The smells of smoke, blood, and death hung like too-heavy curtains throughout headquarters, even hours after the explosion and fight. Vinnie’s eyes teared as she moved inside.

She blinked through the smoke still hanging in the air. Everyone had deserted the rec room and headed either outside for duty or inner territory for their apartments. It had taken hours to patch people up and clean the area, and she hadn’t seen Raze the entire time. “I’ll be back.”

Jax looked up from scrubbing blood off the floor. He’d heard the shots from across Vanguard territory and had come running back in time to see Raze hit the floor. “You should get some rest, Doc.”

“I know.” Her mind was way too busy to go to sleep. “I just want to check on Raze first.”

Tace cleared his throat, his blond hair askew and a dark shadow covering his jaw. He had tended to the wounded with brisk efficiency if not empathy. “We’re not going to try to stop you, but Raze needed a little space, and you should give it to him.”

She rubbed her chin. Raze had killed a kid, and leaving him with the demons in his own head seemed like a bad idea. “He’s been alone for hours,” she murmured. “And he’s still recovering from the infection.”

“Your funeral,” Tace said, assisting a limping man toward the residence hall.

Perhaps, but from their first encounter, she hadn’t been able to ignore Raze Shadow’s pain. Why, she had no clue, but they’d come way too far for her to turn her back on him now and allow him to deal with the tragedy on his own. He’d saved her a week ago from a madman, and she could do the same for him. She tried to rationalize her motivations as she turned away from the open door and headed for the stairwell, but deep down, emotion and heart propelled her forward.

They were in this together, whether that made sense or not.

Right or wrong, she went with her gut.

She climbed the stairs, her neck muscles competing with her shoulder blades to pound out pain. She rolled her head and tried to find some sort of relief.

After the attack, Raze had quickly regained consciousness, and Tace had taken him to the showers to clear his head. Then Raze had disappeared upstairs hours ago to sleep, if he could.

He’d saved her life and possibly her sanity, and if nothing else, she could help him through the crisis of killing a kid. She’d figure out what to do next.

Lucinda popped up out of nowhere. “Run back to the mess hall, sweetheart.”

“No,” Vinnie snapped. “I’m not leaving him in pain. No way.”

“That man is on a mission, and you’ll be collateral damage,” Lucinda spat. “Run away from him now.”

“He’s a good man who saved my life,” Vinnie countered, stopping in front of the door. “He’s shown me kindness over and over again.”

Lucinda shoved her way in front of the door, shimmering like liquid in a snow globe. “Once again, you’re being stupid with a man. That soldier will strip your heart from your chest and roast each piece over an open fire.”

Vinnie frowned. “You’re even crazier in death than you were in life.”

“You’re the one seeing me. For once, use your head. Go the other direction, away from the bad boy with the great abs.” Lucinda smacked her hands together.

Vinnie paused. “I can’t leave him alone. He’s hurting.” She’d never been able to turn away from a person in pain.

“He’ll break you,” Lucinda muttered.

“He already saved me from being broken. No matter what, he took me out of that hell hole and away from the drugs. I owe him.” More than that, she wanted to help him. Something inside her, something deep, soft, and female . . . needed to ease his pain. She trusted him, and that meant something to her.

Lucinda puffed out of the way, her irritated hiss echoing as she departed.

Vinnie pushed open the door.

He sat on a folding chair, facing the window, his back to her. Darkness streamed inside, filtered only by a slight moon, lending a sense of intimacy to the ragged room.

“It’s late,” she murmured, crossing inside and shutting the door.

He turned, his face stoic but his eyes ravaged. “I killed a kid.”

“I know,” she whispered, taking several steps toward him. “I’m so very sorry.”

“I’m not who you think I am,” he murmured, overpowering the chair with his bulk and the room with the sense of male. Tension swelled around, making the air feel heavy.

“You don’t know what I think.” She kept her voice low, soothing, even while her mind rebelled and tried to take over. Kicking off her borrowed shoes, she scrunched her toes in surprisingly soft socks. “I read people pretty well.”

He crossed his arms over his still bare chest. “Read me.”

Her mouth watered and her body flushed. “You are way too hot to be shirtless.” Damn it. Her mouth needed to wait for her mind. “The way your jeans are unbuttoned invites heated thoughts.”

He didn’t smile, and the agony in his eyes didn’t abate. “Profile me,” he commanded softly.

She breathed in and walked toward him, stopping less than a foot away. Why was he asking her to do that? His expression was a challenge—or an angry dare.

The energy around him vibrated with an intensity that warned anybody sane to get the hell out of there. She stepped closer, close enough to touch, and all but bathed in it.

“Vinnie.” One word, deep voice, raw feelings.

“I’m here.” She took that final step, knowing there was no turning back. “One time my family visited a refuge in southern Idaho. It wasn’t a zoo, but tigers lived there. Real ones. Maybe illegally?” She wasn’t quite sure.

“And?” Every vibration from him suggested a predator about to attack.

“There was one tiger. Fully grown and truly pissed off after a porcupine attack. He had all these quills stuck in his face, and you could sense his pain. But he wouldn’t let anybody get close enough to touch him. To heal him,” she whispered. “You remind me of that animal.”

Raze lifted his chin, his gaze meeting hers evenly. Although she stood and he sat, they were almost eye to eye. “You can’t heal me.”

“I can,” she said. “I don’t know how, and you’re a threat to my heart, but I can heal you. I can make you feel better.” Her words weren’t making much sense, but she felt them as much as thought them. However, she couldn’t read his mind, no matter how hard she tried. “You’re a good guy, and you’ve had to do some bad things. But this is your moment.”

