Bennett - Milly Taiden Page 0,33

it to the very core of himself. Dakota nodded before settling into his side again. His hand went back to running up and down her body, exploring the curves and dips of her. Bennett knew his erection was evident in the thin fabric of the pajama pants and sheet that covered him.

If Dakota had an issue with the appendage making an appearance, she didn’t mention it.

He wanted to ask her about the mate stuff she had mentioned while he was still fighting death, but he thought better of it. There would be plenty of time to talk later.

At that moment, all he wanted was to quiet the voices in his head that seemed to clamor for Dakota. Having her in his arms settled him. Settled the voices. He could only guess that it was the animal inside of him that was already so attracted to her.

He fell asleep to the sound of her heart, and it was the most comforting sound he had ever heard.

Mine.

Chapter Seventeen

Dakota

Dakota left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She didn’t want to go, but she knew it was probably for the best to give Bennett some time to acclimatize himself with his new self. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how destabilizing it would be for him to wake up in a whole new body. One he didn’t necessarily understand yet. It would take time for him to get used to it.

He needed his rest, and so did she. She couldn’t do that while her animal was losing her ever-loving mind over Bennett’s proximity. Had she noticed his huge hard-on? Yes, of course, she had. How could she not? The man was sporting a significant trouser snake.

But that didn’t mean she could just jump his bones. He needed rest. Dakota also knew that she couldn’t push him.

There was a burning question she had been dying to ask him, but she hadn’t.

There was no subtle, chill way of just flat out asking, hey, am I your mate? Do you want to be with me forever? Is that erection for me, or are you just filled with new high levels of testosterone right now?

She knew she would sound insane.

She thought it best to wait until he asked her about it or to see if he had any reaction to her at all. When he had stated that she smelled bad, her heart had died. Thankfully, he had just been sensing her panic at his situation. Still, it didn’t bode too well for them as mates that he hadn’t felt it immediately.

At least he was alive and doing as well as could be expected. That was something. A victory for sure.

Dakota dragged her feet all the way to the kitchen, spurred on by the sound of rushed whispers. She wondered what the docs were doing and why they seemed to be in a tizzy.

“What’s going on?” she said as she rounded the corner.

Vance was lying on the ground. His skin was covered in angry-looking red splotches. Even only a few feet away, Dakota could tell that he wasn’t breathing correctly. This wheezing of his breath was alarming.

“What now?” she snapped despite herself. “Corey? Stuart? Get your asses in here. There’s something wrong with Vance.”

Really, how many medical emergencies could a gal be witness too before she cracked?

She knelt down by Vance’s side.

“I…can’t…breathe,” he managed to puff out.

Vance did look insanely pale under his hives. His breathing was becoming more labored by the second.

“What happened?” She moved his neck, hoping to open his airways.

He didn’t answer for a few seconds. “Pea…nut…aller…gy.” Vance pointed to the syringe in his hand. “Meds.”

Dakota was panicked. It was bad enough that she had turned Bennett into a shifter with the serum. But now, she couldn’t have a man die from anaphylactic shock on her watch. There would be no coming back from that. She grabbed the needle from Vance’s hand, vaguely noting that it didn’t feel or look like the EpiPens she had seen in her life and in movies.

Now wasn’t the time to compare life and media.

She had to act.

With force, she jammed the needle into Vance’s leg and pushed the plunger down.

“I need to call an ambulance for you,” she panted. “Just hang on.”

“No,” Vance gasped in pain. “Be fine in a minute.”

There was no time to argue with him. “Corey! Stuart! Call 911. Vance had to use his EpiPen.”

The other two docs came crashing through the kitchen. Corey was panting and clearly in anguish. Stuart was brandishing an EpiPen