The fluffy towels in the linen closet were practically as large as blankets. I wrapped a soft white one around my shoulders, and laid down on the bed. I sunk into the thick, feather mattress and sighed. I closed my eyes and relaxed completely, until I felt a thud on the bed next to me. Caleb’s body scooted towards mine, and he cradled me in his arms.

“You’re still naked,” I laughed. “Of course, you are.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he teased.

I rolled over onto my stomach, my bare ass peeking out of the terry cloth towel wrap. Caleb’s hand slid over the curve of my buttocks and smacked it lightly.

“You know, all I have to wear is that little black dress, and some uncomfortable heels. I didn’t even bring a change of clothes.”

“Good. I like you naked,” he smiled.

I blinked at him, and ran my finger across his taut ab muscles. “You’re a sex fiend.”

“You’re just now figuring this out?”

“Caleb!” I whipped him with the edge of my towel. His hand met my ass and slapped it hard. I liked the sting, but I was still too spent from last night to even think about sex again. I scooted off the bed and opened the large oak chest of doors nearest to the bed. “There must be something in here,” I said.

I pulled out a white button up shirt, big on me, but the perfect size for Caleb. I slipped it over my clean, washed skin and sighed. It was almost as long as a dress, and it felt more comfortable than a nightgown. “I think I’ve found my outfit, Mr. Crane.”

“I knew I should have locked that up,” he joked. “I much preferred you undressed.”

“Somehow I knew you were going to say that.” I picked the wet towel up off the bed, and headed back to the bathroom to hang it up. Caleb rolled out of bed, and by the time I turned around, he was in front of me, still completely naked.

In the soft light of the bathroom, I noticed a gash along his rib cage that I hadn’t noticed last night, or in the bath. The sudsy bath bubbles must have covered it in the tub, and the limo was too dark for me to see much. My eyes widened when I saw the other thick red lashes across his back.

“Caleb, what did Owen do to you?” The marks on Caleb’s body looked like razors. His white shirt had been torn in the fight, but I didn’t realize the extent of the damage Owen had inflicted. The wounds looked like knife marks cutting through Caleb’s flesh. “I thought vampires healed quickly.”

“We do,” he said quietly. “The bruises on my face have already healed.”

I examined his face, and there wasn’t a trace of harm on his beautiful skin. His back told a different story. I didn’t want to touch the wounds, because they looked painful, and they grew worse by the minute.

“Well, then why are these marks getting worse? It doesn’t make sense. We need to get you to a doctor, Caleb.”

“It’s nothing,” he snapped.

“It looks like it hurts, Caleb. What can I do?”

The guilt I had about Owen flooded back to me. I wished I could rewind the events of last night and begin again. There were so many things I’d change. It pierced my heart to think of Caleb being hurt, all because of me.

“You’re already doing everything I need, Abby. Having you here is what I want.”

He winced as he turned away from me, and I saw the infection in his wounds. The gashes in his skin were black and necrotic. I tried not to look worried, but it was hard. I had to be strong for Caleb. I had to put on a happy face.

“Let me clean those up.”

“No,” he shuddered. “They’re different than normal wounds, Abby. They’re…” He paused, and looked at me nervously.

“What?” I wrapped the towel tighter around me, and leaned against the marble vanity. “Just tell me already.”

“Did you ever notice anything different about Owen? I mean, you said he was a Golden God. What did you mean by that?”

I licked my lips. I hated brining up my past insecurities, but they were a part of my history I couldn’t deny.

“He was the kind of guy every girl wanted. An unattainable superstar in our small town. I mean, he had this aloofness like he didn’t care if he was cool. But he always had a presence that made people love him, and fear him.”

Caleb listened intently, and then walked over to the sink and turned on the cold-water faucet. He cupped his hands over his face, and splashed the water against his skin. When I looked at him more closely, he didn’t look like himself. His skin lacked the ethereal glow it usually had when we were together. He looked positively sick.

“And you never noticed anything strange about him?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Caleb dried off his face on the sage green hand towel next to the sink, and patted his cheeks hard with the tips of his fingers.

He eyed me cautiously. “I’ve seen wounds like these one time before, Abby. I’ve healed everywhere, except for the places where he broke the skin. It’s...,” his voice broke. “I suspected it when he fought me. He was much stronger than any human.”

“What are you saying, Caleb?” I took a step back, and braced myself against the other edge of the bathroom vanity.

“These are claw marks, Abby. Shifter claw marks, laced with poison. His punches healed quickly because he didn’t break the skin. But once the poison from his claws got into my blood stream, that’s when I knew I’d met my match.”

“So, you’re saying Owen Masters, Hollywood’s new Golden Boy, is some kind of shifter?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “From the looks of him, he’d be a lion shifter. I’m not sure if he was born that way, or if he was turned. Those big cats are vicious and protective. I don’t think that’s the last we’ve seen of him.”

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to believe Owen was a lion-shifter, but in my heart, I knew Caleb was right.

