Page 98 of A Dawn Of Blood

“I don’t know… Your blood should save him from the virus, that’s for sure. But given that you’re mates, it might affect his brain chemistry, and we simply can’t know how until we dose him.”

Gritting my teeth, I think for a second. “Alright, but I still want to do it.”

I stand up, finding everyone staring at either me or Cain with concern on their faces. Ever since he saved me, they’ve been generally softer to him. “Is that alright with the rest of you?”

They all give me nods.

Within a matter of minutes, Dryden and Nuala set up a bed for him close to the dinner table. We lay him down and I crouch next to his unconscious body, slicing my wrist and bringing it to his lips.

My heart sinks when I don’t see him respond in any way.

Then his nostrils flare, his eyes fling open, and the next thing I know, he’s grabbing my hand and thirstily sucking on my wound.

I breathe an enormous sigh of relief. I bring my hand up to stroke his hair. That’s right, drink up and everything will be alright.

Chapter 69

Evening falls and the Embers all gather for the celebratory dinner, but when she walks over to me, Raven finds me still cradling Cain’s head, watching him intently.

“You know it might take days for him to recover,” she tells me.

“That’s alright,” I whisper.

“Why don’t you step aside to at least have dinner with us,” she says.

And the urge is to tell her no, but when I glance at the table and see them all watching me… This is supposed to be a happy moment and I can’t let myself ruin it for them.

So I gently lower Cain’s head to the pillow. I see him frown, and I hesitate for a moment, but I still wiggle out from under him. Throwing glances over my shoulder, I walk over to the table, where everyone is already getting immersed in a joyful conversation.

I take a seat next to Dryden and across from Raven and Alaric. Raven puts some food on my plate, I say thank you and grab a piece of pie, but almost as soon as I do, everyone goes silent.

My muscles tensing up, I throw another glance over my shoulder, only to find him getting to his feet.

We all keep staring at him. He’s stumbling a little, but he’s making steady progress towards the table, his eyes fixing on me with this intense but slightly dazed look on his face.

Without a word, he takes a free chair and squeezes it in between me and Dryden, shooting him a hostile look. He takes his seat and lets out a content sigh.

It’s only then that he notices everyone looking at him. He glances around the table. “Well don’t let my presence burst your little bubble,” he says with this slight slur to his words.

“Are you sure you should be out of bed?” I lean to ask, signaling to Raven that I’ll be handling this.

It makes my breath catch, when he turns to look at me. It’s like he dives straight into my eyes, his gaze hungrily pulling me in. “Maybe I shouldn’t be,” he starts, his voice dropping and taking on the quality of a thorny caress, “but I’m not going anywhere.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Besides, aren’t you the one insisting on the two of us having dinner?”

I don’t think he’s ever beenthisclose. My wolf rears her head, urging me to let her take a whiff. I don’t. I tear my eyes away from him instead, my mind suddenly buzzing.

This should be a happy moment — seeing him relax a little. Still, all I can think about is the fact that I told him I wouldn’t heal him again, and then healed him.

And sure, it’s not like I had any other choice, but I have a sneaking suspicionhe’snot going to see it that way.

So I need to think about things before I talk to him next.

“What,” he asks as he tips his head to the side, forcing me to meet his eye again, “nothing to say all of a sudden?”

The intensity in his eyes — their demand for attention — makes me have to swallow roughly before I say, “Stranger things have happened.”

He shakes his head. “Not to me, not lately.” His eyes roam over my face, his voice turning softer than I’ve ever heard it. “But you’re full of surprises, aren’t you? You and your midnight coffees and nerdy obsessions and enemy kidnappings.” He presses his thigh into mine, the touch sending a jolt of electricity through me.

“Yes,” I say as I abruptly get up, “it’s all fun and games with me. I’ll be back in a few, okay?

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