Hamid drew me close to him, and we clasped our hands together. I had to close my eyes against the tide of magic that flowed around us. It didn’t hurt, but the prickling sensation all over my body was not at all pleasant. It was ten times worse than this when Orias or one of the other warlocks did one of their tests on me.

  Alaron looked ready to lose it when he saw his spell hadn’t hurt us. If Orias and Ciro hadn’t been there, I felt certain the demon would have come after us. The spell protected us from his magic, but physically, he was a match for Hamid.

  The warlocks moved closer to Alaron, their chants growing louder and more urgent. He swatted away their spells like they were annoying gnats, but his stare was still fixed on Hamid and me.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I looked into the face of pure evil. For the first time in my life, I felt real, bone-chilling fear.

  After what felt like an eternity, he turned his attention back to Orias and Ciro. Hamid squeezed my hand reassuringly, and I started breathing normally again.

  When Alaron spun away from the warlocks, I knew he’d abandoned the fight and was about to make his escape again. I kept my eyes glued to him, waiting for him to disappear any second. There was nothing Hamid or I could do to stop him. It was all on Orias and Ciro now.

  The demon whirled back to face us, his arm moving so fast I couldn’t see it.

  In the next instant, Hamid was in front of me, spinning me around so he shielded me with his body.

  His body jerked, and he hissed in pain. At the same time, there was a bright flash behind us and the room erupted in shouts and cries. I knew without looking that Alaron had left.

  I waited for Hamid to let me go, but his hold didn’t lessen. If anything, he seemed to be leaning into me more.

  “I think it’s safe.” I patted his arm when he didn’t respond. “If you’re trying to cop a feel, you’re going about it all wrong.”

  He chuckled, but it was immediately smothered by a cough. His arms fell away from me and I turned to see him sway on his feet and fall to his knees.

  I caught him under the arms before he hit the floor. “What’s wrong?”

  Alaron’s magic shouldn’t have been able to hurt him, and I had no idea what to do. My mouth went dry as fear for him swelled in me.

  “Orias,” I shouted.

  The warlock ran over. “Are you two in a competition to see who can sustain the worst injuries without dying?”

  I snarled at his flippant remark. “Help him.”

  “I’m not a medic, but I’ll do what I can,” he replied calmly. “Knife wounds are not my specialty.”

  “Knife wounds?” I repeated in confusion. I followed his gaze and gasped when I saw the knife handle protruding from Hamid’s back.

  “Oh, God!” I looked down at Hamid’s head resting against my chest. “Hamid, talk to me.”

  “Mmmm,” he murmured.

  Relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced with fear. He was alive, but his sluggish response told me he was badly hurt.

  “Help me lay him down,” I said to Orias. “I need to call for a healer.”

  Beth appeared by my side. “They’re on the way. I called them as soon as I went outside.”

  She took one of Hamid’s arms, and together, we lowered him to his stomach on the floor. I pulled off my jacket and placed it under his head before I turned my attention to the knife in his back. The handle was made of what looked like onyx, and its location put the blade frighteningly close to his heart.

  A warrior his age could survive a hit to the heart if the damage wasn’t too bad, but I had no idea what Alaron had done to the knife. It could be spelled or poisoned. We were not invincible, no matter how much I wanted to believe it in that moment.

  “Orias, can you detect any magic on the knife?” I asked him.

  He held a hand over it and then carefully touched it with one finger. “It’s clean,” he said, taking his hand away.

  I let out a shaky breath. “Good. We need to remove it and give him some gunna paste.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait for your healer?” Orias asked.

  “No. Hamid’s Mori should already be trying to heal him, and the knife will slow it down. The gunna paste will help it along.”

  My paste was in my jacket under Hamid’s head, so I looked at Beth, who handed me hers. Every warrior carried a small tin of the medicine in the field.

  Laying the tin of paste on the floor, I knelt over Hamid and grasped the knife with both hands. One quick, hard pull and the blade came free. He grunted but made no other sound even though it had to hurt like hell.

