions.

He flashes a grin at me. ”Let me show you instead,” he says, his voice low and suggestive.

I give him a nod of approval, my heart pounding in anticipation. Rayth moves again, shifting the covers without disturbing my arms too much and maneuvering himself until his face is hovering mere inches from my pussy.

”They say that orgasms release the chemical DHEA, which helps to repair tissue and balance your immune system. It also helps increase the blood flow throughout your body so that those antibiotics will circulate even faster. How about I help test that theory?” he murmurs before closing his mouth directly over my clit.

“Fuck,” I moan as my breath rushes out of me before I gasp when he sucks hard. “Fuuuuuuck.”

He pulls on my flesh with his mouth for a moment before releasing it, chuckling low. “Not tonight, little dove, you need your strength back for that,” he murmurs, his voice husky with desire, before sliding his tongue along the length of me.

I moan softly, arching my back in response to his touch. His tongue feels like fire against my sensitive folds. Every stroke sends waves of pleasure coursing through my body, momentarily pushing aside the pain and worry.

His tongue is skilled, moving with purpose and precision, flicking and swirling, sending waves of pleasure coursing through me. As he travels down, pushing his tongue as deep as he can into my pussy, his nose nudges and pushes against my clit. I’m trembling as he drags his tongue back up again and my hands twitch, wanting to clutch at the sheets beneath my body.

“Don’t move your hands, Everly, keep them still,” he breathes directly onto my clit before sucking it back into his mouth.

I obey his command, forcing my hands to stay still even as the urge to grip onto something becomes almost overwhelming. His words send a shiver down my spine, and I bite down on my lip to stifle a whimper.

His eyes are alight with heat when he looks up at me, moving his mouth away again. “I never said I didn’t want to hear you. Last time I was in this position, I told you I want all your cries, little dove,” he growls before he thrusts two fingers inside me. “Give me those cries.”

Rayth”s mouth returns to its relentless assault on my senses, his tongue dancing over my pussy as he thrusts his fingers in and out. Each flick, each swirl, each thrust brings me closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. And he gets my cries, my whimpers and my moans.

I can feel the tension building within me, coiling tighter and tighter with each passing second. Every touch, every movement sends jolts of pleasure radiating through my body. My thighs tense and squeeze around his head and he is forced to use his other arm to keep them open.

And then, just when I think I can”t take it anymore, he wraps his lips around my clit and sucks hard as he curls his fingers deep inside me. It sends a bolt of sharp pleasure coursing through me.

I cry out, unable to hold back any longer as the orgasm crashes over me like a tidal wave. My entire body tenses, arching as I whimper and cry out his name, every nerve ending ablaze with sensation.

As the waves of pleasure begin to recede, leaving me trembling and breathless, Rayth pulls away, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. “Good girl,” he says softly before moving from between my limp thighs and back to laying beside me in the bed. I blink at him, trying to get my brain back online. “If anything, that should at least help you sleep.”

I snort a laugh and roll my eyes at him, but a smile curves at my lips. He just leans over and brushes a quick kiss against the corner of my lips before retreating again. He doesn’t get any closer, doesn’t cuddle me in bed, doesn’t touch me. And it makes my heart ache. I know he is trying not to disturb my arms but I miss him, I miss all of them. I miss their warmth and the beat of their hearts against my skin and how safe I felt with their arms around me.

“Sleep, little dove,” he says again before reaching over and turning off the light. I can see the sun shining around the edges of the curtain on the window, but the room is almost as black as night. He ends up being right though, and it’s not long before sleep is dragging me under again.