Cora sagged against him, her fingers absently toying with the hair at his nape. He wondered how long he'd be able to stand that without having to make love to her.
Her fingers stilled for a moment as she glanced at him from the corners of her eyes before a wicked little smile curled her lips.
"Where are we going? I only have this rental car for another day, so if you're hoping to drive somewhere at a distance, I'm afraid - "
"Into the nearest town, then the airport," Alec said, warring with his need to claim Cora again - her mouth, her body, her soul - and common sense.
"Will do," Noelle said, turning onto a main highway.
"Airport?" Cora asked. "Where are we going?"
"Where do you live?" he countered.
"Outside of San Francisco."
"Then we'll have a doctor see you first, and fly into San Francisco, so we can pick up your passport and anything you want to bring with you."
"Bring with me where?" she asked, and by the way she held herself, he knew she was in increasing pain. He wished he could take it from her, and nuzzled her neck, hoping to distract her.
"Florence."
"Florence . . . Italy?" Cora asked, her voice a squeak as he nibbled on her earlobe. Jesus wept! Do that sucky thing behind my ear again.
He sucked. She moaned in his head.
Why Italy?
That's where my friend and his Beloved live.
The friend you betrayed?
Yes. Kristoff and Pia are tied up with de Marco and Ulfur. They'll help us.
Why on earth would they do that when you betrayed one and seduced the other?
He smiled at the jealousy she fought whenever she thought of Pia.
We didn't have sex, mi corazon. Well, she touched me, I touched her, and that was it. I suppose you could call that sort of a minor form of sex. Regardless, you have nothing to be jealous of.
I am not . . . oh, move on. Why would they help us?
Because I'm not going to give them any other choice, he said, and gently pushed her out of his mind. He had some planning to do.
Two hours later Cora limped out to Noelle's car, glaring at him when he offered to carry her.
"The tetanus shot hurt more than the bullet. Stop hovering over me, Alec, I'm fine. It's just a smidgen pinchy now. Did you do something to me to make me heal faster than normal? Because that doctor said that it looked like the wound was several days old, and almost healed over."
He kept to the shadows of the medical building before sliding next to her into the backseat of the car. "I haven't done anything to you, no. It could be the Tool making you . . . more."
"More what?" Cora looked startled at the idea.
"More than mortal, I think," Noelle said, starting the car, pausing to glance back at him. "We Beloveds, even when not Joined, are kind of . . . oh, I like to think of us as 'woman plus.' We have extra bonus abilities, like healing faster, and being more resilient, things like that."
"We Beloveds?" Cora almost choked on the word.
She thinks you're my Beloved. Do not argue with her - it's easier if she believes it to be true.
Is it? She clearly wanted to say more, but withdrew from him mentally.