sleepy eyes and mussy hair. She was perfect in the morning.
She blinked. “I need to get back to my math, Ivar. The boards are calling me.”
He grinned. Man, she was cute. From the very beginning, he’d thought so. “All right.” He rolled her over, planting himself on top of her. “In a few minutes.” Then he kissed her.
* * * *
Even after a lovely shower and serviceable breakfast at the cabin, Promise was more unsettled than she’d been defending her first dissertation when Logan arrived to teleport them back to demon headquarters. The mating had gone way beyond mere bodily functions and sex. “You’re kind of kinky, Ivar,” she said, following him outside to the rocks.
He snorted. “I’m just me.”
Yes. That was correct. And he was far from the growly and easygoing guy who’d cooked stew in her unstocked kitchen. There were depths to him, and they were not at all human. Her visceral reaction to him, to the dominance in him, both thrilled and concerned her.
Never in her life had she found it difficult to handle an issue with her brain instead of emotions. Until now.
Logan waited at the far edge of the rock, dressed in a torn T-shirt and dark jeans, a bandage wrapped around his right forearm.
Promise drew near. “What is this?”
He removed the cotton and showed a three-inch gash already turning red and swollen. “Garrett and I were sparring, and he got me with a good fake. Thought since I was coming to pick you up, you’d like to see healing cells at work.”
She gasped, rushing toward him, her mind going on full alert. “That is so kind.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Sure.” Then he looked at the wound, breathed in and exhaled evenly.
The wound stitched itself together and then healed, the muscle and sinew beneath the skin smoothing out within a few seconds.
She straightened. “That happened so quickly.” Waiting for his nod, she prodded the healed skin, running her fingers along the tendon and finding no ridges or abnormalities. “Truly excellent.”
Ivar slipped his arm around her waist and drew her back into his hard body. Her abdomen did a slow roll, and desire flushed along her skin, warming her even more than the hybrid’s proximity. “Don’t think of attempting that on yourself for a while, little professor.”
Heat climbed into her face. She had been considering a couple of experiments. But it did most likely take time for the ability to develop. “We’ll see.” It wouldn’t do to allow Ivar to become too bossy with her.
His hold tightened. “Logan?”
Logan’s eyes twinkled. “The queen is ready to perform MRIs on everybody, if you’d like to start with an experiment today.”
Promise hopped, exhilaration finally taking over the warning ticking through her. “Wonderful. I want to get started.” Her mind flicked through facts she knew about royalty. “With this queen, what’s the protocol?” The last thing she wanted was to start off on the wrong foot with the Queen of the Realm.
“Huh?” Logan asked.
Oh, men were clueless. “Is there a curtsy involved? Do I say, ‘Long live the queen,’ or is there some other form of address?”
Logan scratched his skin where the wound had healed. “We just usually hold out an arm.”
Promise ducked her chin. What kind of royal protocol was that? “I’m not comprehending. Is the queen a hugger?” Maybe it was a two-kiss-on-the-cheeks type of situation.
Logan snorted. “No, but chances are, she’ll have a syringe with her. If she wants your blood, let her have it.”
“No kidding,” Ivar muttered. “Benny stayed at headquarters for a week last month, and he was determined not to donate blood for her research. The woman waited until he was asleep and pretty much attacked him.”
Logan nodded. “Yeah. Not much Ben could do in that situation. It wasn’t like he could throw her across the room or anything.”
Promise faltered. She was uncertain how to respond. Then an idea hit her. She’d shielded her mind automatically when Logan had appeared. Hadn’t even had to think about it. Was it possible to just remove the shield? She concentrated on sliding it sideways. Ice picks attacked her temple, and she sucked in air, falling back against Ivar.
“What are you doing?” Ivar’s mouth touched her temple.
“Just experimenting,” she said, drawing the shield back into place and sighing as the diamonds sparkled and stopped the pain.
“A warning next time would be nice,” Ivar said, then turned to Logan. “Before we hit Realm headquarters, what’s the status with the Kurjan kid?”
“Safe,” Logan said. “With us. Haven’t sent him home