“You’re fond of her. So quickly.” He rubbed the back of his neck as the nerves knotted. “You know she can’t stay, Sheena. She’s human.”
“Are you sure?” With that, she turned on her high heels and sauntered off.
Davian stared after her, then shook his head. Sheena was still awestruck or dumbfounded that a human could self-heal at such a rapid rate. Understandable. It perplexed Davian as well.
But no creature other than a human would experience pain in the fashion she did. When a demon was wounded, the recovery might not be instantaneous, but it was certainly hasty enough—much faster than Jade’s own recuperation had been. And the actual sensations were dull, unless multiple, near lethal wounds were inflicted. Even then, one did not suffer the way she did. What Jade endured was almost unfathomable—something only a mortal felt. Well, much worse, actually.
Returning to the bed, he sat alongside her and said, “Sheena brought you clothes.”
This seemed to perk her up. She tossed off the duvet. Eyeing the stack, and the boots in his hands, she touched the royal blue sweater on top and smiled.
“More color.” She pulled the sweater from the pile and unfolded it. “How beautiful. I thought the robe she lent me was spectacular, but this is equally gorgeous. That vampire—woman—knows her fashions.”
“Black seems to be a staple for you,” he observed.
“And for you. Which,” she said as she leaned in for a kiss, “is outrageously sexy. As for me, we don’t have colorful fabric in the village. Black and varying shades of gray are mainstays. Easy dies for our resident chemist to concoct when we receive bolts of white material from villages that grow cotton. And of course, we trade for leather and buckskin.” She collected Sheena’s offerings and slid off the bed. “I just need a few minutes.”
Davian dressed and ran his hands through what was surely disheveled hair. Jade emerged a short time later. He did a double take.
“Huh,” he said as a slow burn started in his groin. “I’ve seen that outfit on Sheena before. It does not look the same.”
“No doubt she wears it much better. Everything’s a bit snug. She’s thinner than me.”
To Davian, everything appeared perfectly proportionate. The sweater pulled tight against Jade’s breasts, her defined waist and her shapely hips. The wide collar sat slightly off her shoulders, making him wonder what sort of lingerie Sheena had provided for her enticing chest. The black leggings and riding boots were a nice complement, completing the ensemble.
; She’d pulled her sleek, dark hair over one shoulder and secured it with its own strands. She wore a part along the side, and her long bangs dusted her forehead and temple above the ponytail.
“You’re gawking,” she finally said.
He grinned. “Yes, I am. And no one could possibly blame me.”
“Now that was couth.” She crossed the room to where he stood. “And civil.” Her tone was playful. Jade went up on her tiptoes, still necessary despite her three-inch heels. She nipped at his lower lip. “Unlike the things you did to me last night.”
He groaned. “And this morning?”
“Who would ever want to get out of bed?”
Admittedly, he’d been damn reluctant.
She was about to say something else, but another subtle rap on his door cut her off. And made Davian simmer with frustration.
“Yes?” he asked between clenched teeth.
“The slayers, my Lord,” Sheena reminded him. Evidently, they’d grown impatient.
“I’m coming,” Jade told the vampire. She gave Davian a kiss. “I promise to be safe.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“And I’ll tell Sheena I’ll clean her clothes and have one of the slayers return them.”
“Don’t bother,” he said. “You won’t be able to get the scent out and it’ll be disturbing for her.”
“Good point.” Jade lingered, hesitant to go. Then she said in a soft voice, “Thank you.”
“For what?”