Demonic Vampires (Supernatural Shifter Academy #3) - G. Bailey Page 0,22

am…

A moment too long, it seems. An instant later, there’s the sound of the bedroom door opening, and a familiar roguish lilt hits my ears. “You know, Boots, you could’ve…” But his voice trails off when he sees me, half naked and scrambling to cover myself back up.

“Sorry,” I murmur, a blush filling my cheeks. “I didn’t know where you went.”

The wolf shifter stares at me for a moment before slowly crossing the room. I’m surprised to see that his grey eyes aren’t locked to my body at all, but rather the welt on my side. And there’s something in his expression… concern, I realise with a start. The Academy criminal is actually concerned about me. “When did that happen?” he asks, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Self consciously, I close the robe more tightly around myself. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell him. “Happened when I hit the water, I think.”

He hisses through his teeth. “They say it can feel like concrete.”

Wincing, I give a rueful chuckle. “Wish I’d known that before I jumped, but what can you do?”

Shade extends his hand, and it takes a moment for me to realise he’s waiting for the ice pack. “May I?”

“Uh… sure,” I reply, passing it to him. Unfazed by the cold, he gently applies it to my side over the top of the robe, his movements achingly gentle. He hasn’t been this intimately close to me since that night on the rooftop of the Boston Academy, and it’s clear that my feelings haven’t dulled for him in the slightest since then.

“You’re shaking,” Shade remarks, giving me a half-smile, but the worry in his eyes is clear as day.

“Just tired,” I reply, but I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes.

Slowly, the wolf shifter reaches up to place his hand over the skin of my chest not covered by the bathrobe. “And your heart is beating fast,” he observes.

I raise my eyes to meet his, and the intensity of his gaze is almost enough to make me forget where I am. “I…” I whisper, my voice breathless, but then the bedroom door opens and Silas enters the room, dressed in a new change of clothes. Shade and I jump apart like we’ve both received an electric shock, but to my surprise, it’s Silas who looks the most taken aback.

“Sorry,” the dragon shifter says at once, clearing his throat and taking a step back. “I didn’t realise you two were…”

“It’s okay,” I hasten to tell him. “Silas was just helping me with an injury. Nothing serious,” I add when I see the expression of alarm on the dragon shifter’s face. “We’re not -- I mean, it’s not like…” Fuck. Why do I always end up tripping over myself the moment feelings come into the equation? The fact that I’m in love with both of them doesn’t ease my discomfort in the slightest.

“Well, gee,” Shade jokes dryly, “you could’ve just told me my kiss was that bad, Boots.”

I snap my head up to look at him with an offended expression, giving him a playful shrug. “That’s not it!” I insist. “You were fine. No, great. God, I’m terrible at this.” My blush intensifies as I glance over at Silas, who is watching the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and amusement on his face. This all suddenly feels too serious, and I feel the need to take the edge off. “Silas, back me up here.”

Silas raises his eyebrows, looking from me to Shade. “I wouldn’t know-” he begins.

I snort, collapsing onto the bed. “You two are unbelievable,” I joke. “You’re both great, okay? Better than great. Fantastic kissers.”

I would’ve once expected some jibes from the guys, or at the very least a surly look, so I’m surprised when they exchange a look and then burst out laughing. “Relax, Boots,” Shade tells me, coming to sit next to me on the bed. “I’m not territorial. Hard to believe, I know.”

“And I’ve told you before, I’m more interested in making sure you’re happy,” Silas adds, sitting down on my other side. “Although,” he adds dryly, “I’d be interested in a formal comparison.”

“Mm,” Shade agrees, and it’s only then that I realise just how close they both are. “Thoughts, Boots?”

“I…” I feel like I’ve lost my ability to speak.

“Only one way to find out,” murmurs the wolf shifter, nodding once to Silas before nuzzling his mouth into my neck. I let out a gasp as his teeth gently worry the skin there, and out of the