Page 12 of Primal Bonds

She smelled like fresh soap; she must have washed her hands again. He could’ve told her there was no need. The iron would kill any germs, and if not, the salt solution would do the rest.

That was, if the iron didn’t kill him first.

“Relax,” Evie repeated, and to please her, he smoothed out his forehead.

“Okay.” She wet a clean rag with the salt solution and dabbed at the wounds. “I’m going to clean this out for you.”

“No,” he said, and she stopped and looked at him, her brow furrowed. “Pour it into the cut,” he said. “You have to…rinse it out. Poison.” He rolled onto his side and dug his fingers into the couch, knowing what was to come.

“Okay,” she said. “Take it easy.”

He drew a slow breath, but there was no way he could relax. “Just do it,” he said between clenched teeth.

Her brother handed her a folded bath towel. She tucked it under Jace’s stomach to catch the overflow, and then set her fingers on either side of the lower cut and gently pulled it open. “You pour,” she told Kyler.

“Good,” Jace said. “That’s good. Clean it out.”

The kid tipped the pitcher and salt solution poured into the wound.

Jace’s whole body bowed in pain. God’s cat, it was like getting stabbed all over again. He tightened his jaw and rode it out. Because screaming, especially in front of two humans, would be the final humiliation.

And then, mercifully, he passed out.

When he came to, Evie was stroking his forehead. “There, there,” she said in a motherly voice at odds with her edgy appearance. “It’s all over now.”

He stared at her through slit lids. “Thanks,” he managed to say.

She looked down at his stomach. “Did it work?”

He frowned, checking inwardly. The fire in his blood had subsided to a simmer. “Think so.”

“Can we do anything else?”

“Water.”

“Just plain water?”

He gave a single nod.

She removed her hand from his forehead, and he grabbed for her, latching onto the hem of her shirt. “Not you. Him.” He jerked his chin at the teenager.

Her dark brows lifted. “You want me to stay?”

He nodded again. He knew he was being unreasonable, but both cat and man wanted her to remain close.

“Okay.” She took his hand. “Kyler will get you the water, then.”

His fingers folded on hers. “Thanks,” he whispered.

When the water came, she put an arm beneath his shoulders to support him while he drank greedily. It was ice cold and wonderful.

He finished the glass, and she laid his head back down on the cushion and pressed a wet rag to his forehead. He closed his eyes in relief at the coolness. How did she know exactly what he needed?

The storm had slowed to a drizzle. From far away, he heard Evie tell her brother to go outside and make sure there wasn’t any blood. Smart woman.

“The rain must have washed it away,” Kyler replied.

“Get the hose out and wash it down anyway.”

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