He slipped behind me, legs cradling mine and arms about my waist. His wings came around me as he snuggled me close. I swallowed a groan at the warmth coming off him. I’d been cold, but I hadn’t realized exactly how cold—practically freezing.
“You should have told me sooner,” he said.
“Why?”
“You’re mine to take care of.”
“Because you rescued me?” I asked, my voice thick.
Serlotminden readjusted behind me. “You are my responsibility. I took you, and now I get to keep you.”
“For how long?”
“Until you’re safe.” Mindy rested his chin on my shoulder, his long earring tickling me. “We fit, remember? We’re friends, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Friends.”Because that’s what I’m feeling toward him, I thought sarcastically.
I huddled close to Bartholomew, trying to steal the chill from his frozen body. He didn’t generate enough heat to stay warm in this extreme weather. I should’ve realized he was cold earlier instead of studying the nests. My instincts had been demandingI inspect the nests nearest to us to keep Bartholomew safe, especially since my sensor didn’t work well in this environment. I refused to allow any threat close to him. But how had I even contemplated leaving him alone? Something could’ve come and taken him, or he could’ve gotten too cold.
Humans were a considerable amount of work to care for. I now understood why Kalvoxrencol was always panicking about Seth.
I dragged my nose over the column of Bartholomew’s neck, and he trembled. Still cold.Hell it. I grinned at my thoughts. I did love swearing; maybe it would make him smile like it did my mate-brothers.
He leaned into my embrace. “It’s pretty here, when I’m not freezing and nothing is threatening me.”
This planet was fairly decent for somewhere snowy. I wasn’t fond of snow, but the blueish-green sky, the jungle in the distance, and the faraway jagged mountains all did have a certain charm, if I was forced to acknowledge it. I would enjoy this place far more if this was a pleasure trip. A warm bed, good food, a smiling Bartholomew—that I would love.
Bartholomew released a long breath and settled even further into my embrace. Once again, I was filled with a sense of perfection. He fit. I had no other way to word it. He was perfect. I pressed my mouth against the nape of his neck and breathed.
As his scent filled my lungs, fire sparked along my nerves. Groaning, I bit his neck, tongue flicking his sweet skin. Bartholomew jerked in my embrace, stiffening. I stilled, soul thrashing. What was I doing?
“Uh, Mindy?” His voice was calm, but I felt the tension in his muscles. “Did you bite me?”
I had, but why? Not a single word broke through the static of shock, not even an affirmative, which I owed him. Ihadbitten him.
“So we need to add that to our permissions,” Teddy remarked.
My breath sharpened. Had he liked me biting him? Did I like it? My cock twitched, and I breathed through my arousal. If I got an erection, Bartholomew would feel it, and I didn’t want that. We were friends… right? I thought so. Friends who did not fuck.
“Human friends don’t bite each other. Or at least my friends don’t, so I’d appreciate you not biting me again,” he said without a hint of distress.
How was he calm? I was fighting against my body because of how amazing he felt in my embrace. Shouldn’t he have experienced something similar? Anything? A hard shard of ice prodded my soul. Bartholomew felt nothing for me. Why did that hurt as bad as it did?
“I understand,” I forced out.
He relaxed against me, returning to watch the scenery around us. “I’m not mad.”
“Thank you.”
I stared at the place where I’d bitten him. It had the slightest tinge of redness. An instinct rose from the depths of my being and demanded I lick the pain away and clean the spot, even though it wasn’t a true injury.
“Drakcol lick wounds.”
“Um, I’m going to need more context, Mindy.”
I brushed a thumb over the redness, wishing it was my tongue. “We have a primal need to clean the injuries of those we care about.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” he replied.
