Chapter 37
Narae slid reluctantly into consciousness and was instantly greeted by the dull throb of pain. Sucking in a breath, she grimaced and forced her eyes open. She was on a bed in a medical room. Daemon was standing in the corner, arms folded across his chest, feet splayed, and glaring at her.
“H-hi,” she stammered, uncertainty swamping her.
Breathing slow and steady, she took stock of herself.
She remembered fighting Lionel. She remembered going wolf-shit crazy and losing herself in the ferality of her beast. It felt good.
It felt damn good! And she’d been winning.
She was besting Lionel before he’d stabbed her.
Chicken shit prick!
She’d always known Lionel was a coward. When he’d stabbed her, she’d lost her confidence, and he’d capitalized on it. He would have killed her if it weren’t for Koe.
Koe… Memory drifted over her like a feather brushing skin. Something had happened with Koe. Concentrating harder, she kept thinking of Koe until it all came back. She’d turned on him. She’d squared up against Koe! Heart hammering, now, her gaze slid back to Daemon.
Is that why he’s so angry?
Had she fucked up? Had she attacked Koe? She’d been in wolf form, she was hurt, and she couldn’t shift, and Koe had been commanding her, but she’d refused. She hadn’t attacked Koe, but she hadn’t obeyed him either because she’d been holding her ground, waiting.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for… Daemon! Her wolf had needed Daemon to bring her down, and he had. He’d come for her, and she’d collapsed into him. It was the last thing she remembered. Looking at her hands now, she wondered how or when she’d shifted back to her human skin.
Her eyes went back to Daemon as he lowered his arms and stalked toward her. Her knee-jerk response was to apologize.
“I’m s-sorry.”
His frown deepened, his voice was gruff when he said, “You fucked up.”
Lowering her head, she tried to ignore the throb of pain at the base of her collarbone where Lionel had stabbed her.
“Weren’t you told to remain in the house?”
So, that’s what he was mad about. She’d defied orders. “They were burning your home,” she argued, “Daemon, I just…”
“You should have let it burn,” he roared, cutting her off and making her wince. “I don’t give a fuck about that cabin, Narae.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I should have obeyed.”
“And I don’t give a fuck about your obedience either.”
Shaking her head, she huffed, “Then what? Why are you so mad?”
“I’m mad because you got hurt!” he raged.
Stalking closer, his hands fisted and unfisted like he wanted to grab her.
“I’m mad because you thought I cared so much about some fucking cabin that you risked yourself to protect it.
I’m mad that I wasn’t there to protect you.
” His face was red, his eyes glistening with fury.
“I’m mad that fuck Lionel touched you! Do you know what could have happened? ” he bellowed. “What almost happened?”
“It was just me,” she countered. “I didn’t put anyone else at risk.”
“You’re not fucking listening,” he roared, then turned and punched a hole into the wall. Sheet rock rained down on his arm as Daemon pulled his fist from the wall, then planted both hands on it. Head lowering, his shoulders rose and fell with his rapid breathing.
Narae stared at the expanse of his back, his powerful muscles pressed against his black t-shirt. Afraid to say anything else, she didn’t.
When Daemon spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?”
For me?
“I stopped praying for you years ago.” He turned to face her, his expression solemn, all the anger gone. “I asked Koe to lock you in the cells beneath the compound.”
That information was startling.
“I wanted to protect you however I could, but Koe said you’d hate me for it.
” He shrugged, “And I didn’t fucking care.
If it meant keeping you safe, I didn’t care if you hated me forever.
” He crossed to tower over her. “But he said Jury wouldn’t agree, and he wasn’t going to lock up his Luna.
He said that the two of you would be trapped if the house were breached, and he was right, so I agreed, but I never thought… ” His words tapered off.
“I couldn’t let them win,” Narae offered tremulously.
“They’ve already taken so much from Jury and me.
I didn’t want them taking more. I couldn’t allow it.
And I know it was stupid. I knew it was stupid when I was racing to your cabin.
But I couldn’t stop myself, Daemon. I didn’t want you to lose something just because you all had welcomed us in.
