Page 24 of Connected

“Hey.”Digby smiles and stroking his hand gently against her cheek, he leans in close. His deep-blue eyes stare at her and he’s filled with an adoring look as he strokes her wet, muddy hair away from her face. Helping her to sit up he frowns, watching as again, she struggles to pull the filthy shirt around her. “You wanna hand with that?”

“Uh, yeah sure. Thanks.”

He gently eases her into the ragged cotton garment—and buttons what he can of the front. “Do you feel all right?”

“Mm-hm,” she nods wrapping her arms around his neck sniffing him—his warm and familiar scent is comforting—as is the touch of his hand stroking her back.

“Ahh… fuck!” He shoots back in pain after, accidentally, brushing his cheek against the tight metal band wrapped around her neck.

“Oh… Digby, I’m sorry are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah sure. Hey, don’t worry, compared to what you’re goin’ through… Hell, we gotta get this fuckin’ thing off you.”

“We can’t—not without the key—and Alvarez still has it.”

“Let me try somethin’,” he tears with his teeth at the cuff of the shirt—ripping it off.

“Digby, what the hell are you doing?”

“Wait, just let me try this.”

“Hey,” Zak joins them—wearing the two-sizes too big pants, belted around his waist—he feels awkward after their earlier encounter and is not sure how to behave around them “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Kat smiles. She can sympathize with his embarrassment. It was a moment of emotional tension—Kat and Zak’s escape, Digby finding them, the guys shifting—they were all vulnerable. Kat knows what happened was less about sex and more about intimacy—about being close to each other.

“What’s he doin’?” Zak asks.

“I just wanna try somethin’, to see if I can get this damn thing off. All right, so close your eyes and I’ll try not to hurt you.”

“Diggs… I don’t think that’s gonna work.”

Kat can feel herself tense as he carefully attempts to wrap the torn piece of fabric around the thick silver band and cushion it from her skin. The band is really tight around her neck and even the slightest pressure sends pain rocketing through her body.

“Argh! Oh, God Digby… stop! Please… please don’t do that!” She grits her teeth desperate not to cry, but the burn is like a blowtorch on her skin.

“Fuck,” he growls in frustration; the fabric is much too thin and even Digby can feel the silver burning the tips of his fingers—it’s like handling coals from a fire and he swiftly pulls away.

Annoyed, he curses. “Fuck… You know, I’m gonna kill that fuckin’ shifter asshole. No, no actually… I’m gonna tear all his fuckin’ limbs off first—real slow. Kat, I’m sorry, I thought I could get it off but—”

“I know… you tried, it’s not your fault.” Reassuring him, she places a hand on his arm. He can feel just how tightly she holds him and her slow release as the pain subsides. “All I need you to do is find a way to get us out of here.”

“I’m going to, baby.” He kisses her. “And about that—gettin’ out of here—Zak and I talked and I’m gonna go back, to Darius and the rest of the team. They’re gonna be headin’ along the road in this direction, and I’m gonna go meet up with them. But I swear to you, we’re gonna come back as soon as we can.”

Her eyes flicker between the pair of them. “Zak should go too—both of you should go. Leave me here, I’ll be fine. I mean it, he should go with you.”

“No. No, I’m stayin’. Kat, you can’t protect yourself like this. We agreed—Digby’s faster than me, he’ll go back, and then they’ll come find us. We’re gonna be just fine.”

“No, Zak. No, you should go with him. You need food, water, and medicine.”

“And so, do you… more than me. But for now, this is the way it is. We agreed, I’m stayin’ with you.”

“I don’t need protecting, I can take care of myself.”

“Zak’s right… Kat, you can’t defend yourself, not like this. If Alvarez finds you before we get back… No. No, I’m not takin’ any chances—Zak’s stayin’, end of discussion.”

“Mm…” she nods, choking on the build-up of emotion in the back of her throat. She’s so worn down by the pain she can’t think straight. Her emotions a turmoil of thoughts—they see her as so vulnerable, so pathetic that she needs Zak for protection. It’s a feeling she dislikes but taking a deep breath, reluctantly she nods. “I guess you’re right—you should get going.”

Digby feels her distress as he kisses her. “Hey, Zak’s gonna take good care of you and I’ll be back before you know it. Then, we’re gonna go kill that asshole shifter—any damn way you want—you name it, I’ll do it to him.”

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