Page 101 of The Healer

“A busted water main or something.” Callie grinned, unrepentant. “I wasn’t going to wait for the teddy bear to bring you to meet me. George told me about you, and I came right over.”

With another flick, Ilona wore head-to-toe pajamas. Gasping, she fingered the silk of her instant-clothing. Her door swung open to a tall man wearing a stiff smile.

She blinked at him, dazed by his silvery eyes and good looks.

He growled, “he’s on his way back.” Then he was gone, like vanished.

“Well, that’s my cue.” Callie rose. “Make Rhys bring you for a visit. Oh, before I forget.” With a click of her fingers, a pink skirt draped across the foot end of the bed.

Ilona gaped at it. What the hell? Did suckbloods have magic? Like the man had done, Callie vanished as the front door opened.

Clambering off the bed, Ilona hurried to the living room. She slumped at the sight of Rhys. Questions burned her tongue, but they would have to wait. He was drenched, his jeans and T-shirt clinging to him. He squelched as he tip-toed in. She rested her ass on the back of the couch and smiled.

He stilled while peeling off his shirt. “Hey, I didn’t want to wake you.”

She shook her head and sauntered across to him to unbutton his jeans. His breath caught, and his shirt slipped from his finger before he gripped her hips and threw her over his shoulders. She squealed, and when he slapped her ass, heat pooled in her core.

But when he tossed her onto the bed, he stared at the pink skirt.

“Callie was here.” He cursed, stomping his feet as he paced. “I’ll fucking kill her. I wouldn’t put the burst pipe past her.”

“She was here with some guy.”

“Probably Gabe.” Yanking off his boots, Rhys dropped them then peeled off his jeans. His penis bounced free, and her breath caught with her mouth drying. “If you look at me like that…”

“You’ll what? Threaten me without following through?”

“Oh, ho.” He tugged on the edges of her pajama pants and dropped them on the floor. Then with a jerk, buttons flew across the room, gaping her top. His nostrils flared, his gaze darkened, and he crawled onto the bed, spreading her legs wide. He paused in a full push-up. “Lunar, I love you.”

“So when threatening doesn’t work, sweet-talking is your go-to tactic?” But she ruined her serious tone by dragging him down, needing his chilled skin against hers.

He grunted and buried his face in her neck, nuzzling her.

She wrapped her legs around his hips, shifting until his erection rubbed against her labia. Arching on a moan, she tightened her arms and tangled her fingers in his wet air, inhaling his cologne.

“Just love me, Rhys, and don’t stop.”

He growled, rose to meet her gaze, and at last, she recognized the intense emotion lighting his eyes—love for her.

“Always, Lona-love.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Threeweekslater,Ilonahad settled into a routine she enjoyed. The interview with Sarah Olson had gone well, with Ilona spending her mornings at the hospital. She adored the children but didn’t want to commit full-time. Afternoons were spent in Rhys’s lab, studying her blood, and the effects known diseases had on it. Her and Evie co-researched, passing notes via text or email daily.

Some days, Ilona wore the skirt Callie had given her, swishing around the wards like a fairy with orange hair. As long as she made children laugh, her day was complete.

When her phone rang, she answered without checking caller I.D.

“Fuck me, James.” Evie’s cursing had become their normal greeting. “I’m sending you images, then I’m packing. You got one crazy woman moving to Inner City.”

Ilona squealed. “For real?”

“Sure. Check the images, and I’ll call you when I land. I’ll need a ride.” The call ended, and Ilona paused to stare at the screenshots of printouts. It took her seconds to realize what she was looking at.

She spun on her heel and rushed into the hospital, taking the steps two at a time to reach Sarah’s office. Without knocking, she burst in to shove her phone at the dark-haired doctor in a headless bunny suit.

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