I didn’t want your home burned to the ground just because you tried to do a good thing. I didn’t want…”
When she didn’t finish, Daemon ordered, “Didn’t want what?”
“I didn’t want you to resent us. To resent me if something bad happened, if you lost something important to you.”
He barked a humorless laugh. “Are you fucking kidding?”
Her head whipped up, eyes locking on his.
“This whole compound could burn down on my head, and I wouldn’t care as long as you were alright.
” Grabbing her hand gently, he ran his thumb over her knuckles.
“You, Narae! You’re the only fucking thing that matters to me.
Not this cabin, not this place, not this land.
You! I’ve waited my whole fucking life for you.
And I didn’t think I deserved you, and that this would never happen for me.
And when you got hurt, and we weren’t sure if you were gonna make it, I got so damn mad.
Because me losing is so typical. My whole life, good things have been dangled in front of me and then ripped away.
And all I could think was, here we go again.
But it was different this time. This time, I couldn’t lie to myself or my wolf and say that it didn’t matter.
Because it does matter. You matter. You matter more to me than anything ever has, Narae. ”
She released a pent-up sigh. “So, do you still want me?”
He barked another laugh. “Want you? I don’t just want you, Narae. I need you. And I’m claiming you and keeping you and if anything like this ever happens again, I’m locking you the fuck up whether you like it or not. I can’t have my woman charging off into battle like she’s some kind of Demon.”
She grinned and boasted, “I was kicking the shit outta Lionel before he stabbed me.”
“I don’t wanna talk about him or any of those Biter cowards.” He paused a moment. “Are you okay about Bragga. I know he was your…”
“He was nothing,” she cut him off. “And he got what he deserved. I’m glad it was you who killed him.”
Daemon held her gaze for a minute, and she could tell he was trying to gauge her sincerity, so she didn’t blink. She wanted him to know that she meant every word. When he finally seemed satisfied, she asked quick, while she suffered a moment of bravery, “Would you kiss me?”
She watched his Adam’s apple dip low in his throat before he said, “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I picked you up off that field all bloody and broken.
But I didn’t want to take any liberties while you were out.
But I’ve been wanting, Narae. I’ve been aching to my marrow to place my lips on yours. ”
She melted at his words, a grin curving her lips.
Tilting her chin up, she closed her eyes and waited.
She didn’t have to wait long. Heavy footsteps sounded, and then she was enveloped in Daemon’s dark woodsy scent.
She felt the fan of his breath, and then his lips pressed into hers, not urgent or insistent, just steady, like him.
She kissed him back and wanted desperately to lift her arms to wrap around him, but that was too much for her right now; her body wasn’t ready.
Daemon broke the kiss. Pulling back a fraction, he looked deep in her eyes before stealing another gentle peck. Reaching down, he tucked her blanket tightly around her. “Come on.” He eased one arm beneath her knees and the other carefully behind her shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to your room. It’ll be our place for now until I can rebuild your cabin.”
“My cabin?”
He gave her a lopsided smile as he stood. “I didn’t build that place for me, love. I built it for my mate.”
“You don’t have to rebuild on my account. We could live anywhere. As long as we’re together and close to Jury.”
Daemon stopped walking and looked down at her, his smile slipping. “As long as we’re together?”
Narae shrugged her good shoulder. “I waited my whole life for you too.”
Daemon drew in a slow breath like her words had broken something in him, and he was finally able to drag in real air. Finally, he started walking. He shouldered his way through the door and growled, “Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be to sleep next to you without touching you?”
Narae frowned, “Who said no touching?”
“Oliver said you need at least five days to get back to normal, even with your shifter healing, so five days it is.”
“Five days?” Narae groused. “I bet we’re fucking in three.”
“Jesus Christ,” Daemon hissed. “You can’t talk like that, love, because I can’t handle it.”
Narae giggled. “These next few days are going to be fun.”
Daemon was shaking his head. “Hell. I’m in hell, aren’t I?”
As he carried her up the stairs, their voices carried through the foyer as Narae asked, “You gonna help me shower?”
“Woman!” he barked. “Stop. Do you know how hard it is to walk with an erection?”