Page 81 of The Devil's Wrath

“Theo sent me to find you.” He smiled. “Are you okay?”

“I’m great. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“I’m going to go talk with the coordinators. I’ll give you two some time alone.”

“Is he okay?”

“He will be when he sees you,” Cavan answered.

Theo sat on the bench, his head cradled in his hands as the medic stitched up a particularly nasty cut above his eye. The relief on his face was palpable as he drank me in, his gaze roaming over my body as if reassuring himself that I was unharmed.

“Hey, champ.” I moved to stand between his legs.

The medic moved to the side and stopped stitching to allow me space to get closer to him. I ran my fingers through Theo’s sweat-dampened hair, my nails lightly scraping against his scalp in the way I knew he loved.

He let out a contented sigh, and his eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into my touch, some of the tension draining from his battered body. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Sorry I kept you waiting.”

“You’re worth the wait,” he assured me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. I moved back so the medic could begin stitching again.

“Like I just went ten rounds with a freight train.” He chuckled wryly, wincing as the medic finished stitching his eyebrow. “But I’ll live.”

“You better. I didn’t sit through that whole fight to lose you now.” I tried to keep my tone light, but I couldn’t hide the tremor in my voice.

His eyes softened, and he reached up to touch my face, the medic taking the hint and busying himself with tidying up his supplies. Theo’s thumb brushed away a tear I hadn’t realized had slid down my cheek. “Hey, none of that. I’m not going anywhere, Wren. I promised you forever, remember?”

I nodded, turning my head to press a kiss to his palm. “I remember.”

“Good. Because I intend to keep that promise.” He pulled me down for a kiss, his lips moving gently against mine. I melted into him, savoring his solid warmth surrounding me.

A pointed cough from the medic made us break apart, sheepish grins on our faces.

“Sorry,” Theo apologized, not sounding sorry at all. “Got carried away.”

The medic shook his head and stepped back, packing his supplies. “He’s all patched up. Just keep an eye on those cuts and change the dressings regularly. And no strenuous activity for at least a week,” he added with a pointed look at Theo.

Theo grunted in acknowledgment, but the wicked glint in his eye told me he didn’t give a damn about restrictions.

The medic left, leaving just the two of us in the locker room. The distant roar of the crowd was a mere hum in the background. Theopulled me onto his lap, wincing slightly as my weight settled against his bruised body. I started to shift off him, but he tightened his grip, holding me in place.

“Don’t you dare move,” he growled, nuzzling his face into my neck. “I need to hold you right now.”

I relaxed against him, careful not to put too much pressure on his injuries as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. We stayed like that for several long minutes, breathing each other in.

He lifted his head. “What took you so long to come in here?”

I sighed, tracing my fingers along his jaw, feeling the stubble rasp against my skin. “Connor’s father threatened me. He said this wasn’t over.”

Theo stiffened, his eyes turning murderous. “I’ll kill him if he ever comes near you again.”

“Shh, none of that,” I soothed, pressing a soft kiss to his split lip. “You need to focus on healing. Charles McKinley is all empty threats. He cares about his reputation too much to try anything.”

Theo’s grip tightened around me protectively. “I don’t care about his reputation. If he so much as looks at you again, I’ll end him.”

“I know you will. Speaking of, you want to tell me what Connor whispered in your ear during the fight?”

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