Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(63)

"That's Uncle Crackpot to you." She grinned. "He probably meant well. Where is he?" She lifted her head. "We're back at the cabin . . . on the bed that's on the floor." Her face fell. Her frown was adorable. "You have billions, Bear. Billions."

"That's how I afford attack helicopters that save our asses," he reminded her, looking around his perfect cabin. "If you wanna make a change or two, feel free." That felt like a mistake. He twisted his lip, considering. "Maybe." His fingers skimmed her upper thigh.

She breathed in. Rolling onto her side, she flattened her palm across his heart and shut her eyes. Warmth spread through his torso and slid down to his balls. Her smile brightened her entire face. "You're healing. Completely."

Her pleasure at his health took him by surprise. Much of his life, nobody had cared if he was hurt or alone. But she did. His being healthy made her happy. That one little fact slid deeper than her healing touch and landed hard. He leaned over and nibbled on her mouth. "Something else became clear last night, Ness."

A slight tremor took her. Yeah, she liked the little nickname. He kissed her, taking his time and enjoying the moment. When he lifted his head, her lips were a pretty pink, and her eyes a deep blue.

"What became clear?" she asked, her voice throaty.

He ran a thumb across her bite mark. This time, she shivered hard. Yeah. That. "I decided I'm keeping you."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You have impressive enemies, well funded and organized." Maybe George was one of them or maybe not. "In addition, your family, such as he is, is a nutjob." Bear squeezed her ass.

She gasped and arched her back. "None of that has anything to do with you."

Ah, she wasn't getting him. Not at all. "You're my mate." He let the words stand alone for a moment. They should say everything, but he figured she needed more of an explanation. "Your safety is my duty. It's my right." The only place to keep her safe in the world was in his territory, with his guards. "So you're staying here." Plus, he liked having her around. A lot.

She shook her head. "Listen, Bear-"

"No. I made you a promise." The idea of her leaving him and getting harmed forced a growl up from his chest. "I'll take out whoever is trying to kill you. And I think I need to hunt George down and kill him for the darts last night."

Her gaze went to the side and up as if she was thinking. "George would not have used darts like that. He doesn't have that kind of drive, and while he's a moron, he's not a killer." She caressed up to Bear's neck. "I like your caveman routine here, but I'm fine taking care of myself. I have work to do."

He'd never ask her to stop working. "I'll get you the best computer system in the world so you can do your accounting work from here. You'll be secure enough even for the Coven Nine to be happy." At her frown, he continued, "I'm sure you like to go heal people sometimes. There's a human hospital just thirty minutes away. They always need help."

"Oh, I can't heal humans." She brushed the thought away. "And I need more than a computer."



       
         
       
        

He rolled her over and flattened himself on top of her. "What do you mean you can't heal humans?"

"Huh? Oh." She threaded his hair with her hands. "Humans aren't strong enough."

"What about Angie? The human who overdosed on Apollo. You saved her," Bear said, his body feeling alive.

"That's because of PK and Apollo," Nessa said. "I can help a human who's fighting Apollo, but that's the only time. The fire properties of the mineral make it possible. But if I try to repair a human bone, it ends up a pile of dust." She lightly tugged his hair.

He felt it to his balls, and he bit back a moan. He liked this morning flirty side of her. "Bones are bones."

She snuggled her nose beneath his jaw, kissing down his neck. "Immortal bones are different from human bones. That's like saying a cat's brain is just like a human's brain. They're not."

That was a good point. He slid the shirt up and over her head, baring her breasts. Her pink nipples were already hard and ready for a kiss. So he gave them one each. "Have you tried to heal a human?" he asked, before taking a nipple into his mouth.

She gasped and arched up into him. "Yes. I've taken human bones and animal bones and tried to mellow my abilities. Everything turns to dust. It's sad." She held his head with her hands, right above her breasts, and widened her legs, allowing him to settle more comfortably against her core. "You're not wearing any clothes."