  I tossed the bloody knife a few feet away and asked Beth to put pressure on the wound while I gave him the paste.

  I opened the tin and scooped out a generous amount. Leaning down, I cupped Hamid’s face, and his eyes flickered open to meet mine. His olive skin was paler than normal, and the clench of his jaw told me he was in pain.

  “You need to eat this,” I said as I put my fingers to his lips. “Xavier will be here soon.”

  He dutifully took the gunna paste and closed his eyes again. “You’re sexy when you take charge,” he slurred, earning a chuckle from Beth and a smile from me.

  I sat on the floor to cradle his head on my lap. “You remember that the next time you try to boss me around.”

  Orias stood. “It looks like he’ll survive, so I’m going to help Ciro deal with the rest of this mess.”

  I looked around for the first time since Hamid had been hit. The adults had been freed and were holding their children like they’d never let them go. The happy crying was a welcome sound after what had almost happened here.

  Orias went to join Ciro in studying the circles, and after a minute, Beth left us to see to some of the injured demons. I stayed where I was, content to let them handle everything. My only concern was making sure Hamid was okay.

  He groaned softly, and I gently rubbed the back of his neck. “What can I do?”

  “You’re doing it,” he said without opening his eyes. His hand came up to rest on my thigh. “I should take a knife to the back more often if it’ll get me this treatment.”

  My hand stilled, and I glared at him. “Don’t even joke about that.”

  A smile curved his lips. “I’ll stop if you will stop pretending you don’t care for me.”

  “That’s emotional blackmail.”

  “Only if you don’t care, which you do. Why are you so afraid to say it?”

  I swallowed. “I’m not afraid.”

  His hand lightly squeezed my leg. “For such a skilled warrior, you are a terrible liar.”

  Warmth flooded my chest. “You think I’m skilled?”

  Hamid rolled onto his back so he was looking up at me. He lifted one hand and caressed my cheek. “You are the fiercest female warrior I’ve ever known, and my heart fills with pride to know you are mine.”

  My stomach dipped wildly at the open adoration in his eyes, and it took me a moment to find my voice. “I didn’t say I was yours.”

  “Not yet, but you will.” He slid his hand behind my head and pulled me down for a brief kiss that left me hungry for more. “Soon,” he murmured against my lips before he released me.

  I sat up, trying to control my pounding heart, and Hamid wrapped one strong arm around my waist as if he expected me to flee. But I wasn’t going anywhere, not after he’d just turned my legs to Jell-O with his words. No man had ever spoken to me that way, and from anyone else, I would have hated it. But coming from him, I liked it.

  Oh, who was I kidding? I loved it. The confident way he spoke and the possessive gleam in his eyes made me want to crawl into his arms and tell him anything he wanted me to say.

  Everyone left Hamid and me to ourselves until Xavier and a half dozen other warriors arrived. They’d barely entered the building when a door slammed open, and I smiled when I heard Chris shouting Beth’s name. I got it now. I understood the protectiveness mates had for each other because I felt it for Hamid just as he did for me.

  Hamid tried to sit up, but I laid a hand against his chest to hold him. “Not until Xavier checks you out.”

  He sighed and settled down again, although it wasn’t like I could stop him if he was determined to get up. Even injured, he was ten times stronger than I was. I secretly liked that, too, not that I’d ever tell him. The man was arrogant enough.

  I looked for Xavier and saw him talking to Beth, who pointed in our direction. The healer hurried over, carrying a duffle bag, and knelt beside Hamid.

  “How is he doing?” Xavier asked me.

  “He is fine,” Hamid answered grumpily, suddenly the surly patient. “It’s not like I’ve never been cut before.”

  I glowered at him. “You were stabbed by an archdemon, and I’m pretty sure the blade nicked your heart. So, you’re going to let Xavier do whatever is necessary to help you.”

