Page 26 of Warrior

His body heat rolls off him, and he finally takes a step back. Then another.

I like a flustered Saint Hart, but I keep that opinion to myself.

He bites the cap off again and suddenly is right back in front of me. His hand on my chest sends my pulse skittering, but he just corrects something and then backs off.

“Good?” I ask, my voice rougher than I expect.

“You should see it.”

“No.”

He sighs.

So much sighing from one man.

I take my seat and close my eyes. Ultimate trust, isn’t it?

Or… he should think so.

8ARTEMIS

“Where have you been?”

I almost jump.

Almost.The instinct is there, but my muscles don’t react. I turn slowly and eye Reese, sitting on the couch with a book in his hand. He wasn’t there when I slipped out earlier. When I met Gabriel and took the syringe from his waiting hand.

I didn’t immediately succumb. He seemed to wait for me to fall to my knees and plunge it into my vein without any control, and his gaze was calculating when I just pocketed it.

Now, it’s burning a hole in my pocket.

The last three times I went to find him, he did everything for me except the final step. I’ve got it memorized now… not that Iwantto know. I just do.

It’s been four days since Saint brought me home from the hospital. Four days of sneaking around both of them—although one is easier to fool than the other.

Mainly because Saint is never here.

Reese, on the other hand, hasn’t yet ventured outside.

He sets the book down and frowns. “You shouldn’t be leaving without?—”

“I don’t need a chaperone,” I interrupt. “God, you’re not my dad. You were abducted, too, don’t you recall?”

“And that’s why I’m staying here,” he replies slowly. “Until?—”

“Until what? Until we find Kade or Gabriel or—?” I throw my hands up. “I didn’t think you’d be suddenly afraid to live, Reese.”

He scoffs. “I’m not. I’m being realistic. What’re my chances against literally anyone in my condition?”

Slim.

I break the eye contact, slanting my gaze toward the kitchen. It’s never reallydirty, but the occasional pile of dishes stack up in the sink if I get busy.

Except right now, it’s gleaming. The scent of citrus cleaner reaches my nose, and the guilt hits me. While I’ve been creeping through the shadows, Reese has been here alone.Cleaning.

Saint is out, obviously. He’s been taking on more clients at the shop, and I think that’s more due to him not wanting to be around Reese and me than anything else. He comes home to sleep, armed with groceries or whatever else we need, and that’s it.

“Sit with me,” Reese says. “We can watch a movie, or…”

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