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adweight, and she struggled to get out from beneath him, feeling instant relief when the monster was thrown from her body. She hissed and tried to scramble to her feet, her mind darkened with both fear and fury.
She turned, bared her teeth, her great tail sweeping back and forth, but it was Julian who knelt before her. She relaxed somewhat, panting heavily as she surveyed the carnage in the room.
Six demons dead.
The ancient magick of her people took hold, and she clenched her teeth as the change rolled over her body. It was quick but painful, and as her human form took over, the thick glossy pelt sliding from her skin, she groaned loudly and fell back to the floor.
“The bastard bit me,” she said hoarsely, wincing as the fire continued to spread.
“Lie still,” Julian whispered.
She rested her head along the cool tiles, hearing nothing but his breathing and the heavy beating of their hearts. His hands felt along her shoulder.
“You’re lucky. His teeth aren’t meant to rip through heavy fur. They didn’t penetrate too deep.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” she managed to get out. “This is only phantom pain.”
Julian knelt beside her, and she tensed as his hands continued down her body to rest at her hip. She was totally nude, and it made her feel that much more vulnerable.
“It still doesn’t negate the severity.”
Jaden’s heart sank. What he said was true.
“It means you have a few hours more than most would.” His words were matter-of-fact, his tone colorless.
She hissed loudly and turned her dull eyes to him. “Nice to see you haven’t lost your charm, Castille.”
She struggled to get up and slapped his hand away when he would have helped her.
“Make yourself useful and get me something to wear,” she whispered hoarsely as she knelt, bent over and cradling her chest.
The poison made her nauseous, and she so didn’t want to heave on his feet even though it would serve the bastard right. She panted softly, concentrating on the sounds, the rhythm, and eventually the nausea faded.
When he returned with a pair of trackies and a T-shirt, she snatched them from him.
“I don’t need an audience.”
The words slipped through tight teeth, and she watched from hooded eyes as Julian turned away from her. She stood on shaky legs and, with great effort, managed to get the shirt over her head, then slipped the gray track pants up over her hips. They were huge, and she fumbled as she tried to tie the waist.
She felt sweat break out along her skin, small rivulets of water that were tinged with the scent of poison. Shit, this is not good.
“Here, let me.”
Jaden wanted to refuse his help, but, truthfully, she just didn’t have the strength. She felt his fingers, warm against her tummy, and as he quickly hiked the pants up and secured them, her head fell against his chest.
Her tongue was thick, the acrid taste from the demon strong. “Water,” she whispered softly.
Julian’s body was high on adrenaline and the beast inside him was agitated something fierce. The smell of blood was in the air—both Jaden’s and the dead otherworlders that littered his home.
He looked down at the woman who rested against him and tried to block the conflicting emotions that struggled inside him. His mind was a chaotic mess, but it was the dark thoughts that held sway. They were always the strongest.
His first thought was to leave. Grab his shit and go.
Declan was waiting for him, and every minute counted. That had been drilled into their heads. They had maybe a week—if they were lucky—to find the portal and destroy it. If not, the alternative wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on.
Jaden DaCosta didn’t figure into his plans. Even now, he could smell the poison as it infiltrated her cells. Soon, it would hit her major organs, and she’d be a goner anyway. A waste of time.
“Water,” she whispered against him.
