Page 85 of Scars Run Deep

He really was spent, because he simply nodded without any further protest.

Tonight really had been full of surprises.

“You know, I didn’t need that much help, right?” Aurora told us sleepily.

I smiled at the sight of her slumped against her headboard wrapped up in a vibrant-pink bathrobe, while Kill sat beside her, applying some more of Asher’s ointment to the bloodied marks on her throat and clavicle.

After I’d left the pool area to grab Asher those meds, and also brought four towels with me, we’d all sprawled out around the patio table, basking in the afterglow and idly shooting the shit.

When Aurora had been close to passing out, we’d taken her upstairs and helped her shower. After, we’d dried her off, along with ourselves, putting on pants—boxers in my case—then Asher had applied his ointment to the marks she’d sustained during our fuck fest earlier. Kill had taken over when he’d stepped out a few moments ago, finishing up.

I shot a look at the open bedroom door and frowned.

He’d said he’d needed to grab something quickly, but he’d been gone several minutes now. Had he passed out from the pain meds?

I was about to go check when I heard his footsteps coming back down the corridor.

With that, I turned back to Kill and Aurora.

“It wasn’t about needing help,” he was telling her as he put the ointment down and wiped his hand with Asher’s supply of medical wipes. “It’s about us wanting to give it to you, and you deserving it, darlin’.”

She smiled and snuggled against him.

I climbed onto the bed and sat in front of them. “He’s right, baby. You took a lot tonight too.”

A smirk played on her pouty lips. “And I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Kill chuckled.

“Right back at you,” I told her, grinning.

“Seconded,” Asher’s voice came from the door. I craned my neck to watch him sauntering around to the other side of the bed. “Our little beast was out in all her glory tonight.”

I noticed that he was unsteady in his step and his eyes were glazed. The painkillers had kicked in, big time, for him. No wonder he’d taken a long time to come back.

He eased himself onto the other side beside Aurora. “You gave us a gift tonight, now we have one for you,” he told her.

Ah, he was going to do it now.

That’s what he’d gone to get.

When he’d entered into that dangerous headspace earlier, I’d figured it had been off the table for tonight, that he’d do it at a later date now.

Clearly not.

Hmm. Lately, things with him hadn’t been as easy to gauge as they used to be. When I’d been sure he was going to zig, he zagged, and vice-versa.

Ever since Aurora had entered the picture.

Well, maybe, a combination of her and him deciding to finally wage this long-coming war.

Kill looked on excitedly as Asher held his closed hand in front of her.

“A gift?” Aurora asked, taken aback. “No, you don’t have to do that.”

“We do,” Kill told her.

“Absolutely,” I said.

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