Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,39

the back. “I thought Zade was going to make a meal out of you.” He raised his brows, shaking his head. “That was utterly brilliant. Stupid, but brilliant.”

Now reminded of the brilliant, but stupid plan, sharp pain laced her forearm. Biting back a groan, she looked down and her blood dripped onto the floor. The cut on her arm was much deeper than she’d thought, split right open, and she also noticed the bite marks on her thigh from Holten, all declaring her in bad shape. “Ugh. Haven, you better let go, I’m bleeding all over you.”

Haven jumped away, cringing at the puddle of blood on the floor, and a hot wave of disgust sped through the bond. “Eww.”

“Here, I’ll take care of that,” Zia said, approaching from the side. “What a silly thing to do.”

Taking Nexi’s injured hand, the witch squeezed tight and as Zia’s eyes fluttered closed, a sharp sting, followed by a horrible throb, erupted through Nexi’s forearm and thigh. A scream tore from her throat, even if she did her best to mask it. Deep cuts obviously hurt more than bruises to heal because this…sucked.

Within seconds, the pain vanished, and she hissed through her teeth to release the breath she’d held. Turning her arm from side to side, she noticed it had completely healed. “That’s so cool. Hurt like hell. But still, very cool.”

Zia smiled. “Just think of me as a giant Band-Aid.”

Nexi chuckled, lowered her arm, and scanned the room. However, the one face she sought had vanished, too. Why she needed Kyden to congratulate her was beyond her, but apparently she did, and seeing him gone had a similar effect as a blow to the gut.

“May I hug you?”

Drake’s soft voice jerked her head to the front, and she discovered him standing there with a warm expression. “Pardon?”

His eyebrows drew together. Was his chin quivering? “I know we’re still getting to know each other, but if I may, I’d like to hug you.”

No one had ever asked her such a question. “Err…okay.”

Drake gathered her in his arms and held her tight against him. “I’m so proud of you. Your mother would be so proud of you. You’ve handled all this with grace when most would’ve crumbled. And you fought with such bravery.”

Sinking into his embrace and leaning her head against his chest, she didn’t realize she wanted his hug, or needed it, but being in his arms comforted her. The warmth that touched her heart made her smile. Maybe she needed Drake more because Kyden’s absence brought forth emptiness.

Why had he left?

Chapter Twelve

The medley of rich flowery scents delighted Nexi, as she walked along the cobblestone pathway in the Otherworld’s garden and let her hands graze along the tops of the bushes. The flowers were in full bloom and everything looked wonderfully alive.

Once the pathway curved to the left, she arrived at the pond, and she sat down on the bench, watching the fish swimming. Before tonight, she’d have thought the worst things about Kyden and what a jerk he’d been by leaving her like that.

Now things had changed.

Maybe the acceptance of her supernatural self had shifted something inside, which made Kyden’s reactions clearer. Whatever it was, she didn’t only see herself differently, she saw Kyden in a new light, too.

He cared for her.

Tracing the willow tree on the hip of her kilt, and knowing every step he made—even if some of it involved chest-beating—had been done with thoughts of her in his mind, made her stomach tighten with guilt. Even his lesson last night had the desired effect. No longer could she deny how much he restrained his forceful side for her.

She highly doubted it was the guardian’s way to allow a woman to make the first move, yet Kyden had swallowed his pride and done so anyway…for her. Perhaps he had some caveman tendencies within all those muscles, but he wasn’t a douche bag. Besides, when had she thought of him of like that—over herself?

Not once.

She’d been so wrapped up in her own fight, her need to prove herself in this new supernatural world and in her desire to hunt the werewolf, she hadn’t thought of anyone but herself. Which was, in fact, totally douchebaggery.

A sudden rock skipped along the pathway in front of her, dragging her out of her thoughts. She glimpsed sideways, discovering Kyden striding down the path toward her with that same fierce look on his face. A flare of happiness engulfed her a second before he grasped her