Chin lowered, he inspected my legs. “I don’t really need to breathe, but it’s become a habit.”

Jesus.

“Feels strange when I don’t do it,” he added. “I eat a lot—need to. Our metabolisms, like the Luxen, are extremely fast.”

“Must be nice,” I said, fascinated.

Hunter dabbed at the angry skid marks on my knees. My skin stung, bringing fresh tears to my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. Done with my knees, he picked up my left hand.

His hold was achingly gentle. My chest tightened.

“If I were a Luxen, I could just heal you,” he said, smoothing a clean cotton ball over my palm.

“A lot easier than this. It’s one of the things the DOD studies about them. They can’t get sick. Think about what that would mean for all the human diseases.”

I tried to wrap my brain around that. No flus. No colds. No cancers. “What about your kind?”

“We don’t get sick, either, but we can’t heal like the Luxen. They try not to do it to humans.

Apparently it can change the human DNA, depending on the severity of the injuries, or if it’s done multiple times.”

My gaze was latched onto his face. His brow was lowered in concentration.

“What happens to the humans?”

“They mutate, take on some of the Luxen qualities.” Hunter lowered my hand to my lap and picked up the other one.

“They’re called hybrids and some of them are stronger than the Luxen.”

“Jesus,”

I whispered, reeling.

A small grin pulled at Hunter’s lips as he placed my other hand in my lap.

His cool fingers found my chin next, tipping my head down. “This will probably sting more.”

I shivered at his touch, unable to reconcile how gentle he was being right now and how fierce and terrifying he’d been back in the woods. Those hands could kill in a heartbeat, but right now, they were carefully tilting my head to the light.

“How bad is it?” I asked.

His fingers slid away.

“Not that bad. There’ll be some swelling. Ready?”

I nodded.

Eyes narrowing, he pressed the fresh ball under my lip, and it did sting like holy hell, but I remained still as he swiped it along my lower lip. The liquid fizzled a little, tickling my chin.

“Your cheek is a little swollen, too.” He reached for another ball.

I closed my eyes as he cleaned up my face. “It could’ve been worse.”

“It could’ve been.”

He continued playing doctor, and unfortunately not the fun kind. When he was done with my face, he put the lid on the bottle.

“Hurt anyplace else?”

I ached all over. “No.”

He looked like he didn’t believe me. He was damn observant for a man…and an alien.

I took a shallow breath.

“Why did they come after us? Was it because of the DOD?”

“Remember the day you were at the gazebo? They followed you, and I stepped in before they got to you, putting Raz down in front of the others. Our kind has to dominate. And to do so, you have to be stronger than everyone else. So he needed to prove to his friends that he was the alpha.”

“He barked up the wrong tree.”

“Exactly.”

Hunter was still there, kneeling in front of me. He was checking out my knees again, frowning slightly.

“You broke your tracking device, didn’t you?”

I asked. “That’s what you were doing outside of the car?”

All he did was nod.

“Why?

I don’t understand why you’d do this for me.”

He was silent for forever.

“I don’t know.”

“You still don’t?” I shook my head. “When you broke the device, does it notify them—the DOD?”

“Yes, but they won’t find me.”

“But that’s a lot to risk if you don’t know why.”

Hunter’s lashes lifted. “I don’t know, Serena.”

I let out a breath. He didn’t know hours ago and I doubted he’d know hours from now. Did it matter?

Yes, whispered a tiny voice. It mattered to me.

“Thank you,” I blurted out.

“Thank you for helping me and not letting them…well, kill me.”

Hunter stood swiftly.

“You should shower. Then rest. You’ll feel better.”

In a daze, I stared at him. Wasn’t expecting a big your-welcome, but damn, he didn’t take a thank-you well.

He disappeared again from the bathroom and then returned with a shirt of his that was long enough for me to wear.

Without saying a word, he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

A couple of minutes passed while I sat there, trying to process the additional stuff I’d learned.

It felt like the wheels in my brain had broken, because nothing was happening between my ears.

Standing, I stripped off my ruined clothes and turned on the faucet.

Stepping under the pelting hot water, I winced as the water sliced over numerous cuts and abrasions. I didn’t know what it was about those tiny licks of pain, but tears welled up and this time I couldn’t stop them.

I wasn’t even sure why I was crying. Was it for Mel?

Was it for me? Or was it just total overload?

I stayed in the shower until I got control of myself.

Then I quickly dried off and slipped his shirt on. The sun had risen by then, flooding the room with soft light. Hunter was by the window, his back to me.

