Chapter 10
Toni opened her eyes slowly, wondering why in the hell she felt like she’d been run over by a Mack truck. Her side hurt like hell, and unless she missed her guess, she had bruises on top of bruises. Her muscles were screaming at her that she’d run three marathons without cooling down afterward. And from the smell, she hadn’t bathed, either.
The room was dark except for a small light.
She tried to lift her hand to her forehead but it was strangely weighted down. Glancing over she noticed Nik, fast asleep, his head on her arm. His hand was curled around hers…
Wait. Something was definitely off. The man holding her hand had longer hair than Nik’s, draping across his shoulders and down at least to mid-back. It might be longer. His skin was almost white, the veins in his arms and wrists a startlingly beautiful blue. His nails were bright silver, elongated, and sharpened to a delicately curved point.
What the fuckety-fuck? She couldn’t pull away from the man who looked like Nik but didn’t. The closer she looked, the more similarities she noticed. The facial features were the same, as were the shape of his hands. Even the width of the shoulders and the odd way his hair fell over his forehead, leaving some dangling in his right eye, shouted Nik to her. Only the color and the length of his hair was different, so this had to be Nik. Right?
“Nik?” She tugged, almost certain that this was a side of Nik she’d never before faced. Was this what he really looked like? His beauty went from masculine to ethereal…
Were his ears pointed? Holy crap, they were! He was a freakin’ elf!
“Toni?” Nik’s voice was groggy, gravelly, and wholly masculine, shattering the ethereal vision and reminding her of the virile man that he actually was. His dark brows drew together, purple-black against his white skin. His irises were metallic silver, glittering in the small amount of light in the room. “What’s wrong?”
“Um. Hi.” She stared at him, unable to believe the change in his appearance. She’d been there when Kir lost his temper, the glow on his skin and the storms overtaking his eyes scary as hell. Logan and Jordan both had fire in they could make crawl across their skin, and Travis became so bright you couldn’t look at him even with shades. Was this Nik’s, er, godly form?
“What’s wrong?” He glanced around as if there were an invisible threat hiding in the room with them.
“You look different.” She tried to keep her voice calm, but instead it came out more like Minnie Mouse getting a surprise rim job.
His face went blank, showing an odd purplish highlight against his cheekbones. Was that a blush? Or just the natural color of his skin?
“Yeah. This is me.” He let go of her hand to wave both arms out in a here I am gesture. “Shh. It’s our secret.”
She blinked, unsure if she should be surprised that he’d shared his altered appearance with her. “Sure thing, not-a-Nik.”
He rolled his eyes and stood, looming over her. “Heal yourself.”
She groaned. “I don’t wanna.” He had no idea how much energy that took out of her. The amount of damage she’d taken was nothing like what had been done to Jeff when she’d healed him. Healing herself was a lot more exhausting than healing someone else. She figured her Valkyrie nature couldn’t decide if she should live or die, and so she wound up fighting herself without meaning to.
“Do it.” He put his hands on either side of her head and took her mouth in a scorching kiss. His hair caressed her cheeks, adding small, butterfly kisses to her skin.
He released her lips, leaving her dazed, hurting and very horny. “M’kay.” She took a deep breath and began to heal.
At first, nothing happened. The warmth in her chest began to build, slowly radiating down her arms until her hands began to glow. She closed her eyes, the vision of Nik interfering with her senses.
Ah. There was the red-hurt-flame of her side, the way her blood pooled at the site. The inflammation was obvious, but she sensed no infection. Good. It might be draining, but healing should be a piece of cake.
She began to heal the wound, wincing as the stitches tugged on the skin. The spear had created a small but deep wound. Luckily, she hadn’t been hit in any vital areas. She’d dodged at the last minute, forcing Nadine miss her mark.
Thank goodness for lightning reflexes, or she’d be an Italian shish-kabob.
Once the primary wound was healed, she began draining away the blood causing her bruising, massaging the fibers of her muscles and loosening her tendons from her battle. Her Achilles’ tendons especially were sore from her rapid direction changes. Worse, she’d put some strain on the balls of her feet from wearing her heeled boots. They weren’t five miles high, but they weren’t the best thing for fighting in, either. She’d have to get some combat boots for when she went into battle with her new friends.
There was something strange going on with her body, too, something that didn’t quite add up. Something…shadowy. She took note of it but understood that those shadows were changing her in fundamental ways she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. Nik must have done something to her. He might have shared blood with her in an attempt to force her to heal. She was aware of what happened when a god shared blood with a mortal. Jordan could now throw fireballs. Jamie, her sister, glowed like a candle thanks to the blood she’d shared with Travis. Jeff turned into a wolf.
What would happen to her from exchanging blood with Nik?
Taking care of all of her wounds took time, leaving her sweating and limp at the end. When she opened her eyes Nik was staring at her with a strange expression before it cleared away, leaving him with a smug smile. “There. All better?”
“What did you do to me?”
He had the grace to look guilty. “Saw that, did you?” She nodded. Boy, had she. “I gave you some of my blood.”
She sighed. “Nik, you should have asked me first.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression mutinous. “Nope.”
She yawned. Damn him for forcing her to heal. Hopefully she hadn’t healed right over the stitches. She’d have to check that later. If she had they would be a bitch to get out. “Do you have any idea what will happen to me?”
He looked smug. “Nope.”
Okay. Now he was beginning to annoy her.
He held up his hands and backed away, laughing. “Down, tiger. I promise I ain’t gonna rob no banks, Sheriff.”
She blinked and stared at her hands. “Jeezy wheezy.” She dismissed her guns as he doubled over laughing. “Asshole.”
“J-jeezy wheezy?”
She glared at him. “Baciami il culo.”
“Any time you want, sweetheart.”
Her eyes went wide as he leaned over her once more and kissed her. This time he kept it brief, probably because she freaking yawned in his mouth.
He lifted away from her with a chuckle. “Go back to sleep.” He shivered and his features returned to normal. His pointed ears became round. His hair once again became short, cut in a modern, human style. The silver nails shrank and became more flesh-toned. His white skin warmed as his eyes returned to human gray rather than metallic. He once more looked like the lawyer she’d first met at the precinct, except he was wearing pajamas.
“Plan on sleeping with me again?” Not that she minded, but she didn’t want to seem too easy.
“Of course.” Nik glanced at the light and it went out. He climbed into bed with her, his body settling into the mattress and almost rolling her into him. “C’mere.”
“No.” She was comfy where she was.
“Stubborn,” he muttered. Without any movement on his part she was curled up against him, her leg over his, her head on his chest. His arm was around her, holding her close. “Good night, sweetheart.”
She yawned her response. “G’night.”
“Mm.” He nuzzled her hair. “Shower tomorrow.”
She slapped his chest. “Not my fault I smell like whooped ass.”
He laughed softly, almost like a rumbling purr. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed his skin against hers.
When had she given in to him? When had the attraction become more, adding in comfort and trust? She couldn’t imagine sleeping without him now. Having him in the same bed, keeping her perfectly safe, was a blessing she’d never had before. He’d have her back should someone come at her while she was vulnerable. He was better than any partner she’d ever had on the force. She relaxed completely, giving herself over to him.
He inhaled sharply before he, too, relaxed, sinking even further into the mattress, his body going lax.
She didn’t remember anything after that.