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the blood he d swallowed. Collapsing to the floor, he shifted out of this panther form and breathed deeply. Everywhere hurt. There was so much pain and the taste of blood made him feel sick. He tried to sit up but found he didn t have the strength. Lying on his back, his head rolled to one side and he looked at his brother. Tears filled his eyes when he saw 253 In Heat Felicity Heaton that he was still in his puma form, blood covering him and seeping into the gravel. Alistair had given him no choice. He d forced him to fight. He d had to defend Kim and avenge his parents. Unable to look at his dead brother any longer, he got to his knees and slowly stood. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked down at his nude body and the cuts covering it. There was blood everywhere, and his stomach and arm were killing him. He was going to take time to heal, longer than he and Kim had before she was no longer in heat. He couldn t change her if he wasn t at full strength. He wouldn t have enough energy for the mating or enough power for her transformation. Stumbling through the maze, he was surprised when Kim appeared around one of the corners. She was carrying his clothes and apparently running blind since she nearly ran straight into him. She smiled when she stopped, but it disappeared when she saw the wounds all over him. He smiled through the pain at her, trying to reassure her that he was going to be fine. Alistair? she said. He shook his head. Kim didn t say anything. She handed him his trousers and waited for him to slowly slip into them before she used his shirt to wipe away some of the blood on his arms, back and front. Tears spilt onto her cheeks as she cleaned him up. He d killed his brother and she knew that in a way he d done it to protect her. 254 In Heat Felicity Heaton When she had worked her way back around to his front, she used a clean patch of his shirt to tend to the scratch across his cheek. She frowned when the sun disappeared and then hunched her shoulders up when rain began to pour down, warm against her skin. She looked at Erik, straight into his eyes. Erik? she said, leading him back towards the house at a slow pace. Yes? She stopped and looked at him again. They were standing at the entrance to the maze, rain soaking them through. It was still warm out, but she heard thunder in the distance. I ll do it, she said. He just stared at her, disbelief visible in his eyes. I think I m ready. Today made me realise that I can t lose you. Kim, he said and cupped her cheek. I can t. She frowned again. What do you mean? You re not ready and I can t, not with the injuries. But I m not going anywhere, Kim. I love you. He smiled and her frown melted away. He was right. She wasn t ready really. The events of today had panicked her and forced her to make a decision, but she still thought it was the right one. 255 In Heat Felicity Heaton I love you. She held his gaze and stroked his cheek, hoping he could see down into her soul the way she felt she could see into his. She blinked through the rain as it trickled down her face. It was washing all the blood from Erik s body. She slipped his shirt onto him, protecting his wounds until she could get him into the house. His house. She looked at it and then back at him. She wanted to be his too, just like Alistair had said she was. When? she said. He looked confused. When will I be in heat again? She stepped up to him, drawing the shirt closed over his chest. A year, maybe two. Who knows? Whenever the dreams begin again. Until then, you ll have to settle for the reality. She wrapped her arms about his neck as he kissed her, falling into his embrace and losing herself in the way he made her feel happy, loved, and safe. It was a passionate kiss that stirred the fire inside of her just like she knew it always would. She d never stop loving him. Never. It would always be like this consuming and intense. She moaned against his mouth, tackling his tongue with her own and feeling the rain running down her back. A smile broke onto her lips as he kissed down 256 In Heat Felicity Heaton her chest and she held him there, clinging to him as she threw her head back and surrendered to their heat. Thunder rolled overhead and the rain came down harder, but she didn t care. Erik shifted her in his arms, wrapping her up in them and holding her tight. She giggled and kissed him, pouring out her feelings so he knew how much she loved him and hoping that he wasn t hurting himself too much. He d once told her that the best was yet to come and what they d shared were only dreams. While those fantasies had been powerful, it had been the reality that had made her fall in love with him. It was that love that made her want to be with him always, to surrender her normal life and become like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |