Page 40 of Run From Me

“Super glue? What, my sterile bandages are too good for your knife wound?”

I watched the muscle tick along her jaw.

“Nothing against the bandages, but it won’t stop the bleeding fast enough, and right now,” I glanced back at Ripple, “I need to deal with something. Something that thinks he has any claim on you.”

I was standing now and the second Ripple tried to get up, my boot was on his neck.

“Stay, boy.”

He made a little gagging sound and stilled.

“Here,” said Calliope as she came up next to me. “Your stupid super glue. I should just call for medical help.”

I reached for the knife.

“It’s fine. When I pull it out, it’s gonna bleed. Pour that shit on it, and then super glue it shut. It will hold until I can get to my own doctor. He missed all the important bits anyway.”

I was too busy watching Ripple as I reached down and grabbed the hilt of the blade. I focused on my anger at him thinking that he could even breathe the same air as Calliope.

I took a deep breath and yanked out the knife.

I didn’t scream. But I sure as fuck saw some white spots over my vision for a few seconds. The sting of the rubbing alcohol kept me in the here and now.

Ripple’s fists pounded on my good leg, and I realized that, in all the pain, I’d put a little too much pressure on his neck. He wasn’t going to go anywhere in this state, so I just removed my leg and held the gun in his direction.

“This has to be the most pathetic knife I’ve seen to date. What? The Vipers can’t afford good shit these days?”

“Stop moving, Crash. I’m trying to get the two pieces to stay glued together. Weird, the blood seems to be causing some issues.”

I blinked, and then I winced.

“Woman, what are you doing?”

Calliope had pressed that stupid gauze against my leg.

“It needs to stop bleeding, and then I can glue it shut. So, you giant moron, I’m putting pressure on it.”

I could argue, but instead I was rather focused on the Viper. He wasn’t talking. Wheezing, coughing, eyes tearing, sure. But no talking.

“You are an idiot. This looks bad, Xander. You could get an infection,” Calliope said as I felt the burn of the glue. Fuck, this was going to sting for a bit. It’d been a while since I’d had a good stab wound, and you wouldn’t think one could forget that pain, but I had.

“Fucking hell. It’s like a god damn paper cut on steroids. Glue it up so I can take the trash out.”

She swore under her breath, but after a minute she stood up.

“You’re an idiot,” she said for at least the second time as I cut off her hatred when I grabbed her scrub top and kissed her.

TWELVE

calliope

Fucking asshole.I slammed the heel of my hand against his solid chest as his lips claimed mine like he owned them. I knew he had one hand on a gun, but the other? It was keeping me from backing away.

Too bad my brain was shorting out and I let him kiss me for another few seconds. He tasted so damn good and the man could kiss. This kiss outdid all the kisses I’d stolen from him, and maybe it was because all those had seemed like I was forcing his hand. Granted, I didn’t think it was possible to make him really do anything he didn’t want to. But this?

My toes damn near curled at the possessiveness before he let me go.

I blinked over and over, trying to come back to the moment.

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