Page 62 of Captive Hybrid

Mordecai radiates warmth as his fur brushes my skin. He looks at me for a long moment, those silver eyes like small, bright moons. Then he leans over slowly and begins licking around the wound, letting me adjust to the strange, wet sensation.

For a moment, I tense. It’s certainly unusual. The texture of his tongue is rough, but his licks are careful, measured. He slowly moves down to my wrist, occasionally nuzzling me. It’s oddly comforting.

Are you okay?he asks softly.

‘Mm-hmm.’ I watch the wolf work, fascinated. I realise I’m holding my breath. I’ve never experienced something so… intimate before. The bond hums between us, vibrating like a live wire.

He nuzzles into my side affectionately, making my lips curve into a smile. Then he sets his tongue directly to the wound and I cry out.

Shh, he says soothingly, and I realise his nuzzle a moment ago was meant to calm me before the pain. He nuzzles me again now, his soft fur brushing the bare skin between the hem of my shirt and my jeans.

I gasp, my wounds burning, but with a few more licks, the pain starts to recede. My racing heart slows down.

Mordecai’s licks become slower, softer, as the wound begins to close.

Seeing my blood on Callen’s teeth had been terrifying, but somehow, seeing it on Mordecai’s now did not bother me in the least. I watch silently, mesmerised, as he finishes cleaning and licking my wound, my arm, until the blood is entirely gone, and the two severe wounds are nothing but small, white pin-pricks which fade completely before my eyes.

I stare at the wolf as he licks his chops, then nuzzles into my side. You okay?

I nod. I had no idea wolves could do that.

Not just wolves. Only fated mates.He sits up, arching his back as he shifts, grunting slightly at the smallish tent. He fits. Just. His broad, muscled body and my own take up almost all the deep green tent.

In human form, he sits back, butt on his heels, kneeling before me. My gaze soaks him up, as though there is nothing else in the world I would ever want to look at. My gaze meets his silver eyes. ‘Thanks. For healing me.’

His eyes burn white-hot, taking in every inch of me. ‘Are you hurt anywhere else?’ He reaches out tentatively, picking up my once-wounded arm to inspect for further damage, then moves to my other arm, checking thoroughly.

My mouth quirks. ‘You’re checking me for injuries?’

‘This is serious, Zenna. I need to see you’re okay.’

His gaze grazes over my bare arms, seemingly undisturbed by the green vines marked along my skin. He touches them with the same delicacy as the rest of me as his warm touch roves up my arms, then glides up to my shoulders where he peers at my throat, and face.

I watch him quietly, something melting inside me at his tender touch. But there’s just one problem. ‘You can’t see all of me.’ My voice is low and breathy as I gesture to my jeans and t-shirt.

His eyes gleam. I meant what I said, you know. About reversing the… my decision. But you never… responded to that.

‘I didn’t know what to say.’

‘Well, is that what you want?’ He sits back on his heels, giving me a moment of space to let me think. As if I could think with him sitting there, naked in all his perfect glory. My eyes wander over his body, from the strong planes of his face, the sharp line of his jaw, to the stubble which has grown in his travels. Down his broad, strong shoulders, his chest—is his heart beating wildly too?—down his stomach I have a strong urge to lick, over his muscles, down to the impressive length of him…

I blink, resting my gaze on my hands in my lap. I think back to Aidan. Trust is everything. The way Mordecai just healed me, licking over my wound… I didn’t think I had that in me. Didn’t know I would trust him.

I realise now that I believed every word he told me since he saw me injured. That I was going to be okay. That he would heal me. That I was safe. I meet his gaze.

I trust him.

For the first time in a long time. Even our past feels far away.

All that matters is now. Moving forward.

Slowly, I reach out to him, asking him to come a little closer.

Mordecai obliges, leaning over me. I need to know you’re okay. I will protect you from now on, I swear. His lips brush over my neck, leaving a warm kiss. He trails down my neck to my collarbone, arrested by the hem of my shirt. He looks up at me, asking, and I nod.

He forms a single claw, and shreds my shirt and bra away in one, careful swipe. Mordecai smiles, then pops the fabric apart, my breasts bared for him to see. He tosses the fabric aside without removing his gaze from my chest. My nipples pebble in the cool air and under my flush of arousal.

My torso now revealed, Mordecai dutifully looks over my skin, still checking for any wounds. Not finding any, he kisses his way over my chest, creating a burning need between my legs.

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