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That pat of his hand had been a sweet gesture, the kind of "there, there" comfort a mother might offer a pouting child. Or worse than that, it might have been the pained sympathy of a charitable angel consoling one of God's most unfortunate blunders.
Maldecido.
Manos del diablo.
Monstruo.
Yes, he was all those things. And now Dylan had seen how ugly he truly was. To her credit she hadn't recoiled at all the twisted flesh or his fangs, but then she was made of stronger stuff than that.
But to think she might welcome his touch? That she might get close enough to his ruined face to let him kiss her?
Not fucking likely. And he thanked God for that, because it saved him from seeing her disgust. It saved him from doing something really stupid, like forgetting for even one second that she was in the compound - in his private quarters - only until he corrected the mistake he'd made in letting her get close to that cave. The sooner he could do that and get her gone, the better.
A staccato rap sounded on the door.
Rio pulled it open with a growl of self-directed frustration.
"You sounded like shit, so I thought I'd come along with Tess and take a look at you for myself." Dante's mouth quirked into that cocky grin of his as he stood at the threshold with his gorgeous Breedmate close at his side. "You gonna let us in, man?"
"Yeah." Rio backed off to give the couple space to enter.
Dante's mate looked prettier than ever. Her long honey-brown waves were pulled back in a loose ponytail, and her wise aquamarine eyes were soft, even when looking Rio full in the face.
"It's so good to see you," she said, and without hesitation she strode over to him and went up on her toes to give him a quick embrace and a kiss on his cheek. "Dante and I both have been so worried about you these past months, Rio."
"No need," he replied, but he couldn't deny that the concern warmed him.
Tess and Dante had only been together since late autumn of last year; she'd come into the Order's compound with an extraordinary gift for healing and restoring life with her tender hands. Tess's touch held amazing power, but not even she had been able to fix all that was wrong with Rio. He was too far gone by the time Tess arrived. His scars were permanent, both inside and out, though not for lack of trying on Tess's part.
Dante put his arm around his Breedmate in a move that was both protective and reverent, and it was then that Rio noticed the gentle swell of her belly underneath the pale rose tee-shirt and khaki pants she wore. She caught his downward glance and smiled as beatific as the Madonna herself.
"I'm just out of my first trimester," she said, turning all of that glowing love on Dante now. "Someone's making it his new mission in life to spoil me rotten."
Dante chuckled. "I aim to please."
"Congratulations," Rio murmured, genuinely happy for the pair.
It wasn't common for warriors and their mates to raise a family within the Order. Practically unheard of, in fact. Breed males who looked to devote their lives to combat typically weren't the home-and-hearth types. But then Dante never had been one to color within the lines.
"Where is Dylan?" Tess asked.
Rio gestured toward the closed French doors across the room. "I made an ass of myself in there with her. I had a meltdown and I...ah, damn, I shattered a mirror. Some of the flying glass cut her cheek."
"You're still experiencing the blackouts?" Tess asked, frowning. "The headaches too?"
He shrugged, not wanting to discuss his own numerous problems. "I'm okay. Just...do what you can to take care of her, all right?"
"I will." Tess took a small black medical bag from Dante's hands. At Rio's questioning look, she said, "Since I've been expecting, my healing abilities have dimmed. I understand it's normal for pregnancy to draw a Breedmate's energy inward. It should come back once the baby is born. Until then, I'll have to rely on good old-fashioned medicine."
Rio cast a look over his shoulder at the bedroom. He couldn't see Dylan, but he figured she was in there needing to see someone kind and gentle. Someone who could patch her up and talk to her like a normal person. Reassure her that she was safe, among people she could trust. Especially after the spectacular display of raging psychotic-turned-lecherous freak he'd put on for her in there.
"It's okay," Tess said. "I'll take care of her."
Dante cuffed Rio in the biceps. "Come on. There's still an hour or so before dawn. You look like you could use some fresh air, my man."
Chapter Seventeen
Dylan was crouched on the floor near the foot of the bed, picking up broken glass, when the French doors opened softly into the bedroom.