  Hamid’s scowl transformed into a smug smile. “You do care about me.”

  I lifted my eyes to meet the healer’s amused ones. “Do you have anything in that bag that will knock him out?”

  Xavier laughed and examined Hamid. “Your vitals all look good, and you seem to be healing well. I’d like to do a scan when we get back to the medical ward, just to be sure.”

  Hamid nodded and sat up with a little help from me. I was relieved to see his color had improved, even though he was still weak.

  The healer stood. “I have a stretcher in the van if you –”

  “No stretcher.” Hamid’s lip curled in disgust. “I can walk. And I need to stay here to oversee everything.”

  I got to my feet. “Chris is here along with Orias and Ciro, and I’m sure the rest of the team will be along soon. They will handle it.”

  Hamid started to argue, and I tried another tactic. “Are you really going to make me follow you around all day worrying because you didn’t take time to heal?”

  He fell silent. No bonded male could stand to see his mate emotionally distressed, especially if he was the cause. It was a low blow, but I’d just pulled a knife from his back for Christ’s sake.

  “I’ll go back to the command center,” he said at last. “But you are coming with me.”

  I smiled. “Someone has to keep you in line.”

  Xavier and I helped him to his feet, despite his protests that he could stand on his own. I caught Chris’s eye, and he came over.

  Chris grinned at Hamid. “Stabbed by an archdemon. Always the overachiever.”

  Hamid grimaced. “Next time, you can have the pleasure.”

  “No, he cannot,” Beth called from nearby where she was tending to an older Vrell demon with a gash on his cheek.

  “We’re going to the command center,” I said to Chris.

  He looked from me to Hamid. “Probably a good idea. I’ll take care of things here and keep you updated.”

  I shot Chris a grateful look, and then Hamid, Xavier, and I left the building through the loading doors someone had opened. Hamid refused Xavier’s help, but he allowed me to take his arm as we walked to the van parked behind the building. It was a two-seater van, so Hamid took the passenger seat, and I climbed into the back, repressing a shudder at the sight of the stretcher across from me. I couldn’t remember much of what had happened after the Gulak attack, but I was pretty sure this was the same van that had transported me.

  At the command center, Xavier parked in the loading bay, and we went directly to the medical ward where Sara was waiting anxiously for us.

  “We’re okay,” I assured her as Hamid walked to the same bed I’d been in for several days. “Hamid wanted to play patient today.”

  Sara wrung her hands. “When Beth called, I was so afraid one of you would be hurt. I can’t believe Alaron went to a wrakk in the middle of the day, especially now that he knows we’re onto him.”

  “He has no way of knowing the demon community has a relationship with us,” Hamid said. “I think we were the last people he expected to show up there.”

  “But why a wrakk?” Sara asked. “What could he gain by hurting children?”

  Hamid lay back on the bed. “I don’t know, but I’m sure Orias and Ciro will have some ideas.”

  Xavier changed into his white lab coat and rolled a cart with a scanning unit over to the bed. Our mobile scanner wasn’t as thorough as an MRI or CT scan, but it gave healers enough to see what was going on in a body. We couldn’t get cancer or other human diseases, so we didn’t need all the big diagnostic equipment used in hospitals.

  Sara excused herself when Hamid began to unbutton his shirt. Xavier turned on the machine, and with a steady hand, he held the scanner an inch above Hamid’s chest, running it slowly up and down Hamid’s torso while keeping his eyes on the monitor. When he got to the heart, he stopped and studied the picture for a minute before completing the scan.

  “There was some damage to the heart, but it’s healing nicely,” Xavier said once he’d finished. “Fortunately, you have a very strong Mori. A younger one might not have been able to save you.”

  Hamid’s eyes met mine where I stood at the foot of the bed, and I knew he and I were thinking the same thing. If he hadn’t moved so fast to cover my body with his, I’d probably be dead now.

  Xavier went on, oblivious to our silent exchange. “I’m ordering you off duty for the next twenty-four hours. Other than that, you are free to go.”

