Page 45

"Are you hungry? I got a little of everything." It was a weak deflection, but I couldn't handle him looking at me like that. "I also got you some clothes, but I want to redo those bandages first, if that's okay?"

"If that's what you'd like," he agreed. The more time we spent talking, the clearer and easier his words became, but there was still a gravelly, growling quality to his deep voice that affected me just as much as his sleepy rumble.

My skinny jeans might have proven me a liar at the store, but I was grateful for them now. Between the jeans and the longer shirt I wore, at least I wouldn't embarrass myself when I came around the island.

Unfortunately, I forgot to factor in my ability to always make a fool of myself, no matter the situation. I focused so much on keeping my eyes above Typhon's shoulders that I didn't look as closely as I needed to at the island and promptly smacked my hip into it, earning me a new bruise for my efforts.

"Why don't you get settled on the couch while I get everything we need?" I suggested, trying to pretend my eyes weren't watering from the sting.

Please just let him take the hint and go to the other room so I could nurse my wounded ego in private.

"Are you alright?" Typhon ignored my silent plea, coming closer and reaching out like he wanted to touch my hip and see for himself.

"I'm fine!" It came out more of a yelp than anything, which did nothing to convince Typhon, from the look on his face. I forced myself to take a breath, my face burning with humiliation. "I'm fine. Just a klutz. Let's go get you taken care of, okay?"

He tilted his head, eyes tracing me from head to toe. I held back a shiver, but just barely. Between that deep voice and the way he looked at me, I was in serious danger of letting my imagination run away with me and dreaming of things that could never happen.

After another lingering look, Typhon finally nodded and headed to the living room, a gaggle of kittens trailing behind him. The second he was out of sight, I slumped against the island. The cool countertop felt good on my heated skin, and I took a moment to just breathe. I needed to calm down and pull myself together before I screwed this up even more.

You can't start getting awkward around him. It doesn't matter that the scary creature in your woods turned into literally the hottest guy you've ever seen. It doesn't matter that he's sitting in the living room completely naked. He's in danger, and you need to take care of him. After it's safe and he's healed, he'll want to leave. Don't be an idiot, Quinn.

I let the words sink in as I breathed, slow and even, until some of the embarrassment faded. I needed to pull myself together. Typhon needed my help, not my usual social ineptitude. I'd talked to him easily enough when he'd still been a terrifying monster, so I should be able to handle it now that he looked like a human. Nothing had changed. Nothing at all.

I repeated the words in my head while I turned on the oven to preheat, silently whispering them until they became a mantra of sorts.

Nothing has changed.

The mantra became more of a lifeline when I walked into the living room and found myself face to face with Typhon's naked body stretched out on the couch. With his right arm injured and the wounds in his left leg, he couldn't lie on his side, so he'd solved that by lying facedown on the couch.

Don't look at his ass. Don't look at his ass. Do not be a pervert, Quinn Camden.

I looked. I couldn't help it.

For a man who'd been a monster yesterday, he had an ass that deserved to have a shrine built to it.

Logically, I knew he was all lean muscle because he'd been running away from something. He couldn't hunt, and if he'd had any extra fat on him, it'd disappeared while he was injured and hiding. He was clearly a predator in his other form; every part of him designed to inspire fear and take down prey.

In a human form, that translated to the kind of butt I was both jealous of but also kind of wanted to bite. Add in those thick thighs and his broad shoulders? I was a goner.

"A-are you comfortable?" I choked out, clutching the bag of medical supplies in my hands to keep them from shaking. How was I going to survive this?

Typhon folded his left arm under his head, resting his cheek on his forearm so he could comfortably look over at me. "Yes. Thank you for helping."

That helped me smack down my wildly inappropriate lust, pushing it down to more manageable levels. Typhon needed my help. He was lying like that so I could redo the bandages on real, actual bullet holes in his body.

With my thoughts a little more focused now, I came over and knelt beside him on the floor. The throw blanket on the back of the couch caught my eye, but the wounds were so high up that even if I covered him, I'd just have to immediately move it out of the way so I could work.

"I-I'm going to get the ones on your leg first, if that's alright?"

If he noticed the catch in my voice, he didn't mention it. He just nodded, never taking his eyes off me.

Taking one more deep breath to center myself, I got to work. The old bandages came off fairly easily, only sticking in one spot. His wounds hadn't bled much after I'd cleaned them the first time, but there was still a faint trail down the back of his thigh and a stain around his knee where blood had pooled. He'd need a shower soon, once these were a little more healed.

"I'll be as careful as I can, but this might sting a little. I'm sorry." I'd gotten antibiotic ointment at the store, hoping to prevent any infections. Working as carefully as I could, trying to avoid hurting him, I used wet wipes to clean the area around the two wounds. One was around mid-thigh, an injury that'd gone deep. Lain had nearly reached bone before he found the bullet lodged there. The other was higher, at the top of his thigh, just below the curve of where I was so desperately trying not to look. That one had taken a chunk of flesh but hadn't gotten buried in his skin.

Typhon flinched once as I dabbed the cool cloth along the edges of that deep graze. It was already scabbing over, which was probably a good thing. I'd have to check with Lain later to be sure, but that meant it was healing, right?

"Sorry," I whispered again, going still for a moment until some of the tension drained from his shoulders. "For what it's worth, you're handling this better than I would. I'd probably be crying right now."