“I’m so sorry, Caleb.” I rushed towards him and threw my arms around his neck, careful to avoid his tender ribs and back. He’d hidden his pain so well last night. How had I not known? I cupped his jaw in my hands and kissed him gently. “I’ll take care of you. Tell me what to do to make it better, and I will.”

“You’re sweet.” He kissed the crown of my head, and breathed in the fruity smell of my shampoo. He gracefully reached for my hand, and led me back to the stately, four-poster bed in the adjoining bedroom. I leaned against bed’s wooden spire and tried to come up with something, anything, to help Caleb.

“What was that medicine you gave me when I went through my transformation? You nursed me back to health,” I asked.

Caleb sighed, his eyes dark and brooding. “It’s not that simple, love. I don’t even know what kind of poison is in his claws, or how to combat it. Usually vampires are impervious to such things, but not always.”

I reached out and gently stroked the area around his wounds. I’d never imagined Owen might be a shifter. But now that I thought about it, things started to make sense. Like his love of meat, for example. He practically lived on an all-protein diet.

“I didn’t know about Owen. I’m so sorry.”

“I know you didn’t, Abby. I was out of my mind with rage when I saw you two. The wounds he inflicted hurt, but not as much as seeing him kissing you.” His jaw tightened. “It cut me to the core. Kicking his ass was the only way I knew how to stop the pain.”

“Caleb.” I stroked his face gently, and pushed my head into his strong chest.

“Maybe it’s good it happened,” he murmured. “I never would have told you half the things about my past if this hadn’t happened. I’ve never been so honest with anyone.”

His thumb traced my bottom lip, and I nibbled it gently as it slid across my mouth. His other hand glided through the silky hair at the nape of my neck.

“I can’t live without you, Abby. But I don’t want to share you.”

“You have all of me.”

“Show me,” he growled. His head dipped over mine, as his lips kissed a path from my earlobe to my mouth. The kisses started leisurely, slowly. His tongue lapped at my skin, and the edge of his teeth skated against my bottom lip.

I pushed up onto my tiptoes, my lips meeting his mouth as he hoisted me to the edge of the bed. He was hot and powerful, passionate and hungry. He kissed me with wild abandon, as if it was the last kiss he’d ever have. I kissed him back with equal intensity, fucking his mouth with quick flits of my tongue. His muscles tensed, and he pinned me to the mattress. He smelled unfathomably good, and he tasted even better. The natural mintiness of his mouth and his natural, rich taste was sensually delicious. I wanted him completely, and I kissed him like we were the last two people on Earth. Here in Caleb’s secret hideaway, it felt like we might be.

His hands traced a path down my spine, and settled on my thighs. His hands cupped my ass cheeks, and massaged them in deep, slow circles. His mouth kissed a path across my cheek, down my neck. I lifted the bare underside of my throat, knowing it was raw and inviting to him. I wanted him to do whatever he wanted with my body. I wanted to give him complete control.

I pushed closer to him, eager to feel his skin touch mine. His raw sensuality overtook us both, and the fact that he was injured wasn’t as important as this. We were suspended between heaven and earth, drunk on our kisses. I moaned into his mouth, wanting more. Needing more of him. Always more.

His teeth tugged on my nipple, then bit down the side of my body. His rough handle made me wet, and I pushed myself against his cock, now hard and pulsing. He slowed his kisses, and pushed up over me. He looked ethereal and perfect, as if he’d sprung from my deepest fantasy. His strong biceps made a frame over my body, and he dipped down to kiss me again.

With each touch of his mouth, he breathed new life and passion into me. His energy moved from his body into mine, as if he inhabited my skin as equally as his own. I closed my eyes, and melded into him, allowing him to pull me into his body. My spirit enveloped him, and in my mind’s eye, I saw the room from his perspective. I felt free and erotic, sensual and uninhibited.

“Forget about the pain, and think about the pleasure,” he whispered. His velvet tongue lashed at me, sending shock waves through my body that spiraled into his.

“I fucking love it,” I moaned.

He shuddered against me, drawing his strength from my body. The poison in his muscles arose from his wounds and bubbled against his skin. The venom from Caleb’s claw marks felt thick and smoky, like fog. I pushed back against the black poison as it tried to invade every cell of my body.

Caleb shuddered, the sensations of pain wrenching his body as he continued to pleasure mine. His fingers gripped my ass, and his feral growls shook the air around us. His cock jerked hard, and his hot seed spilled on my skin. He came with a howl, the silk of his semen floating between our two heated souls.

I arched against him. He breathed hotly into my ear as I panted his name like a mantra.

“Caleb. Yes, Caleb. Fuck. Caleb.”

My body buzzed with frenetic energy as his erotic touch pulsed through my body. His hands held me tight as I spasmed, coming in fitful waves. I was untethered, spiraling out of control. The force of my orgasm vibrated between our two bodies, now coming together as one, until we collapsed on the bed in a heap, not knowing where he began and I ended.