“Hey.” Coyote put a hand out and caught the next wave Mick threw at him.
I held my breath. Coyote could obliterate Mick in the blink of an eye if he wanted to. Then again, I remembered Coyote telling me that he and Mick had fought before, and Coyote had lost.
Truly lost? I wondered. Coyote was always going on about things happening for a reason—had he known how much I’d need Mick in my life and so had let him live?
“Just go,” I said, flapping my hand at him.
Coyote heaved a long sigh. “All right. I know when I’ve worn out my welcome. Janet—if you start remembering your dreams, you come and tell me about them. All about them. Got it?”
Behind his pain-in-the-ass grin was a serious look, one of profound worry. There was more to this than me taking a hit and having two weeks’ worth of strange dreams.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll find you. Keep your cell phone on.”
“Gah, I hate technology.”
With that, Coyote turned his back and walked away. He didn’t shift, didn’t look for clothes. I hoped that, if he planned to parade through the hotel lobby, the guests were either out or used to shape-shifters enough not to be bothered.
As soon as Coyote had gone, Mick sent a sparkle of fire to slam the door and lock it. He was pushing me back down onto the bed in the next instant, over me on hands and knees, giving me his intense scrutiny.
“I couldn’t wake you up,” he said, his deep voice going scratchy. “I tried so hard. I healed your wounds, but I couldn’t reach you. Damn it, I thought I’d lost you forever.”
Tears formed in Mick’s eyes, which had reverted to the deepest, most beautiful blue, and flowed to wet his cheeks.
Chapter Eight
“Mick.” The word held my profound love for him, past and present. “I’m all right. You took care of me.”
Mick studied me a moment longer, then leaned down and kissed my lips, the tenderest, most heart-wrenching kiss he’d ever given me. I came out of it with my body hot, my exhaustion easing.
“Gabrielle,” I said, that one knot of worry still squeezing. “Her arm got burned. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s in Many Farms. I healed her.”
Of course. Mick took care of everyone.
His look turned concerned. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.
“You never hurt me, Mick.”
Mick removed the T-shirt with the gentlest of touches. His hands went all over my body, healing magic entering my bones.
Mick loved me then—stripped off his clothes and came down to me in silence, his hot tears dropping to my skin. The lovemaking touched memories of my dreams, which had been so real. I’d felt him then as I felt him now.
I slept when we finished, but a dark, dreamless, refreshing sleep. When I woke, the afternoon was fading, though still warm, the hint of storm in the air gone. Mick was beside me on his stomach, watching me, his eyes fully blue now, no trace of the dragon. Just the man who loved me.
He hadn’t bothered with covers. Dying sunlight brushed the tanned skin of his backside, the muscle of the arm that curved on the pillow.
“I’m surprised my grandmother’s not here,” I murmured, then I sent the closed door a worried glance. “Or is she?”
Mick shook his head. “They don’t know anything happened to you. I got Gabrielle out of there before she saw. No one knows but us. I didn’t want to worry them. Not yet … ”
Mick started to look sad again. I skimmed my fingers along his arm, brushing the edge of a dragon tatt. “I really am fine. You all took good care of me.”
I could see that Mick didn’t agree, but he didn’t answer.
I knew the other reason Mick had said nothing to anyone about my coma—he hadn’t wanted to advertise to the magical world that I was down for the count. If the evil magic-born figured out that someone had bested me, they’d either come out and do devastating things in the world or take notes on how someone had hurt me. They’d try to get at the magic in this hotel, never mind who they killed to find it.
“What happened?” I asked after a time. “With the demons? And John and Monica? I could swear they weren’t demons themselves, but John sure came after me.”
“I was never clear on it all.” Mick propped himself on his folded arms and continued to look sexy. “You opened that seam full of demons, and we had a battle. Nash showed up and helped me and Gabrielle drive the demons away from you. He brought Cassandra with him, and we destroyed the demons and their pocket under the motel. Monica and John survived, but they disappeared, and I never found a trace of them.” Mick let out a breath. “Remind me never to piss off Cassandra. I’ve never seen magic like that in a human. She kicked ass without even moving.” The admiration in Mick’s tone was loud and clear.