No Mercy (Dark-Hunter 18)

She frowned up at him. "Pardon?"

"My room's not gross. You don't have to have that I-am-so-disgusted-by-the-mere-thought tone."

"That wasn't what I meant. And do we have to argue this while I'm in pain and bleeding?"

Dev flashed her into his room, then cringed as he realized he was a bear in a cave. Why didn't I make up my bed before I left? And for that matter, pick up a few of the dozen car and motorcycle magazines on the floor. The bag of potato chips...and the three pairs of dirty socks. Good thing he didn't wear underwear or there would probably be a pair or two on the floor to mortify him even more.

His mom had been right. He'd finally lived long enough to be embarrassed by his messy ways.

When he started to put her on the bed, she clamped around his neck so tight, it strangled him.

"Um, Sam...you're killing me. I'm not immortal. I really do need to breathe."

She loosened her hold. But only by a little bit. "Sorry. Reflexive habit." She swallowed. "Let me try this before you set me down completely."

"Try what?"

She reached out with one hand and gingerly touched his pillow.

Sam held her breath as she waited for the pain to start and his memories to surge through her.

But just like touching him, they didn't. There was nothing in her head but her own thoughts.

She wanted to shout in relief. "Set me down."

He hesitated. "You sure?"

"I think so."

"All right." Dev very carefully lowered her to the bed, then stepped back. He didn't go far though. He hovered near, just in case.

Sam didn't move for several minutes as she waited for the images to come. Not until she was sure she was safe. At least in a manner of speaking. The warm masculine scent of Dev was all around her. That conjured images, but they were fantasies of what she wanted to do to him and had nothing to do with his memories or thoughts.

She leaned back on the bed, still free of his emotions. It was so amazing. "I think I'm good."

Dev gave her a cocky grin. "Cool. Let me go get something to clean you up and--"

"No!" She rudely barked the word, then regretted the sharpness of her tone. "I mean...if anyone other than you has touched what ever you bring..."

He rubbed his jaw as he considered that. "Maybe it's not just me. I'm an identical quad. You think what ever immunity I have spreads to my brothers too?"

Oh, now that would be nice. But it was too much to hope for. Still, it was worth a shot. "We could test it."

Dev searched the room with his gaze until he spied Remi's book he'd borrowed a week ago. By now the stench of his brother should be off it. He picked it up from his nightstand and handed it to her.

She barely touched it before she withdrew her hand and hissed as if it'd burned her. "Did you know Remi listens to the Indigo Girls when he's alone in his room and that his favorite movie is Just Like Heaven?"

He burst out laughing at the idea of his surly brother watching such a chick flick. Gah, he'd rather have both eyes gouged out and force fed to him than watch that. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He'd die if you knew that. And whatever weirdness you have seems to be yours alone."

Good, 'cause he definitely didn't want her picking up on his embarrassing habits. Though to be honest, they weren't nearly as bad as Remi's. And he liked the idea that what he had with her was special and wasn't shared with other people. "We still need to tend that wound. If nothing else, it needs to be bandaged so that you're not leaking blood all over my sheets."

"No offense, I'd rather keep bleeding."

He gave her a sharp look before he headed to his chest of drawers and pulled out a T-shirt. "No lip from you, Amazon. We're going to stop that bleeding. I know it won't kill you, but it does weaken you."

Sam watched as he tore up his shirt to make a bandage for her. She didn't know why, but it touched her that he'd do such a thing. It'd been a long time since anyone was so kind to her. He returned to the bed and carefully tended her wound. "You're not bad for a nurse, Bear."

Dev smiled. "I have my moments...few and far between, I will grant you, but on rare occasions I can almost pass for a human." He paused as he had another thought. "If you're this sensitive to everything, how do you wear clothes? I mean they'd have the same property as a bandage, right?"

"Acheron conjures them for me."

"Well, why didn't you say that before I tore up my favorite shirt?"