Desire Unchained

Buddy? Kynan blinked again. He wasn’t at UG. He was in the Twilight Zone.

“How … what happened?” The moment the words passed his lips, he remembered the battle in the Irish castle. But he’d only taken minor injuries, and Eidolon had healed those. “How did I get here?”

Wraith rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his feet. “Yeah, ah … that’s sort of my fault.”

This was just getting weirder and weirder. Wraith was never uncomfortable, and as far as Kynan knew, the demon had never regretted anything in his life. But he was definitely doing the I-fucked-up shuffle.

“What do you mean, it’s your fault? What did you do?”

“Nothing much, really. Just nearly drained you of blood.”

Frowning, Kynan searched his memory. After the battle, they’d triaged and treated the injured. Wraith had gone after the escapees. He’d returned, bleeding and battered … and in desperate need of blood. Yeah, it was coming back. Including how Gem had volunteered to be Wraith’s donor, and Kynan had nixed that right quick. And it wasn’t as though he hadn’t fed Wraith before.

Only the first time had been about Ky’s need to connect with Lori on some level. To understand even a little of what had gone on in her head the night she’d been in Wraith’s arms. But the second time Wraith had come to Kynan’s vein had been about keeping him off Gem.

It had also been about helping the demon, because as pissed as Ky’d been at Wraith for what he’d done to him in E’s office, he was also grateful. Wraith had helped him make peace with his feelings for Lori, and even though the rest of his life was still fucked up, at least that part of it had healed.

“What else?”

Wraith’s head snapped up. “What do you mean, what else?”

“I mean, why the long face?”

“I nearly put you in the grave, you stupid human!”

Ah, now there was the Wraith they all knew and loved. “Good to see that guilt hasn’t affected your utter lack of tact.”

“Good to see nearly dying hasn’t affected the fact that you’re an asshole,” Wraith shot back.

Kynan grinned. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, why don’t you tell me what I missed while I was out.”

That fast, the awkwardness in the room dissipated. The tension in Wraith’s shoulders, the embarrassment that he’d been caught giving a shit about someone, disappeared.

“Gem hardly left your side,” Wraith said, back to his cocky self.

Kynan blew out a long breath. “She’s a doctor.”

Wraith snorted. “She wants to play doctor.”

“Let it go, man.”

“Dude.” Wraith’s eyes bored into him. “You need to tap that.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Says the incubus.”

Wraith rolled his eyes. “You humans are so damned weighed down by morals. It’s sex. Your body is made for pleasure. Why not enjoy it?”

“Morals are not my issue.” Kynan didn’t know what the hell his issue was anymore.

“Then what? Don’t BS me and say you aren’t hot for her.”

“Well, duh. Look at her.”

Wraith waggled his brows. “I do.”

“That’s not a screaming endorsement. If it breathes, you look at it.”

“As E likes to point out, breathing is optional.”

Sighing, Kynan threw his head back and stared at the heavy-duty lift chains hanging from the black ceiling. Somewhere in the hospital, something screeched. “I don’t know, man. Lori really fucked with my head.”

“You’ve made peace with that now.”

The reminder that Wraith had invaded his mind chafed a little, but he was right. “It’s not that. I don’t know if I can trust anyone like that again.”

“So who says you have to get that serious with Gem? See what I mean about you humans? Didn’t you ever do the man-whore thing when you were younger?”

“I was pretty young when I met Lori.”

“And you didn’t fuck around on her?”

Kynan snorted. “Nope. Stupid me, huh?”

“Sounds to me like it’s time you get out of the scrubs you’ve been hiding in and have a little fun.”

Wraith was calling him out. Wraith, who Kynan had thought to be so self-absorbed that he didn’t notice anything else around him. The guy was far more observant than Ky—and probably his brothers—gave him credit for.

Wraith shoved to his feet. “Look, dude. I know your wife did a number on you. But you’re giving her more power than she deserves. Dump your baggage and get on with your life.”

“Isn’t that a little hypocritical?”

“Damn fucking straight.” Wraith clamped a strong hand on Ky’s shoulder. “But I’m about to practice what I just preached. See you around, human.”