“My moment.” His upper lip curled back. “How so?”

“Tell me the truth. Give me honesty.”

“I can’t.”

This now became her moment. She could get angry and storm out, she could cajole, or she could go with her heart, which made absolutely no sense.

As usual, since Scorpius, her heart won. She moved between his legs and threaded her fingers through his thick hair, tilting his head. Tomorrow they might be enemies, but she needed this night. Craved this night. Maybe just the one, but she was taking it.

“Vinnie,” he breathed in a clear warning. His glittering blue gaze dropped to her lips. “Run.”

“Too late.” She lowered her head and brushed her mouth across his.

He didn’t even twitch, and the world seemed to hold its breath.

She murmured and swept her mouth along his firm lips again. The man had survived Scorpius; he had nothing to fear from her. “I can’t hurt you now, Raze.”

He took a sharp intake of breath. “Not true. You’re the most dangerous woman I’ve ever met.”

Although said with a dark growl, the words filled her with power. “You feel it too, right?” As impossible as the world had become, this feeling between them, whatever it was, felt good. There was actually something good. She began to lean back, but he stopped her with both hands on her hips. Her entire lower half heated, and a pulse pounded between her legs. She could barely breathe with his hands on her.

“I feel it. Us.” His hold tightened with definite strength. “I’m not the good guy who’ll tell you to go once we get started, Vinnie. You give me one taste of you, and I won’t let you leave until I’m done. Until I have all of you. I’m not that strong.”

“You’re strong.” Warmth speared through her, and her breasts began to ache.

“Not strong enough to let you go, so if you wanna run away, I’m telling you this is your one chance.” In contrast to his words, he drew her closer in to heat and power.

“I’m staying,” she breathed. “But we can just cuddle. You have to be weak from the fever.” Thank God he’d survived.

“I could never be that weak, baby.”

His shoulders relaxed as if giving in. “You never profiled me.”

“Sure I did,” she said. In fact, she probably knew him better than he knew himself. It was time for Shadow to stop running and start feeling again. “I just didn’t share my thoughts.”

He stood and lifted her on his way up.

She yelped, then settled into his arms. Her breath caught in her throat. “Are you all right? I mean, you just had the fever, and you passed out, but I’m glad you had a shower. A shower is good. Scorpius is tough to handle, but now we can have sex. I’m happy we—”

His mouth over hers stopped her rambling.

Shock stilled her for the briefest of seconds. Heat. Raze Shadow was all heat as he worked her mouth, shooting tingles down her jaw to zing through her body. She edged closer to him, trying to get inside so much warmth.

The room spun, and she ended up on her feet again, the mattress pushing against the back of her knees.

His fingers were gentle as he reached for the hem of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head. The cotton bra covering her breasts had a back clasp that he released with a quick flick of his fingers.

She gasped, trying to remain sane. “Not your first bra.”

He ran the bra straps down her arms, his eyes flaring. “God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed.

Her knees weakened, and she fought the urge to cover her chest. Instead, she indulged herself and flattened her palms over the hard ridges of his abdomen. Ripped and predatory, Raze Shadow was all man.

She wanted this night. Hell, she needed this night. A happy hum rolled up her throat. Muscle, power, and heat filled her palms. She traced his muscles up his chest, paying attention to each wound and scar. Talk about beauty.

He glanced down at her hands. “I’m damaged.”

“You’re perfect,” she murmured, leaning in and kissing above his heart. His scars showed a warrior’s life, one he’d survived. Sometimes survival held a primal glory all its own.

He slid his hand into her hair, threading his fingers through the strands. A quick twist of his wrist jerked her head up, and he took her mouth again. He kissed her so hard and so thoroughly, she forgot where they were. Who they were.

She fumbled with his zipper and drew it down. His penis sprang free, full and erect.

He kicked out of his jeans, his free hand shoving her pants to the floor. Laying her gently on the bed, his body over hers, he broke the kiss. “Don’t let me hurt you.”

She curled her fingers over his shoulders, meeting his gaze. “I won’t.”

A wrinkle set between his eyes. “I, ah—”

“Condom?” she whispered.

He stilled. “Got one.” Leaning to the side, he fetched a foil package from the back of his jeans. His erection rubbed against her. Catching her raised eyebrow, he blinked. “Tace shoved it in my jeans after my shower.”

She’d have to thank Tace in the morning. “I’ve never had a one-night stand.”

Raze paused. “I don’t know exactly what this is, but it ain’t a one-night stand. That much I do know.”

She cleared her throat. “It has been a while. I mean, I don’t do one-night stands. Oh. I told you that. Well, I didn’t have a lot of time to date, but I did date, you know, sometimes. Anyway, I haven’t—”

His lips settled against hers. “Relax.”

“Right.” She allowed her body to go lax in direct contrast to her pounding heart. “Okeydoke. I’m ready.”

He smiled then, a full flash of teeth that revealed a dimple in his left cheek. In their limited time together, she’d never seen the dimple. She stared, beyond fascinated. “Raze?”

“Okeydoke?”

She nodded.

His light blue eyes sparked and then deepened. “Baby, you’re nowhere near ready.”

She sniffed, still staring at the mysterious dimple. “I most certainly am.” Her gaze narrowed, and she lifted it to meet his eyes. Her entire body thrummed with an ache only he could satisfy, and her thighs were already damp with arousal. If her nipples got any harder, they might cut his chest. “Why don’t you think so?”

He chuckled. “The second you can’t think or speak, I’ll know you’re ready.”

“Oh yeah?” she said softly, more than a little intrigued. “Show me.”