“I found a chocolate bar and soda in a vending machine outside. They’re beside the bed. You should eat that before you sleep.”

The covers were also pulled down. My gaze went back to Hunter. “What’s up with the chocolate? This is the second time you’re feeding me a chocolate bar.”

“Sugar. It helps after one of our kind has fed off you.”

Climbing into bed, I slipped my legs under the blanket. While I ate and drank my calorie-heavy goodies, Hunter took a shower. Finished, I wiggled down, folding my hands under my pillow, and waited.

Hunter came back out, his leather pants hanging low on his hips. Wet, tousled hair clung to his cheeks and neck. He went to the wide double windows, his movements stiffer than normal, and tugged the pea-green curtains closed. Darkness immediately descended in the small room.

Curled on my side, I watched Hunter make his way across the room.

“Hunter?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He sat in the chair. “You shouldn’t worry about me.”

I frowned. That wasn’t much of an answer.

Moments passed, and then Hunter tipped his head back against the wall.

The position had to be uncomfortable and the bed was big enough for us both.

Taking a deep breath, I rose onto my elbows. “Hunter?”

“Go to sleep, Serena.”

I ignored his command.

“You said that when you go into your true form, it heals you. Right?”

One eye opened. “Why are you asking this?”

“Because you have to be sore.” I took a deep breath. “And it doesn’t bother me when you’re in your true form.”

“It should.” Both eyes were open now. “Go to sleep.”

I sat up. “I’ll go to sleep if you take your true form and heal yourself.”

Hunter didn’t move for several moments, and then he laughed hoarsely.

“You are something else, you know that?”

I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, but then Hunter rose and, damn it, he was hurt, because he rose from that chair slowly, pushing himself up with his hands.

Hunter didn’t look away like he’d done the last time he’d changed in front of me. My hands tightened on the blankets and he walked over to my side of the bed, his bare chest chiseled and damp.

The edges of his body blurred out, clothing and all, and then faded into smoke—into a wispy, shadowy human form. My eyes widened and he took shape, gaining mass until he looked like a human male but different.

He turned to the side and muscles rippled smoothly. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and touched his arm. He stilled, and like last time, he didn’t move away. He remained there as I ran my fingers up his arm, and I marveled at the feel of him.

This time I pulled my hand back before I really started feeling him up.

Hunter remained in his true form for a few more seconds, and then he blurred out and returned to his human form.

No bruises. No hollow pull to his face. Amazing.

“You’re beautiful,”

I murmured, and then flushed because it seemed like the wrong thing to say.

Probably also stupid.

Hunter stared at me, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. Our eyes locked, and I felt his stare in every part of me. The blanket slipped from my fingers as arousal swirled.

He let out a long breath.

“Go to sleep.”

I glanced at the chair.

“The bed is big enough for the both of us, you know.”

“I know.”

“You can sleep here, too.”

It didn’t seem like he’d respond at first. He stared at me like I was crazy. I didn’t get the look. Several hours ago, we’d shared the same bed. Everything and nothing had changed.

“Shit,” he said, prowling to the other side of the bed.

I lay back down on my side, facing the door. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“That’s not the issue.”

The covers stirred and then the bed dipped under his weight. Had he taken off his leather pants?

Probably a good thing if I didn’t know.

“Then what is the issue?”

I asked.

There was a beat. “I want to.”

I made a face he couldn’t see. “I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Seconds turned into minutes and he didn’t offer up any more explanation. I didn’t think it was possible to fall asleep after everything, but I felt safe with him and, miraculously, when I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.

Chapter 20

I watched Serena sleep, still haunted by her question. WHY ARE YOU HELPING ME? Helping her wasn’t a huge risk. It was the nail in the universal coffin.

As much as I loathed being the go-to boy for the DOD, my life had been relatively comfortable and peaceful the last couple of years. I had thrown that away with finesse, and why?

I rose up on my elbow, careful not to disturb her.

There were six freckles on her nose and cheeks, forming a constellation of sorts.

For the first time in my entire existence I found myself envying the Luxen.

They had the one ability we could never absorb— healing. When I was in the bathroom, I would’ve given just about anything to have that talent, to heal Serena of her bruises and aches instead of patching her up.

Mine.

The whole way of thinking was faulty. Arum rarely settled down with one of their own kind and doing so with a human was even more rare for a shit- ton of obvious reasons, but my sister had and so had Dex.

I didn’t want to claim Serena as mine. It would be better for her if I didn’t, but I never did the denial shit before, so why start now?