AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course not. It’s just… you’re my mate, but healing me clinically, and personally, like that would make it feel too much like you were my gynecologist.”
The pure horror on Kota’s face made me crack up until we were both laughing, trying to find our way back to our horribly awkward conversation.
Kota hiked his jeans up and knelt on the floor beside my chair, and a torrent of his scent hit me.
The rest of our laughter died in our throats as Kota laid his hand on my abdomen. Torturously, he dragged it down until it brushed the waistband of my jeans.
“I won’t go any lower than this.” His focus was on his hand, but slowly, as if he had to work up the courage to do it, he lifted his gaze to mine.
I shivered, the need that never left intensifying. I squirmed where I sat, and I was sure he could smell my arousal.
Part of me didn’t want to complain, while the other part disliked how ruled by my libido I was.
Did vampires go into heat? Was this some shadow touched thing? Or could it be related to my unique status as a tribrid?
I’d have to do some research after I was done charting all these towns that’d been attacked on a variety of maps I was working with.
Since I truly did need to focus, I agreed to let Kota heal me.
“Hold tight. This will only take a minute.” His hand glowed blue with magick, and I sighed as the ache in my lady bits eased.
“Have I told you you’re my favorite?” I murmured, and Kota raised a brow at me, challenging that statement as he rested on one knee.
“I thought Jolon and Syler would be your favorites this morning.” His attention dropped to the apex of my thighs before he realized what he’d done, then he looked anywhere but at me. “I mean, if they’re not at the top of your list right now, they must have done something wrong last night,” he added, trying to cover his blunder, and I laughed.
“Jolon and Syler were my favorites yesterday,” I teased, “but today it’s you.”
“Me? Why?”
“First, you noticed I was uncomfortable, and then you worked with me to fix it.” I shrugged, enjoying the way Kota’s mouth popped open slightly in his shock. For a guy who was usually so confident in his opinion, so set in his stubbornness, it was fun to throw him off balance. The truth was we were both awkward at this when we were alone, but at least we could be awkward together.
Kota glanced at the floor. “I was just doing my job.”
“I wish I could feel the bond with you,” I admitted. I knew Kota was lying. Nothing he did for the pack was because it was ‘just his job.’ Kota cared deeply, but it would take him time to get used to expressing himself again after years of burying his feelings.
A frown tugged at my lips. Stars, how I missed feeling my mates’ connections. Each day that went by with no improvement on the blood or mate bonding was depressing, but I refused to give up hope.
“We’re going to figure it out, kitten.” Without thinking, Kota reached up and tucked back a piece of my hair, his fingertips skimming gently along my skin.
I leaned into his touch before he pulled his hand away, looking flustered and embarrassed.
“So… uh…” Kota stood and scrubbed at the back of his neck, deliberately changing the subject. “What are you doing?” He stared at the laptop, then leaned in to get a better view. One hand gripped the back of my chair, and the other propped against the desk at my side as he stooped down and stared at the computer screen.
“Oh, um, I’m trying to get a basic idea of the location of all the towns that have been attacked and see if there’s a pattern,” I explained. “Dason hasn’t found anything so far, but there has to be something. We’re missing something vital.” I drummed my fingers on the desk and clicked a new spot on the map, marking the city of Mapledale as another small town that’d been hit by shades.
What did they want with these places?
“At first these all seemed like random attacks, but it’s too convenient. There’s something here, Kota. I just need to uncover what that something is.”
“Do you want help?” he questioned with that same vulnerability back in his eyes, like he expected me to say no.
“Actually, that would be great. I could really use the assistance, and I think your artistic eye will probably pick up on a million things I’m missing. As an artist, I know you can see the small details as well as the whole picture. I think that’s where I’m struggling the most.” I sighed, and Kota conjured a chair, pulling it up next to me. Charting went faster with him calling out the coordinates I needed to find. An hour later, we had most of the towns marked.
“This program is actually pretty cool,” I told Kota, showing him how it worked. “I found it on the internet, but it allows you to pull up all different kinds of maps. Here’s a topical map, here’s a thermic map…” I pulled up a few more, but there was nothing to connect the attacks.
“I don’t know.” Kota pressed his fingers against his lips in thought. “Maybe whatever they’re after has nothing to do with where, but who,” Kota suggested.
“Dason thought about that, but so far he has no leads about anyone who was in all of those places, or even some of those places, at the time of the attacks.” I huffed out a sigh. “Unfortunately, it’s a dead end.”
