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Typhon chuckled, and when I glanced up, he was smiling at me.

"It hurts a little, but I've had worse." His eyes went distant for a moment and his smile slipped, but in an instant, he was back to himself. "You have gentle hands."

I had to duck my head and focus on the wound again to hide the blush staining my cheeks. It was a simple compliment, more of a comment than actual praise, and yet it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me.

Don't fall in love with the strange shapeshifting guy just because he said one nice thing to you, I admonished myself. That's what happened last time.

That thought was more effective than an ice-cold shower. My inner voice was a bitch a lot of the time, but that didn't mean it wasn't right.

"Quinn?"

"This one looks like it's healing well. I'll put new bandages on it, but sitting will probably be awkward for at least a few more days," I murmured. I kept my eyes down, my attention on my hands as I wiped away the last trace of blood. Antibiotic ointment and bandages were next, then the deeper wound further down his leg. I didn't know what to do for his arm, though. I'd have to call Lain again, but that would mean telling him about this new development. I don't know why, but a part of me was hesitant to bring my very pretty best friend over now that Typhon looked like this. Besides, Lain was a former vet tech student, not a doctor, so how much could he really help? That was selfish, though. If there was any chance at all he could do something, I needed to get over myself and⁠—

A warm hand touched my cheek, jerking my spiraling thoughts to a screeching halt and wiping my mind blank.

"Quinn."

Typhon said my name gently, but just firmly enough to grab my attention, leaving me helpless to do anything but look up at him. It was taking every bit of self-control I possessed not to lean into his hand like a touch-starved puppy. Words were beyond me.

"Did I say something wrong?"

I shook my head, moving as little as I could get away with in hopes of keeping his hand on me just a little while longer. The angle had to be uncomfortable; with him still lying on his stomach on the couch, he had to twist around to reach me with his one good hand. A better person would have urged him to lie back down, and I would in a minute, but… it'd been so long since anyone had touched me like this.

Typhon didn't show any of the strain he had to be feeling as he looked at me, considering his words, probably trying to find the ones he needed.

"Are you alright?"

I shook my head again, but I probably owed him more of an explanation than that. I didn't want him to think it had anything to do with him. I'd been broken long before he came into the picture, after all.

"No, but I'm working on it. Having you here has helped."

His smile came slowly, cresting like the early spring sunrise, breathtaking in its warmth and beauty. The raw, open happiness in his eyes knocked the breath out of me, and I knew right then and there… I was in trouble.

Chapter 18

Typhon

"Having you here has helped."

Our human had fallen asleep hours ago, but I was still awake, his words circling in my mind. The beast was still preening, his ego massively bloated now. Hearing our Quinn say that just reaffirmed for us both that he was ours. There was nothing we wouldn't do to keep him safe and to stay in his life as long as we could.

Along with his words, that was the other reason I couldn't sleep. Quinn had bandaged my wounds and made dinner, but we'd put off the serious conversation we needed to have until morning. We'd agreed that we needed help, and these friends of Lain's seemed to have the answers we needed, but every person who knew where I was increased the danger.

If I were in my other shape, I wouldn't be as concerned. I could protect Quinn with the beast's claws and tail and vicious instincts. No one would harm him. But now I was weak. Vulnerable. The injuries from the hunters slowed me down more in this form, making me all but useless.

What could I do if those soldiers came for Quinn?

We will stop them. The beast's confidence remained unchanged despite our new circumstances.

Not like this.

He scoffed and ignored me, too busy remembering the smile Quinn had given us when he said we were helping him. My human concerns were nothing to him, not now that we'd already decided what to do. He didn't second-guess himself. That was a strictly human quality.

As much as I wished I could take my cue from him, I couldn't. Something about the strangers had me strung tight with an anxiety I couldn't quell. My memories of the time before we'd escaped were still spotty, mostly a vast emptiness with flashes of images and emotions that didn't make any sense. I couldn't even remember if I'd ever had a name before Quinn gave me one, and yet I knew that those strangers finding me would be the worst thing imaginable. If they discovered we were hiding with Quinn, they would hurt him to get to me. I knew it deep in my bones.

Worrying about it won't change anything. We need to sleep and heal.

Easy for the beast to say. If only I had his unshakable confidence. We needed help, that much was obvious. Quinn seemed to trust these other humans, and I trusted Quinn, so why couldn't I relax and stop worrying about what came next?