shirt down to nibble his way to her shoulder, his thighs hard against hers, his arousal even harder.
“Sean.”
“Don’t stop me.” His words were whispered, savage. “I need this. Don’t stop me.”
She wouldn’t dream of it. “I just like saying your name,” she said.
Sean raised his head. His eyes were almost white, the beautiful blue swallowed. Every line of his face was tight, his mouth pulling in pain.
“Fucking hell,” he whispered. “No. Let me have this.”
“Sean?”
Sean collapsed to his knees, his hands so tight on her wrists that Andrea went down with him. They ended up in the mud near the wheel of the car, Andrea crouching, Sean folding in on himself.
“Where do you hurt? Let me see.”
Sean curled one arm across his belly. “Everywhere. You’re right, it’s the Collar.”
Andrea stared at Sean’s Collar, but it was a silent silverblack streak on his neck. She’d seen it shock him deeply in the bar, but he’d fought first the human and then Callum, as though he felt nothing. And then he’d said, I’ll pay, and pay like hell.
“Delayed reaction?” she asked. “But Collars don’t work like that. Do they?”
“We’ve learned.” The words jerked out of him. “We can use ... adrenaline ... to keep the pain away. But only for so long. Then ... payback.” His words faded, the Shifter in him fighting the hurt.
Andrea wrapped her arms around him. His skin was slick with sweat, his breath coming fast, his heart going in rapid-fire beats.
“You should go home, love,” he whispered. “This won’t be pretty.”
Andrea didn’t bother to answer. She kissed his damp hair, rested her head against his, and closed her eyes.
The pain wove through Sean in bright, hot lines that streaked from his Collar and around his body like fishing line—strong, tight, strangling. It was somewhat like what caught her in the nightmares, though not as arbitrary and terrifying. This was almost organized, technology making the magic threads ruler-straight.
Andrea eased her concentration under the threads and slowly, slowly started to loosen them. The pain clamped Sean hard, the Fae magic almost gleeful. He’d cheated the magic, and now the magic wanted its revenge.
No, Andrea told it. You will obey me.
Magic wasn’t an entity. It was a force, without intelligence. But Andrea fought it now, and it fought back like an enemy.
In her mind’s eye, Sean’s Collar gleamed on his throat like a white-hot band, the Celtic knot a tangle of bright energy. When fighting adrenaline flowed through a Shifter, the Fae magic sensed it and triggered the shocks. The manmade electricity was enhanced by the magic to make the pain excruciating, plus the magic also made certain the Collar never ran out of power and could never be removed. Andrea knew all this intellectually, but seeing the pain with her mind, feeling it with her fingers, made her very, very angry.
The Collar’s spells were strong, locked hard in place. Andrea knew she couldn’t negate the power, but she could at least ease its intensity.
It took longer than she’d have liked, but Andrea managed to snake her healing magic beneath the Collar and loosen the wires of pain. Sean’s body began to relax, as, one by one, the bright wires unwound themselves from him and retreated.
Sean drew a long breath. When Andrea opened her eyes, he was looking at her, his irises calmed back to lake blue.
Andrea exhaled in relief. “Better?”
Sean’s answer was a growl. He dragged Andrea into his arms and brought his hard mouth down on hers.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
His mate. Andrea had leapt to his defense, ready to fight for him, and then, when Sean had collapsed in mortal pain, she’d pushed her Fae magic into him and healed him. He’d felt the Collar’s agony cease and slink away, as though she’d commanded it to go. He’d opened his eyes to find Andrea’s head bowed, eyes closed, her brow puckered in a little frown as she concentrated on easing his pain.
She was the most beautiful thing on this earth.
The ground was wet, cold, uncomfortable. Sean dragged Andrea up with him, kissing her as he rose to his feet with newfound strength. He pushed her down against the stillwarm hood of the car, and she smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
Andrea’s mouth was a point of heat. Sean licked it. He liked the taste so much he continued licking across her lips, and then down her chin and her slender throat. Her shirt was tight against her body, and Sean reached to tear the fabric away.