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  “I cut them when I ran after you.”

  He snarled. “I didn’t smell the blood. Let me see.”

  “It’s fine.”

  He lunged out of the kitchen. She held her ground when he grabbed hold of her waist and just lifted her. He strode to the couch and dropped her on it, grasped one of her ankles and yanked it up to study the bottom of her foot.

  “Damn it. It’s not bleeding anymore, but it needs to be cleaned. You’re not Species. You can easily get infections.” He released it and reached for her other ankle, capturing it in his uninjured hand, and lifted it. “You have two cuts. Stay put. Don’t move.” He let her go but then he looked at her, his expression tightening.

  She followed his line of sight and realized the shirt she wore had ridden up when he dropped her on the couch and lifted her legs. Part of her pussy was exposed. His mouth tightened into a grim line when she glanced up to see his reaction. He held still, his attention focused there.

  “I don’t want you to suffer, my pup. Never. Why did you say that?”

  That got a reaction from him. He twisted away and stomped into the bedroom. She sat up a little and pulled the shirt down. He returned quickly with a white box that had First Aid and a red symbol stamped across the top. He dropped to his knees, shoved the coffee table to the side, and set the box on top of it. He opened it, removed a few items, and then grabbed one of her ankles, lifting her foot.

  “This might burn. Prepare.”

  She nodded, watching him use his teeth to rip off a corner of a packet that he’d pressed to his mouth. He used the wet swab to rub against the cut. It wasn’t pleasant and he wasn’t gentle. She clenched her teeth but didn’t make a sound. He really made sure it was clean before he stopped and applied a bandage. He set her foot down on one side of his thigh and went after her other foot. She lifted it for him.

  He glanced down between her thighs and froze. She knew what he saw with her thighs parted and one leg lifted. She was exposed again, flashing him the view of her pussy. She contemplated reaching down to hold the shirt in place over it but decided against it.

  He tore his gaze away, cleaned the second cut and slapped a bandage on it. He unwrapped the dishtowel from his hand, twisted his body to the side and tended to his own injury. She stayed put, liking that he was just a few feet away.

  “Are we going to pretend you didn’t accuse me of wanting to hurt you?” She kept her tone soft.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you believe that?” It would hurt her if he did.

  He closed the box and made a pile of the discarded items next to it on the table. He refused to look at her.

  “I don’t want to upset or anger you. I’m trying to get to know the male you’ve become. That’s all. I’m afraid you don’t want me anymore and that another female matters more to you than I do.”

  He sat back on his heels and regarded her. It was clear that he masked his features to hide his emotions. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “We tell each other everything.”

  “We did once. Not anymore. Things have changed.”

  That hurt. “Do you want me to leave?”

  “I don’t know. You’re alive. I don’t know how to react or what to think. I’m trying to stay calm, but I feel highly unsettled.”

  He was at least talking to her. “I might not have fought so hard to survive if I’d known I would bring you this much pain, my pup.”

  He leaned in. “Don’t say that. And don’t call me your pup.” The anger was back in his voice.

  She dropped her gaze to his chest. The sight of his tan, bare skin through the rips of his shirt was a good thing to focus on instead. “I’ll leave if I only bring you suffering.” She lifted her legs, turned, and tried to scoot down the couch to avoid touching him.

  He reached out and put his open palm over her stomach. She stopped moving. He didn’t say anything as long seconds passed. She liked the warmth of his hand there, heating her skin though the thin material of the shirt.

  “No female could ever take your place.”

  She dared look at him and he appeared sad to her. She felt the same way. “Do you know what hurts the most?”

  “What?” He pulled his hand away.

  “It’s not that you mounted other females. You believed I’d chosen another male over you and that I died. It’s learning that you don’t want me anymore. I’m nothing now except bad memories that cause you to have terrible feelings. That tears me apart inside, Hero.” The name would always be foreign, but she did it for him. “I’ll tell Breeze to let you go to your Reservation place and I’ll stay out of your sight. I love you with everything that I am, but I won’t be selfish. I give you peace. Forget I am alive. I won’t exist to you anymore.”

  She eased off the couch and walked toward the door. She would ask the guard outside the door to take her to Breeze. She turned the handle and opened the door but a bandaged hand suddenly slammed against the wood, and the knob was torn out of her grasp. The door slammed closed. She turned, peering up at Hero. His eyes were scary and his lips were parted, fangs showing.

  “I want you. That’s the problem.” He snarled the words. “I lose control when it comes to you. You make me feel too much, Candi. You always have. I once wanted to kill you over another male. You were mine! Do you know why I ran from you in my bedroom?” He didn’t give her time to ask. “I was terrified I’d damage you. You’re weak and ill. I can’t mount you. It makes me furious that I want to.”

  He wanted her. She reached up and gripped his shoulders. “You won’t damage me. I’m not ill.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I just need to gain weight. Doc Tri—”

  “Fine. You’re weak. You felt easily breakable in my arms. Captivity does that. You need time to become strong before I take you to my bed. What if I do hurt you? I have enough guilt. I can’t take any more.”

  “What guilt?”

  He spun away, stalking across the room. He ran his fingers through his hair. He began to pace, shooting angry glances at her.

  “What guilt? I know you didn’t mean to hurt me with your chains. I don’t believe you would have snapped my neck if you’d reached me. I don’t want to believe that. You would have stopped yourself from taking my life if you’d broken free and reached me.”

  He stopped pacing. “We’ll never know.”

  “Let it go. I have. I never blamed you for your rage or pain. Never.”

  “How do you feel, knowing I was free while you were still being held captive? We have a task force team that looks for our lost females. No one searched for you. I never told them about you, Candi. I didn’t mention anything to the NSO about the human child who was raised with me inside that cell, because I didn’t want them to know I’d caused your death.”

  Some of it started to make sense to her. “You thought I was dead and you had no reason to question it. I was taken away from Mercile. How could you know?”

  “I let you down. It’s what I do. You allowed another to mount you to save me, and I hurt you in return. You were locked up but I never tried to rescue you. You made it here on your own after having to kill to gain your freedom. You wanted me to hold you when we saw each other, but I ran away. Now you offer to stay out of my sight so I don’t feel guilt for all the times I’ve failed to be the kind of male who deserves you.”

  Her heart broke. “I was wrong. This hurts me the most. You’ve never let me down. Stop thinking that way.” She went after him. “You have always been the male I live for. You’re the reason I am here. You’re my entire world, 927.”

  She reached up when she stopped in front of him and slid her hand along the back of his neck, grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked. He grimaced but allowed her to tug his face toward her. She fisted his shirt in the front with her other hand.

  “Listen to me, my pup.” She paused. “927. Hero. Whatever the hell you’ll let me call you. You’re making me angry now. Don’t ever say that you don’t deserve me. You wa