Chapter Three
The throbbing ache started so small. It was a gentle pulse of pain that existed deep in his middle, and with each beat, it got brighter and bigger.
Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum.
The pain throbbed in rhythm to his heartbeat, growing, growing, consuming more of his body like a wildfire gone out of control.
It grew, and grew, and grew until he couldn’t stand it. He was burning alive!
A snarl ripped out of him as Damian sat up. The agony blinded him, and he clenched his eyes closed against the bright lights above, curling in on himself like that would help keep his body together.
There was a buzzing sound. A mosquito? The buzzing was getting louder, but he could still barely hear it over the growl of his tiger that was ripping through him.
And then he heard her.
“It’s okay. I’m here.”
He knew that voice.
Misty.
He unfurled his body slightly and opened his eyes, searching with an urgency he didn’t understand quite yet. Where was he?
The room was a blur behind her, with dark mahogany-colored walls and ceiling, with dingy green accents.
But in front of that muddy background, Misty’s worried blue eyes were trained on him.
She looked different than he remembered from the first time he’d seen her that morning Stellan had attacked her.
Her hair was dyed lighter, and she wore more make-up now.
She had smokey shimmery black on her eyelid, making the blue in her eyes look frostier.
From here he could see the light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.
Her full lips were forming words he couldn’t hear.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to stop the snarling that was filling his head.
I’m here.
He was shaking badly. Why? What was wrong with him?
He looked around, taking stock of the dimly lit room. He was lying on the floor. A blanket was halfway under him, and also some branches had been tucked around him. Branches?
He got stuck on those.
“What is this?” he asked. Why were his words slurring?
“Well, I used all my strength getting you in the car earlier, apparently,” she said, her hands resting on his shoulders like she was trying to keep him pinned down.
He grabbed her wrists and pried them off him. He didn’t like feeling trapped. The tiger would revolt. Misty moved to put them back on his bare chest, but he shook her off and sat up. It hurt like hell, but the throbbing sensation was already going away.
He looked down at his bare stomach, and geez, Stellan had gutted him.
“Staples?” he uttered.
“I figured out real quick I just had to get your skin touching the other side and you were fusing yourself together as I worked. No use taking the time with sutures. Your skin is reacting poorly to the staples though.”
“Are they made of silver?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t check the ingredients on a package of staples,” she gritted out. “I had to figure out on the fly how to even get your skin together. This whole section was just butterfly bandages. I’ve been taking the staples out as soon as your scars lighten up. They start out so red.”
“I’m not vain. I don’t care what it looks like. Where the hell are we?”
“My uncle’s place.”
Red Flag. “Your…your uncle?”
“Yep.”
“And the branches?” he asked. One was jamming him in the leg. He snapped it off and kicked some of the others away from him.
“Well, I don’t know what kind of nest you need! I was trying to make you comfortable.”
He stared at the pile of dried limbs she’d shoved tightly all around him. Sarcastically, he said, “Maybe next time try a bed of nails.”
“Okay, you know what? I’m traumatized from whatever this is, and you’re being rude to me.” She shoved him and he fell over with a yelp. “Take your own staples out, asshole.”
And then he watched her stand up and make her way to a table where she had a bunch of medical utensils. In shock, he pushed back up on a locked arm and studied his chest and stomach. Stellan had tried to fuckin’ eat him. He was going to kill his dumbest brother.
He might have…well…he might have actually died this time without Misty helping him. He inhaled deeply and muttered, “I need food.”
“That wasn’t even close to an apology, and you know what? You’re welcome.”
“What?”
“You’re. Welcome,” she snapped, turning toward him and leaning a half-cocked hip against the table of medical supplies.
Her eyes were blue fire and resting unblinking on him. Whoo, spicy little human.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he mumbled.
She cupped her ear. “Heh? Come again? I can’t hear your gratefulness.”
“Are you always like this?” he demanded.
“Again. Traumatized! Twice. By whatever it is you and your brother are doing. I have a good life,” she snapped.
“I was almost engaged four months ago. I have an apartment, and a savings account, and I’m thinking about getting a cat.
I have four plants I haven’t killed yet, and I’m respected at my job.
I pay all my own bills and don’t ask anyone for anything.
The only drama I currently have in my life is that you and your brothers keep trying to kill me! And I don’t even know your name!”
