Katya just held on as Dev took total possession. Not long before, she’d thought she’d scaled the greatest heights of emotion with this man. She’d been wrong. Never before had she felt so utterly overwhelmed. Dev was no longer holding back even an iota of what made him the powerful man he was.
Trembling from the wild fury of the kiss, she gripped the solid muscles of his shoulders and did precisely what he’d told her she would—she let him do exactly what he wanted. Because this man was as wild as any changeling, as dangerous, and right now, so on edge, she had a feeling any resistance would be read as the wrong kind of challenge.
Not that she wanted to resist. His kiss, it was melting her from the inside out, the ice of the compulsion no kind of a barrier. She shifted even closer, wanting to strip off the T-shirt and press her body to his, to soak in the essence of him. Nothing and no one would stop Dev from taking what he wanted.
And right now, he wanted her.
But he broke the kiss far too soon. “How bad does it hurt?”
It took her a few seconds to realize what he was asking her. “Hardly.”
“Shock.” Lips compressing, he raised one hand to push her hair off her face. “Are you cold?”
“Not when you kiss me.”
His eyes flared with a deeply sexual fire. “Oh, I plan to kiss you. After Connor’s gone.”
Dev watched as Connor cleaned out Katya’s wound. When the man’s long-fingered hands touched her skin, Dev had to grit his teeth to keep himself from ripping Connor’s damn arm out of its socket. The reaction made no rational sense—not only was the quiet male a friend, he was also a highly qualified doctor. Though he chose to live in Vermont, he was a critical part of Shine’s diagnostic team. It was Connor who’d worked out a way to pinpoint those at risk of the Talin Process Degeneration. Taking its name from the first identified case, TPD came about because of a lack of biofeedback—biofeedback the victims weren’t aware they needed, because their need was so very small.
Dev knew all that. He also knew he wasn’t rational. “How bad is it?” he snapped when Connor finished and turned to get something from his kit.
The other man arched an eyebrow at Dev’s tone, but his own response was civil. “Not serious. The sealant will repair most of the damage, but I’m going to have to put in stitches first.” He took out the stitch stapler.
“Those things hurt like a son of a bitch,” Dev said, walking over to place his hand on Katya’s hair. “Put yourself under,” he told her, having already explained her genetic makeup to Connor.
She shook her head, and that stubborn angle to her jaw made it clear she wouldn’t be changing her mind. Instead of forcing the issue, he nodded at Connor. “You got anything that’ll numb the area?”
“Sure,” the other man said, “but full-bloods react badly to anesthetics. Even that much might mess her up.”
“Just do the stitches,” Katya said. “It’ll be a quick, fast pain, and then it’ll be over.”
Connor gave her a long look. “The wound will ache overnight, while the sealant works. After that, it shouldn’t be worse than a deep bruise.”
Katya gave a small nod and reached up. Instead of letting her take his hand, Dev sat down on the bed so he could look into her eyes, and tugged her face to the curve of his shoulder. “Do it,” he ordered Connor.
As the other man went to work, Katya flinched and wrapped her arms around Dev in an iron-tight embrace. But she didn’t make a sound, and a few seconds later, Connor was finished. Dev felt her body go limp as the doctor put a thin-skin bandage around her thigh.
“The staples will dissolve as the skin knits,” Connor told him. “The bandage is waterproof so she can shower with it. No need to change it for three days unless she complains of heat or severe pain in that area—call me if that happens.”
“I’ve got some of those bandages,” Dev said when Connor held up a pack.
Nodding, the other man put them back in his kit. “Good night’s sleep and she’ll be fine.” He got up.
Stroking a hand down the back of Katya’s head, Dev settled her on the pillow and stood. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes followed him as he exited the room. It took everything he had to leave her there, but Connor obviously needed to talk to him. The other man didn’t say anything until they reached his car. “You going to tell me what you’re doing with a full-blood?”
“No.” The fewer people who knew the truth, the better. “You didn’t see her.”
“See who?” Throwing his medical kit into the passenger seat, Connor slid his lean form into the vehicle. “Let her rest.”
Dev stopped in the process of turning around. “That’s none of your business.”
Connor met his eyes, the lines of his face even more austere in the early evening light. “Never thought I’d have to tell you how to take care of your woman.”
Dev felt his fingers curl into a tight fist. “Lot of assumptions in that statement, Connor.”
“Just telling it like I see it.” He pulled the door shut.
Dev was inside the house before the other man finished reversing down the drive. Closing and locking the door, he strode down to the bedroom. Katya wasn’t on the bed.