Page 15 of Fire Bound

I was right. It looks like he took a pretty massive blow to the head. A two-inch gash sits on his temple, disappearing into his hairline. It bleeds like a mother, but the good news for him is I don’t see any brain matter.He’ll live.

Goody.

Glancing down at the rest of his body, I find that his clothes are absolutely coated in blood. The head wound wouldn’t have bled all over him like this. Shifting back on my knees, I search for another source of blood. I yank his black shirt up, exposing his torso. All I find is his annoyingly perfect body. Smooth, darkly tanned skin covers each of his lean muscles. He’s not bulky like Ransom or Ryker, but he’s just as strong.

Doing my best to shift him enough that I can check his back for injuries, I find nothing. Running my hand quickly down his dark denim-clad legs, I don’t find any other wounds. It’s only his head that’s hurt. My guess is he has a severe concussion and that’s why he’s passed out, but that begs the question, who’s blood is he smearing all over my carpet?

“You justhadto come here,” I grumble under my breath as I climb to my feet. I contemplate my next moves. Do I just let him bleed freely everywhere and let him heal on his own, or do I help?

I’d really like to get dressed and walk out that door, leaving him here to wake up in a pool of his own blood, but the aching pain that develops in my stomach at the thought has me stopping from following through with it. Plus, the cleaning bill from the hotel is going to be atrocious if I just let him bleed on everything.

Cursing, I jog to the bathroom and grab the remaining towels. On my way back, I grab two small bottles of vodka from the minibar before dropping back to the floor above his head.

Shoving one of the larger towels under his head to absorb the blood, I take a smaller one and press it to the actual wound. The white fabric quickly turns red. Holding the towel in place with one hand, I reach for one of the bottles. Using my teeth, I twist the lid and dump the contents onto the wound. Wherever Jax was, it was fucking filthy. His blood-stained clothes are also covered in grime. Surely whatever bashed his skull in wasn’t sanitary. I don’t know if he’s completely unsusceptible to bacteria like full-blooded wolf shifters are. His DNA is altered and a total mystery to me. I don’t know what species’ traits Sterling was able to replicate when he created Jax in a lab. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Continuing pressure, I open the second bottle. This time, I pour the alcohol into my mouth and shudder at the unpleasant flavor of straight vodka. It won’t do much, but it’ll take the edge off while I wait for the bleeding to stop.

The warm waterwashes over my blood-stained hands in the sink. I scrub until the pink water runs clear.

It took fifteen minutes for the bleeding to stop. Once I knew Jax wasn’t going to bleed out, I got up and left him to wake up on his own. It’ll happen eventually, whatever damage his brain sustained is healing as we speak.

Taking that time to finish what I started when he first appeared, I dry my hair and apply my makeup, so I’m ready to go once he’s awake.

I’m not going to let his unwelcome appearance change my plans. All he’s done is made me late.

Stepping back into the bedroom, I grab the dress I’d left on my bed. Making sure Jax is still passed out, I let the bloodied towel drop from my torso and pool around my feet. I’ve just pulled the thin lacy thong out of my suitcase on the floor when the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Looking over my shoulder, I find a set of violet eyes roaming over my exposed body.

Shit.

I can either allow him to know I’m bothered that he’s looking at my naked body or I can pretend I don’t give a fuck. Going with the latter, I set my face into an unreadable piece of stone and turn boldly toward him. His eyebrows lift ever so slightly in surprise, but he doesn’t say a word as he continues his perusal of my body. The adrenaline coursing through my veins is unexpected but addictive and when his eyes turn heavy with need, a surge of confidence hits me.

For the first time in a long time, I hold all the cards and the power is intoxicating.

“You bled all over my carpet,hellhound.” It’s a nickname I gave him a while back, he hates it which only makes it more appealing.The name itself is incredibly fitting given his mix of wolf shifter and demon blood.

“My apologies.” His voice is gruff, and to my annoyance, it sends a shiver down my spine.

Forgoing the panties, I pick up the dress, slowly stepping into it and pulling it up my body. “I find you so much more tolerable when you’re unconscious,” I muse coldly. “It’s a shame you can’t be in that state all the time.”

With a pained groan, he pulls himself into a seated position. He uses the dresser behind him to help prop himself up. “I’m sure there are people that would agree with that statement,” he offers while pulling one of his knees up to his chest so he can rest his arm lazily on it. Not once do his eyes look away from me. They travel all over my body. Each pass they make over my curves leaves a trail of heat on my skin until I feel like I’m burning.

I don’t want to feel this way, but just like my wolf, my body is a traitor.

“Who did this to you?” I ask as I waltz around the bed so I can sit on the end of it directly in front of him. The heels I wear to the club sit on the floor next to me. Bending, I take my time slipping my feet into them.

“Why?” Jax presses, the corner of his mouth pulling in a smirk. “You jealous?”

I look up from buckling the ankle straps of my heels. “Immensely,” I tell him. “Don’t you know if anyone is going to make you bleed, it’s going to be me?”

“I’ll be sure to tell my next attacker that they’re not allowed to lay a finger on me because you’ve reserved the right for yourself,” Jax plays along. “I didn’t know you were so possessive, love.”

With the buckles secure, I sit back up. Leaning back on my hands, I tilt my head and watch the man in front of me. There was a time that I wanted him so bad, but he pushed me aside and treated me as if I was a piece of garbage beneath his shoe. “When you figure out what you truly want, you don’t let anyone else have it.”

“Is that so?” His heated gaze slides up my bare legs until they reach the hem of my short dress. “Remington, you wouldn’t be planning to go to that trashy club of yours with no panties on, would you?”

“How would you know about the club, Jax?” I narrow my eyes at him. I should have known that he was still watching over me after I left. It was too good to be true that he would agree to give me the space I craved. When I was home, he was lingering around every corner, his watchful eyes following every move I made. Even when he thought I didn’t know he was there, I could sense him nearby.

“There’s not much I don’t know about you,” he admits arrogantly. “You didn’t answer my question.”

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