Page 114 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

She groaned softly in response.

I put the glass to her mouth, and she opened it just a little.

A small stream of water trickled between her lips, and her face twisted in a grimace as she swallowed it.

I set the glass down when she pulled me closer, laying beside her as she pressed herself against me. I let myself close my eyes for a few minutes, knowing we’d be back in the bathroom soon enough.

Orvay and Elwynne were dealing with the backlash of what had happened on the roof, so I didn’t have to worry about that. At my insistence, they had gone to bed for a few hours after the plans had been drafted, leaving me to work on convincing the generals.

If I hadn’t been awake when the bastard took her…

Veil, I couldn’t allow myself to think about it, or sleep would become an impossibility.

“Wake me if I don’t notice when she starts feeling sick again?” I asked Coarse. Though Gleam was asleep, Coarse was watching my female with tired eyes from where he guarded the door. He had been sleeping in the meeting room when Laeli was grabbed, and I knew he felt guilty about it.

He nodded, and I let myself drift off.

Fifteen minutes later, we were in the bathroom again.

The cycle continued, with the pauses between visits growing longer over the next twenty-four hours. I made sure Laeli had enough to drink, even though it killed me to see her so sick. I made her take a little of my blood a few times to keep her strength up, but it barely helped.

In the four days that followed, her stomach slowly normalized, and she was able to start eating small amounts.

It was another two days after that before she recovered enough to ask to leave our bedroom. Gleam and Coarse were off in their own space, catching up on sleep without our interruptions now that they knew Laeli was fine.

“Ravv,” she grumbled, releasing her grip on me and rolling to her back. All she had on was one of my shirts again, as she preferred them to sleeping in her scanties. “I need to go for a walk, and I’m sure you have things to do too. I’ll lose my mind if we stay in here. You won’t even tell me about your plan to take down the Demon.”

“Because you’re not going to be involved in that plan.” I brushed a few strands of hair off her face. She still looked paler than she should’ve, and I’d need to feed her more than usual when she was recovered enough for it.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t tell me about it.”

I scowled. “I don’t want you in any more danger than you already are.”

“Knowing what’s going to happen won’t put me at risk, Ravv. And I deserve to know the plan.” Her eyes were narrowed at me. “If you’re going to start keeping things from me again, your bed will suddenly get very cold, and very empty.”

“You would miss me too much.” I slid a hand beneath her shirt, slowly dragging it up one of her thighs. My palm brushed her abdomen, and I teased the dip of her belly button with a finger. The scent of her desire slowly tainted the air, making my cock harder than it already was at the sight of her.

“You’d show up and grovel,” she said, her lips curving just slightly.

“I would.” I slid my hand back between her thighs and dragged a finger between her folds, fighting a growl when I found her even more slick than I expected.

Her gaze suddenly grew soft, and she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug and squeezing me tightly. “Thank you for taking care of me. I already said it, but thank you. I know I’m a frustrating patient to deal with, and you’ve been amazing.”

I left my hand between her thighs, pulling her closer with the other arm.

The best thanks would be to let me touch her, but I’d take a hug too.

“You’re supposed to say, ‘you’re welcome’,” she mumbled against my neck.

I blinked. “You’re welcome.”

Her lips curved into a smile against my shoulder. “Does no one ever thank you?”

I considered it. “I suppose not.”

“Veil. I’ll work on saying it more.” She pressed her lips to my shoulder. “You’re going to tell me about your plan when you’re more relaxed about everything that happened.”

“…okay.”

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