Damian cleared his throat and ducked his gaze to the weird nest she had made him. It was kind of sweet in a weird way, if he was a fuckin’ seagull or something.
“Damian Ledger. People call me Dame.” He winced as he plucked a staple from a healed line under his collar bone. People would be calling him Frankenstein’s monster if they spied him at the pool this summer.
He dropped the staple into the metal bowl with the others. It made a soft clink sound. “My body rejects silver,” he ground out.
“Sounds like a werewolf thing, but you are a tiger. I saw you. I’ve had nightmares about it for years.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t my intention to Change in front of you, lady. I was a little busy trying to save your life.”
“Yeah well…” She gestured to him. “Now we’re even.”
His head was throbbing and he scrubbed his hands down his face.
“You look like death and you still have a six pack,” she muttered, gesturing to his stomach.
Dame looked down at himself. “Yeah, well that’s literally the one pro to being the monster. I stay chiseled.”
“Well, that is kind of awesome,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still staring at his torso, and her eyes had softened. Ha. She liked what she saw, even through the mauling and the scars. He could tell.
“Bet it gets you all the ladies.”
“Oh yeah, all the ladies that I can’t maintain a relationship with because I’m half fuckin’ tiger. Lucky me. I’m killin’ it at life.”
“Your eyes do look insane,” she said, gesturing to his face.
Oh, he could imagine what he looked like right now. His tiger would be riled up until he was fully healed. His eyes would be molten gold and glowing, and the angles of his face would be sharp as glass for another day at least. “What’s up with the almost fiancé?”
“What’s up with me telling you all the awesome stuff about my life and your only take-away being about a fiancé?” she popped back.
Ha. She was quick. Okay.
“Just curious,” he murmured, pushing up. He swayed and had to hold onto the bed he must’ve been on for part of the surgery. The covers were still damp. He locked his arms on the bed and stared at the huge red bloodstain that had soaked the comforter. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”
“I thought I was going to lose you,” she said softly. “I really thought.”
Fuck. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, standing. He controlled the pain on his face this time. He would be better so she wouldn’t worry.
She still stood there with her arms crossed. Misty shrugged, and her eyes softened even more. “How do you know my name? You said it before you passed out.”
He huffed a sigh. “I need to eat. I need food bad. I’ll pass out again if I don’t get something in me. Healing this fast takes a lot of energy.”
“How do you know my name?”
Crap, she was immoveable when she wanted to be. He swayed dangerously again and sank onto the edge of the bed, slumping his shoulders forward. “I looked you up after that morning. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ve been following your Instagram account all these years.”
Her delicately arched eyebrows drew down. “What is your handle on there?”
“Lame—”
“Lame Dame10! Oh my gosh! You like all of my posts!”
He shrugged. “You’re funny. And innocent. And you’re this wholesome, entertaining person.” He shrugged again. Fuck, was he blushing? Get it together. “Very human.”
“I checked your page once!” she exclaimed. “You had only posted a couple of pictures of landscapes though, and when I asked to follow you back, you denied me.”
He cocked his head. “If I did, I didn’t mean to. I don’t know how to use the damn thing.”
She snorted. It was this cute little sound, almost a laugh, and her face transformed with a slight smile. God, she was stunning. She was even prettier in person than in her pictures online.
She did this cute head-bob thing and told him, “I’ll go get you some food.”
“I can come with you.” His instinct to stay right with her was overwhelming. He would be toast in a fight right now, but he could buy her some time to escape at least. “We need to move locations soon.”
“Why? How would they be able to track me here?”
“Has your uncle seen me?”
“My uncle is a prepper.”
“Come again?”
“He’s one of those old-school, prepare-for-the-end-of-days, huge storm shelter, put his house right in the middle of acreage kind of guy.”
“Okay?”
“My car is currently parked in what looks like an abandoned barn, and I would bet my left leg he threw a tarp over it before he left for work. He sees nothing, says nothing. At least if it’s a favor I ask.”
“He saw me?”
She nodded.
“Was I…” He cleared his throat. “Was I making noises or anything?”
“Growling? Yeah. My Uncle Tim is the only one who believed me years ago when I told him I was attacked by a tiger man.” Her forced smile was empty. “Good memories.”