As I opened my eyes, the world was blurry, but the first thing I saw was Casper’s gorgeous face staring down at me.

“You’re awake,” he said softly as he reached out and stroked my cheek. His touch was like a warm spark of life and I moved to sit up in bed, but a burst of pain shot through my shoulder and I collapsed back down.

“Careful, big guy,” Osana said, coming up beside me. “You’re still pretty banged up.”

“Not as bad as Sonny,” Kitchi chimed in. I looked over to see him standing in the corner of the room by the door. I was in my room – our room. My shoulder was bandaged and wrapped, as were the wounds on my legs where I had been injured during the fight.

“He’s dead,” I said. It was half a question and half a statement. I wasn’t sure why I needed to say it out loud, but I did.

“He is,” Casper said, taking a seat on the bed beside me.

“Damn right,” Kitchi growled. Osana put the back of her hand to my head to check my temperature.

“Hot?” I asked her. She shook her head.

“You’re A-OK!” She said with delight.

“No, he’s hot,” Casper joked as he kissed my cheek. Osana giggled and handed me a glass of water. My throat was parched and my mouth tasted like I’d been asleep for five days without brushing my teeth. I took a drink, downing more than half of the glass, and when I handed it back to her, I saw flecks of red in the water.

“Am I bleeding?” I asked her.

“It’s his blood,” Kitchi replied. “You collapsed after you tore his neck open. Your mouth was full of it.”

“Gross,” I grimaced, pushing myself into a seated position.

“Take it slow,” Casper told me, getting to his feet. “You really should rest.”

“My mouth tastes like a sewer,” I replied as I got my legs under me. “And I need to wash my face at least. I assume I cannot take these bandages off?”

Osana nodded in commiseration. “Not for a few days at least. I stitched up your shoulder. The leg wounds aren’t bad, but they’ll need some time to heal. Maybe you can get your mate here to give you a few sponge baths?”

“I think I’d be able to do that,” Casper chuckled as he helped me across the floor to the bathroom.

“Is everyone else all right?” I asked Kitchi. “Did we lose anyone?”

“No deaths,” he replied. I breathed a sigh of relief. “A few minor injuries, but nothing Osana can’t handle.”

“Good. If you don’t mind, I need a few minutes to freshen up.”

“Of course, dear,” Osana said warmly. She and Kitchi left the room and I stepped into the bathroom and ran the water. I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced.

“I look rough,” I said to Casper who had come in behind me.

“I like it,” he replied. “You are such an alpha. It was incredible to watch you standing off against Sonny like that.”

“Well, someone had to do something,” I shrugged, running my hands under the water. “I wasn’t about to let him take you away from me.”

I leaned down to the faucet and sucked up a mouthful of water, swished it around and spit it back into the sink. More flecks of dried blood.

“Yuck,” I grimaced, repeating the process until the water ran clear. Then, I loaded up my toothbrush with toothpaste and brushed my teeth like I’d never done before.

It wasn’t like I’d never had blood in my mouth before, but Sonny’s repulsed me to a degree I had never felt before. It was like his scent, his entire being, had somehow gotten into me, and I couldn’t allow that. He was the bastard intent on taking my mate from me!

I spit the toothpaste, ran the water down the drain and grabbed a bar of soap.

“Do we have any mouthwash?” I asked Casper.

“No, but I think Osana does,” he replied. “I’ll get some. Be right back!”

While he was gone, I scrubbed the remaining blood from my hands and fingernails. Someone had done a pretty decent job washing them for me while I was out, but there was still some hiding here and there. Just as I was finishing up, Casper returned with the mouthwash.

“Here you go!”

“Thank you,” I said with relief as I poured a capful into my mouth and swished it around. It tasted like all mouthwash – bad – but it was better than Sonny’s blood tasted. I spit it out, shut the water off and turned back to my mate.

“Come here,” I told him, opening my arms for him. Blushing, Casper slid into my embrace and I held him tight, like it was the first time I’d seen him all over again. Despite the fact that we won, and I’d killed Sonny, I still had a feeling of unease, like I was going to lose him again somehow. Perhaps it was because I’d already lost him once and had almost lost him again so soon after getting him back.

I clutched him to my chest and squeezed him hard, maybe too hard, and kissed his forehead before letting go slightly. He looked up at me and I kissed him.

“I’m…I’m so happy,” he told me. “I mean – happy that everything worked out. Not happy that you got hurt.”

“Hurt? Are you kidding me?” I said with a smile. “This is nothing.”

“You know what? I’m going to give you a sponge bath now,” Casper told me, turning to the bath and running the water. “Not only because I am the world’s greatest omega and mate, but also because I can still smell Sonny on you and it makes me want to throw up.”

I burst out laughing so hard I felt it in my shoulder, but I didn’t care. Everything had been so tense that I needed a release, and Casper knew that. He laughed too as he took me by the hand and led me over to the tub.

Slowly, he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of my boxer briefs and slid them down over my thighs and let them drop to the floor. It was so slow and sensual and caring that I felt myself starting to get aroused.

“Now, sit on the edge of the tub for me,” he told me. His tone was authoritative, but in a caring way, as though he was saying, “You took care of me, now let me take care of you.”

And I was not about to argue with that.