He could hear the key turning in the lock, and a moment later, she helped him shuffle through the doorway.
A few more steps, each of them making him pant against the pain that seared through his leg like fire—but finally, they'd reached the bed.
He groaned when she had to move his leg to help him lie down, but then, at last, it was done.
Her face swam before him. He blinked, trying to focus.
“Not to make this weird,” she said sheepishly, “but, uh, they thought we were lovers. So there's only one bed in here. And I'm going to have to strip you to get a look at those wounds and clean them. So bear with me, okay?”
Despite the pain, Braeden found himself smiling. Was his mate apologizing for making them share a bed?
“'S okay,” he murmured tiredly. “I'll try not to steal the covers.”
“Ha,” she said, grinning at him. “I'm not worried you're going to try anything weird. I'm worried you're going to die in my bed. And I might be up for weird things, but I'm not into that.”
Braeden chuckled softly, even though he only understood half of what she was saying. The pain and exhaustion was threatening to drag him under, but he resisted as well as he could.
Alyx vanished from his view. He heard water flowing. A minute later, she returned. She placed something on the nightstand next to him.
And then she began to strip him.
“Oh, my,” she murmured once she'd drawn off his singed shirt. “You're quite something, aren't you? Don't tell me you're one of those protein-shakes-only guys. I can deal with a lot in exchange for abs like that, but not with constant gym talk.”
“What's a protein shake?” Braeden asked sleepily.
She dipped her towel into water, and a moment later, he felt the damp cloth carefully wipe the ash and sweat from his chest.
“Oh,” she said, snickering, “I forgot. You're a dragon. So no gym for you, I take it?”
“'M not stupid,” he murmured blearily. “I've watched human TV, you know.”
“Oh?” Gently, she wiped the cloth along his arm.
He sighed at the sensation. Despite his pain and exhaustion, it felt good. And it felt even better because it was his mate who was taking care of him.
No wonder the ocean dragon became so much more bearable once he met his mate. This is nice...
“What shows do you like? Action, I bet, with lots of explosions and fire?”
“I like MasterChef,” he said proudly, beaming up at her, although it was still difficult to focus on her for long.
But it was so nice to be close to her that he didn't want to fall asleep.
She laughed, moving on to the other arm. “Really! MasterChef?”
“Mm-mm. My human friends made the other dragons give me Netflix. You humans are very smart,” he murmured, still beaming up at her. “So smart. And so pretty...”
She was the most gorgeous being he'd ever laid eyes upon.
Her black hair still had a grayish tinge from all the ash, but it looked soft, falling straight down onto her shoulders like a waterfall of black silk. One strand might once have been dyed a brilliant turquoise, but was now a faded, light blue. The dirty, ripped clothes she was wearing clung to her generous curves, rips in the fabric revealing pale skin that seemed to glow despite the layer of grime. Her honey-brown eyes were bright, watching him with obvious amusement.
“Oh, really.” She grinned again. “You sound pretty out of it, my fire dragon friend. We didn't even get you any of the good pain killers.”
“Not your friend,” he sighed as he watched her, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Mate.”
In the artificial light of the motel room, her hair was gleaming. Her hands were still touching his arm, careful and strong, despite what she'd been through.
She was the most fascinating human Braeden had ever encountered.