Chapter 35

Chapter

Thirty-Five

My lids weighed a thousand pounds each as I opened them to an unfamiliar room with calming beige walls and another twin bed across the oak hardwoods. Aches ravaged my body like I'd been through a dozen car accidents, and an invisible hammer slammed against my skull.

The tattoo on my neck tingled, so I wasn't surprised to find Fane in the wooden chair close to my bed, watching me with an unreadable look. Out the window framed in white curtains, the sun emerged over the horizon, but gray storm clouds kept the atmosphere gloomy. Rain scented the air.

Demise didn't kill me after all.

Fane gave me his blood last night to save my life. More of him filled my veins than I did, and I could feel his every breath.

He toyed with the bloodstone dangling from the chain around his neck. "The desire to kill you penetrates every part of me. But I let you live last night. I saved you."

"Confusing. I know." My tongue felt like sandpaper, and when I reached for the cup of water on the nightstand, fireworks exploded through me. The room spun, and I sucked air sharply.

Son of a bitch. Everything hurt.

I collapsed back onto the pillow, sweat beading my brow from that little bit of movement.

"Here." Fane slipped his hand under my head and lifted it as he tipped the cup to my lips. "Just a few sips."

The cool water soothed the dryness in my throat, but it did nothing to stop the violent throbbing in my body. Fane must have felt it. The days of him taking my pain were dead and gone, though.

I blinked away the unshed tears and wiped the sweat from my forehead. "I know you don't want to believe me, but something was wrong with Warin that night." A tired sigh drifted out. "I can't keep apologizing for it. I thought I'd die with him, but my hell just continued on Earth."

"Let's say you did kill Warin in self-defense, and I was forced to save you and the Infernal Sol by turning you." Fane let the bloodstone fall against his chest. "It still doesn't explain why I would ever let myself have feelings for you. I would never betray my brother like that."

"And I would never betray the little girl he killed by falling for a nightworlder, but here I am." When Fane stopped me from sneaking out of Mohan Wilds last year, we confronted those fears. Our relationship would never be perfect or last, but these feelings were drowning us like river rapids, pushing us toward a waterfall with sharp boulders at the bottom. "We tried to stay apart, Maverick. Neither one of us wanted this."

Fane leaned back in the chair, the wood creaking from his weight. "I know every scar you have and how you got it. The thought of anyone hurting you like that makes me see red. I thirst for those humans' blood, especially that disgusting man in the pool house." His teeth bared and pupils thinned as his beast stalked closer to the surface. "I will feel his life fade as I rip his throat apart."

I turned on my back and studied the white ceiling to avoid his gaze. Having Fane know the ugliest secrets of my past always made me want to hide. Him knowing it now when he longed to kill me made the humiliation worse.

"What happened to Dorian and Marissa?" I asked, changing the subject.

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and toyed with the hoop piercing. "They're in the council's custody. Camus can't let this go. Even if Dorian claimed you provoked him, there's no excuse for any of them having a silver knife or Demise."

I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to blame it all on me and my crazy demon side. The Infernal Sol had begun to take control but only after the former beta stabbed me.

Fane palmed the back of his neck and stared out the window as rain fell. "I was only talking to Marissa to keep some distance between you and me. I never would have done anything. She has a mate."

"Could have fooled me." I yanked the covers off and swung my legs to the ground.

Fane shot to his feet. "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom. Hopefully, I can find a toothbrush because my mouth tastes like something died in it after puking black sludge. "

He frowned. "Can you even stand on your own? A few hours ago, you were knocking on Death's door."

"I'm always knocking on Death's door. He refuses to answer." I was beginning to think he was avoiding me.

As soon as I stood, my knees buckled. If Fane hadn't caught me, I would have dropped to the ground like a bag of bricks.

The demon shifter cursed and helped me stand. "Before you go walking around, make sure your legs are working properly. I'm not in the mood to keep saving you."

I flipped him off. "No one asked you to save me."

He scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I was asked to save your ass last night by donating my blood."

I pushed out of his grasp, standing on my own. "And I'm pretty sure you volunteered for the blood transfusion. In fact, Preston offered, but you demanded that it be you."

His nostrils flared as I turned my back on him and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Thankfully, I found a toothbrush, and once my mouth had been thoroughly sanitized, I left the counter and headed for the shower.

"What are you doing?" Fane's gruff voice reverberated through the solid wood door as I cut on the water.

"Isn't that obvious?" I was definitely poking the bear.

"What about your bandages?"

"I'll put new ones on after the shower." When I tried to lift my shirt, a flare of pain had me grabbing the counter for support.

Fane burst into the bathroom. "You're going to pass out and crack your skull open."

"That should make your life easier." I brushed long, tangled strands of raspberry hair back. "Then you won't have to feel guilty for killing me. Maybe you should have let Dorian and Dominic finish the job last night."

The tiny muscles in his face jumped as he bared his teeth. "If anyone's going to kill you, it's going to be me."

"You always did have a possessive streak, Maverick."

He helped me out of my tank top and gently pulled the bandages off, revealing the healing wounds on my chest and back. "And you have an annoying streak."

"Well, you're very good at—" My brain malfunctioned as he shucked his shirt and kicked his boots off. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, throwing my own words back at me. "I'm taking a shower with you."

