Page 59 of The Rook

“Don’t care,” she moaned.

“I do,” Pyre murmured, once again stroking her cheek. “This is what happens when you make deals with dragons and ride them.”

His words became gibberish, and her world dulled until there was nothing but darkness.

TWENTY-FIVE

Pyre

Tempest moaned, her pale skin flushed pink. He stared down at her, wondering what in the blazes was he doing here? Nyx and Briggs were more than capable to care for the female Hound. Yet, he couldn’t leave the bed.

“I can hear you worrying from here,” Briggs muttered from his chair beside the bed. “She’sfine. It’s just a cold.”

Pyre nodded and then rested his fingers on the pulse beating at the base of her throat, counting her heartbeats. For such a ferocious creature, his Hound looked awfully pitiful at the moment.

“Humans are so weak,” he murmured, eyeing the blue veins standing out starkly beneath Temp’s skin.

Briggs snorted. “Don’t let her hear you say that. We’ll never hear the end of it.”

Pyre cracked a smile that felt a little too stiff. “True.” The moment of mirth passed. “She should never have been onthatdragon.” Every time he thought of Damien’s smug smile, Pyre’s hackles rose. Even now he could smell the dragon’s scent on Tempest.

“You’re being unreasonable.”

Pyre arched a brow at the healer. “How so?”

“Damien provided her safe transportation.” The big man crossed his arms and rocked in his chair. “Would you have rather had her trying to traipse through the storms outside? Shifters die in weather like this all the time. What do you think it would have done to our girl?”

A valid point.

Temp thrashed and the sheet slipped, catching on the tip of her breast. His jaw clenched at all the flushed snowy skin on display. Pyre growled and yanked the linen up passed her shoulders and tucked it around her body. Maybe that would keep her from trying to flash the other male in the room.

“When are we going to talk about it?” Briggs asked.

“Talk about what?” Pyre bit out, still wrapping the female up.

“About the fact that you’ve taken a mate.”

He jerked at the healer’s blunt words. “I haven’t.”

Briggs guffawed. “You wreak of aggression and every time she’s shown even an ounce of skin your scent gets stronger. I’m a healer, Pyre. I’ve seen many female parts while assisting with the birth of babes. Tempest doesn’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”

Sweat beaded Pyre’s brow, and he licked his upper lip, feeling edgy. “She’s a private person. She wouldn’t want anyone looking upon her person when she’s so vulnerable.”

“True, but you forget that I already have cared for her. I’veseen everything the little Hound is hiding beneath her clothing and it’s just flesh. Nothing more, nothing less.”

A low growl rumbled Pyre’s chest, and he glared at Briggs, hating that his friend had seen Temp naked.You’re jealous.

Briggs held his gaze, not flinching. “I will not tiptoe around you. I’ve always spoken my mind to you, have I not?”

“You have,” Pyre ground out.

“Then hear me now. The woman you guard so staunchly now has no appeal to me. Her scent stirs nothing.”

Pyre’s shoulders slumped. One less male to deal with.

The healer continued, leaning forward. “But if she had stirred my beast, I promise you that I would have made her mine before she left the cabin.”

Pyre tensed, his upper lip curling at the idea of Briggs claiming the Hound. “She’smine.”

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