  Hamid sat up. “Thank you, Xavier.”

  “Anytime,” the healer said with a smile.

  Hamid stood and walked over to me. Wordlessly, he took my arm and led me out of the medical ward.

  “Where are we going?” I asked when we entered the deserted living area.

  “To my room.”

  A thrill zinged through me at the thought of being alone with him in a room – with a bed. But before I had time to think too much about it, we were at his door.

  We entered the room, and he closed the door with a resounding click. The room looked exactly like mine, except for the few personal belongings on top of the dresser.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” he said, grabbing a change of clothes from a drawer. “I’m going to clean up, and then you and I have things to talk about.”

  “What things?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. It hit me that for the first time, I wasn’t spooked by the idea of discussing my feelings with him.

  Hamid stopped at the bathroom door to give me a fierce look that made my insides quiver in the best way. “Don’t make me come look for you.”

  I couldn’t speak as he shut the door. All I could think about was the promise in his eyes and how much I wanted him to chase me – and catch me.

  I’d known days ago where this was going between us, but almost losing him today had made me see how stupid I was. I’d always believed in living life to the fullest, but here I was holding back when I could be with the man I’d fantasized about for years. More than that, he was the only one I could imagine spending my life with. The only man I had ever loved.

  I suddenly felt lighter and oddly free. I loved Hamid, and I suspected he felt the same way for me. I was pretty sure that was what he wanted to talk about after his shower, but I didn’t want to wait. Not one more second.

  Smiling, I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head.

  Chapter 17

  I walked away from the pile of clothes on the floor and opened the bathroom door. Through the shower glass, I could see Hamid’s muscled back and rounded ass, and my mouth watered at the sight of him. I took a few seconds to admire him, and then I opened the shower door.

  Hamid turned to face me, and I sucked in a breath when I got my first look at his naked body. “There is a God,” I breathed, letting my eyes devour him before lifting my gaze to meet his smoldering eyes.

  I entered the shower and closed the door. Wordlessly, I reached up and pulled his head down to mine. Our mouths met in a hungry kiss, and his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him. The feel of his hard body against mine without the barrier of clothes made my brain short-circuit a little, and I almost lost the ability to think.

  When we came up for air, he tucked my wet hair behind my ears. “I think we’re violating your rule number two.”

  “I never liked rules anyway.” I stroked the hard planes of his chest up to his shoulders. “I forgot to tell you something.”

  “What was so important you couldn’t wait to tell me?” His sensual smile made my knees weak.

  My gaze held his. “That I love you.”

  His mouth crashed down on mine, and I responded with a need that rivaled his. I clung to him as he deepened the kiss, taking everything I had to give. And I gave it all. I was done holding back with him.

  Eventually, the kiss became gentler, sweeter, until he pulled out of it. “So, you do care.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “You want to go there now?”

  He let out a sexy laugh, and I felt it rumble in his chest, which was pressed to mine. His hands rested on either side of my neck, and his thumbs stroked my jaw. “I love you, too.”

  I gave him a saucy grin. “I know.”

  “Is that so?” he asked huskily.

  “Mm-hmm.” I traced the muscles of his lower back to the curve of his ass. “I had another reason for coming in here.”

  His voice grew deeper. “What?”

  I stepped back and picked up the bottle of body wash, pouring a generous amount into my hand. “I thought with your injury, you might need some help washing. I don’t know if I ever told you, but I make a great nurse.”

  His eyes were heavy-lidded as he watched me work up a lather and start running my soapy hands over his shoulders and chest. I kept my gaze locked with his as my hands moved downward, sliding over his ribs and hard stomach and lower still. He tensed and hissed out a breath when I took him in my hands and slowly stroked his length.

  “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to touch you like this?” I asked, my voice hoarse with desire. “Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you at that command center in Santa Cruz.” My grip tightened, pulling a groan from him. “Since that night, it’s you I think of when I –”