"Why?" My voice came out in a shrill, high-pitched squeak.

Fane lifted the bloodstone necklace off, dropping it on the counter. "Like I said, I'm not letting you die unless I'm doing the killing." He unbuttoned his pants and shoved them and his boxers down, revealing his huge, distracting length. He noticed where my attention had gone and smirked.

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I looked away, unhooking my bra and tossing it off. When I tried to push my jeans down, tiny explosions erupted through my insides. Fane either felt the pain or noticed me struggling because he gripped my jeans a moment later and dragged them down my legs.

I held back the shivers as he drew my underwear off while I used his shoulders for balance, his hot skin burning my palm. His gaze traced my bare body as he stood, looming over me. I was a mess, but a flash of desire whipped through his scorching irises.

He strode past me to open the glass door of the shower. "Come on."

I tried to steady my breaths and stepped into the hot spray, groaning as the water hit my aching muscles. Fane's presence choked the shower stall as he stepped in, his masculine scent washing over my senses.

A shudder rippled through me, and it took every ounce of control not to lean into him. I avoided his eyes and wet my hair. His arm brushed my chest as he reached for the shampoo, and I bit back a moan.

"You killed Dominic," I blurted, trying to think of something to distract myself from the intimidating demon shifter I wanted but couldn't have. Did Amelia flip out when she discovered her son was dead? She probably wanted to kill Fane and me for it.

His fingers burned my shoulders as he spun me and squeezed shampoo into my hair. "I felt something strange, like your panic and fear mixed with anger. And then your pain." A snarl built in his throat. "I was suddenly there as those two assholes gloated, Dominic holding the silver knife. I knew it was Demise."

"You could feel the poison?"

"Yes." Fane turned me and directed my head under the spray to rinse the shampoo. "After you fell, I slammed back into my body. And then I just ran. By the time I arrived, my instincts had taken over, and the moment I saw Dominic, my beast ripped out. Killing him was the only thing I could understand."

So his instincts were to slaughter the men that hurt me, the opposite of Kaspin's spell.

As if he heard my thoughts, his jaw ticked, unable to deny it. "I wanted to destroy Dorian and would have if Marissa hadn't stepped in."

"What about Marissa? Would you kill her?" I asked.

He didn't need to answer. I felt it through the bond. Yes, he would. He would kill his former fated mate for me.

As rage transformed his face, his pupils elongated and teeth sharpened. His longing to end me battled with his instincts to protect me. The clash of opposing emotions twisted his insides into knots and made him feel unstable, crazy even.

A growl burst out of Fane, and he punched the wall behind me. The porcelain tiles shattered and tumbled to the bottom of the shower. "I'm losing my fucking mind!"

"I know." I didn't shy away or flinch. Fane didn't scare me even as the need to snuff out my life flared within him. Without thinking, I cradled his fist in my palms and allowed his torrent of emotions to pour into me. So much anger and confusion battered him. A sob stuck in my throat from the weight of it bearing down on me.

Fane's eyes widened, and he yanked his hand out of mine, stopping the flow. "What are you doing?"

"Taking your emotional pain," I whispered, quickly brushing away a tear. "It's one of the perks of the bond."

Instead of pushing me away, he rested his hand on my cheek, and I sighed as some of my physical agony drained. "I dreamed about doing this," he gritted out. "Or maybe it wasn't a dream at all. Maybe it was a memory."

My heart leaped into my throat. Was he starting to remember?

Fane snatched his hand away. "Don't get used to it. I just wanted to see if it worked. "

"Maybe if you stopped fighting this so much, you'd find some peace."

His lips thinned. "Even if I am attracted to you, it doesn't mean I'd ever be with you."

Pangs ripped through me, and I turned away to finish, the tension building with every passing second. Unable to bear the choking atmosphere anymore, I slipped out of the shower. My fingers trembled as I wrapped a towel around my body, the urge to escape this cramped space overwhelming me.

I quickly raked a comb through my hair and headed for the door as the water cut off.

"Where are you going?" Fane's deep, commanding voice hit me right in the gut. "I didn't say you could leave, Teague."

There was something different in his tone. It was rougher but not just in anger. Lust suddenly infiltrated every syllable he spoke.

I angled toward him as he stepped out of the shower, not bothering with a towel. His erect cock bobbed as his gaze burned into me, steam looping around his scarred, tattooed form. The air caught in my lungs, and all the moisture evaporated from my mouth.

"Are you going to stop me from leaving?" I challenged. "I was under the impression you hated being around me."

"I do." Water cascaded down his rippled abs, soaking into the dark smattering of hair around his pelvis. "I just thought of something that might help."

My brow arched. "And what is that?"

He eviscerated the space between us, his powerful legs eating the ground until his toes touched mine. "If I can have you once and get you out of my system, then I can forget about this bullshit and move on. "

A bitter laugh slipped out. "You think I'm just going to let you screw me?"

Fane's thighs bumped into mine as he forced my back into the edge of the counter. "Don't act like you aren't dying to have me between your legs, Teague." His hand slid up my chest, his long fingers coiling around my throat. "I know you want me. There's no point in denying it."