Page 2 of Burned

I crash through the trees and nearly trip right over a fleshy heap directly in my path. My heart stops and my eyes zero in on the barely moving creature at my feet. It’s a man, that much is obvious—a human, from the smell of things, and without a doubt the source of the smell, both the blood and the other scent.I fall to my knees, only faintly registering the small rocks digging into my flesh.

For several seconds all I can do is stare at the man with his long blond hair spread out around him like a halo. There’s something ruggedly handsome about his face, from his proud, slightly crooked nose to the sharp cut of his strong jaw, dusted with blond stubble. His bright blue eyes are unfocused and unblinking, staring up at the night sky peeking through the trees. My heart stills and I put a hand on his chest to check if he’s breathing. His clothes are shredded, like he’s been attacked by something with massive claws. A bear maybe? Wolves? It’s impossible to say without knowing where we are. I can’t smell what caused his injury over the cloying scent of his blood. Underneath the tatters of his shirt, his body isn’t in any better shape. Long gouges have been carved deep across his chest, and his hot, sticky blood coats my hand in seconds, spilling out onto the ground around us.

I choke back a sob.I’m too late.

“Please,” I whimper. Staring into his beautiful face, my hand pressed helplessly over his wound, I still don’t know who this man is, but it feels like my heart is shattering anyway. “Please.”

There’s a gurgling sound and his chest flutters slightly under my hand. It’s not too late. Not yet. I don’t hesitate, don’t waste even a second wondering why my dragon led me here or whether what I’m about to do is the right thing. It feels as necessary as my next breath.Morenecessary than my next breath.

I gather his large, heavily muscled body into my arms. He’s as limp as a rag doll, his eyes focusing for only a second before turning glassy again. His lips fall open and his eyelids start to drift closed.

Don’t let go.

I drag in a shuddering breath and seal my mouth over his. It’s more akin to mouth-to-mouth than a kiss, but as soon as our lipstouch, the crackling, searing heat of my fire rises from my belly to fill my throat and spills out into his mouth. As it pours down his throat, the small flutter I felt in his chest echoes through me, the nearly extinguished flame of his soul latching on to mine. My body trembles and tears stream down my cheeks, turning to steam almost instantly from the heat radiating through me.

He’s so weak, less than a breath away from death, but I can feel strength and determination woven into the core of who he is. As my fire fills him, I can feel it growing, feel his soul expanding instead of fading away. His limp body starts to become animated, his skin knitting itself back together to close the wound that nearly tore him in half. His hands twitch and his fingers graze my skin like he’s trying to grab on to me.

Save your strength, I whisper into the bond growing between us.

I’m not sure how conscious he is or how much he understands, but he relaxes into my arms. My flames slowly sizzle to an end, his lips scorched and his chest heaving with full, heavy breaths now. He coughs and attempts to open his eyes but can’t quite manage it.

Even with my fire, it’s going to take him several days, maybe even a week, to fully recover from being that close to death. I brush my lips against his warm, sweat-slicked forehead and rock his limp body in my arms for another minute.

“I’ll take care of you, mate. Just rest now. I’ll protect you.”

Chapter

Two

ALRICK

With a gasp, my eyes shoot open, but a sharp pain prevents any attempt at getting up. I groan, reaching for my chest and the source of the discomfort. I’m heavily bandaged, but as I feel around, the warm stickiness of blood soaking the gauze coats my fingers.

It wasn’t a dream.

That big-ass lizard threw me across the forest with one swipe of his massive claw. The fact that I’m not dead is shocking, actually, but where the fuck am I? What happened to my brothers?

I try again to sit up, but the pain is too intense, so I sink back into the soft mattress. Peeling my eyes open again, I take in the dim view of what appears to be a lavish bedroom. It’s decorated with heavy furnishings and rich fabrics, but instead of feelingantiquated or outdated, it feels weirdly modern. Like Louis XV entered the new millennium.

A creaking door gets my attention, my senses on high alert for danger. If I’m about to be attacked again, I’m fucked. I have zero energy to fight off an enemy. A man approaches me, carrying a tray. My heart beats a little faster and the strangest feeling washes over me.

I know him.

I squint, trying to wade through foggy memories, searching for a name or how we might have met. I come up blank though, and he pauses, gazing down at me with a complex expression on his seriously attractive face. Like,damn. It’s definitely not the kind of face I should have forgotten.

He’s tall and sturdy, but not insanely muscular, wearing an untucked white dress shirt and black trousers. In the low light I can’t guess his age, but he carries himself like someone a little older—maybe in his midforties. His thick brown hair is styled neatly, and he has just enough of a beard to spark a brief fantasy of rubbing my face on him like an affectionate cat looking for scritches. Even in my gravely wounded state, I’m aware of how insanely gorgeous the man is, and even stranger, the closer he gets, the stronger the pulling sensation in my chest becomes.

“You’re awake.” His voice is deep, steady, sexy, and it vibrates through me, releasing a bit of the pain.

“Where am I?” I grit out through the ache talking causes, holding my hand over my bandaged chest.

“My home.” He sets the tray down on the nightstand. The scent of hibiscus greets me as steam rises from a cup. “I brought you some tea and a little food. You need to try to eat.”

“Who are you?” I rasp through a dry throat.

“I found you wounded in the forest. You were nearly dead, but you’re going to survive now. It will take a while though.”

“You… found me?”

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