Page 24 of Amaros

“Is this going to hurt a lot?”Grace asked, already wincing in anticipation when he ripped open the protective foil from a scalpel.He’d torn a larger hole in her tights to give himself access to her wound.

“Yes,” he said honestly as he pulled some latex gloves on.

“Maybe you should use local anesthetic first,” Zoe suggested.He waited for her to find a bottle in a fridge.

“Give me that,” Grace said when her friend looked at the syringe and needle she’d found doubtfully.“I’ve got lots of experience with needles,” she added.

Amaros arched an eyebrow at that news.“You’re an addict?”he asked.

“Not me,” the teen denied as she deftly poked the needle into the lid of the anesthetic and withdrew some of the liquid.“My mom was the druggie,” she explained.“She taught me how to shoot her up when I was little.My hands were always steadier than hers.”

Zoe flicked him a pained look.He knew she’d seen the kid’s past, but neither of them had spoken about it.“I’m sorry you went through that,” he said.“No child should be at the mercy of uncaring parents.”

“Yeah, but far too many are, or were,” Grace said glumly.She expertly injected herself near her bullet wound.“I’ll give myself a bit more, just to be sure,” she said.Using more than a human would have required, she numbed all around the wound.“That should do it,” she said, then tossed the vial and syringe into a trashcan across the room.

“Ten points,” Zoe joked.

Grace did a fist pump, then gestured at her leg.“Go ahead, doc.Patch me up.”

Amaros was glad for the modern tools as he carefully cleaned the wound, then sliced into her leg.She tensed and looked away.Zoe took her hand, watching with her nose wrinkled.Trying not to think about how adorable she looked, he used long tweezers to dig around.Finding the bullet, he pulled it out.

“Gross,” Zoe said when blood began spurting from the wound again.She placed gauze over it and held down on the cut firmly until the gauze was soaked.

“It should be slowing down soon,” Amaros said after a few minutes had passed.He’d let Zoe take over and was watching the door.His soiled gloves and scalpel had been deposited in the trash.

“The anesthetic is wearing off already,” Grace said with a grimace.“It lasted just long enough for most of the damage to heal.”

“Do you want to keep the bullet as a souvenir?”Zoe joked.

“Sure, why not?”Grace said.“I might clean my blood off it first, though.”

Zoe removed the fresh gauze to see the cut was closing.“I’ll put plaster on it until it heals completely,” she decided.

Grace patiently waited for Zoe to clean her skin and the wound with antiseptic and stick a plaster on it.“Thanks, guys,” she said in gratitude.Her leg was already feeling much better.She picked up the bullet and rinsed it off in the sink, then slipped it into her pocket.“Do I have time to use the bathroom and change my tights?”she asked.

“Sure.I need to transfer our stuff into the tank,” Zoe said.

“What tank?”Amaros asked.

“That pickup truck isn’t normal,” she said, brushing past him to leave the room.“I think I know why you have such an abnormal attachment to oversized things,” she murmured.

His dong instantly reacted when she glanced meaningfully at his groin.Luckily, Grace had limped into the bathroom and hadn’t witnessed their exchange.

Smirking, Zoe stepped outside and began grabbing their gear from her tiny car.“Did you see any clothing stores?”she asked when he moved closer.“We’re going to need warm clothes for winter.”

Amaros remained vigilant for any threats as he helped her move her gear.“A place that sells snow gear is a bit further down,” he said.He’d found the black truck in the parking lot.The keys had been in it and the gas tank was full.A pile of clothes had been on the seat and shoes were on the floor, which meant the owner had been raptured.

“We should stop in there and load up,” Zoe suggested.“We’ve got plenty of room in the truck.”

Willing his stubborn erection to fade, Amaros wished he didn’t react to her so easily.Her scent was intoxicating to him.Just a glance from her chocolate brown eyes was enough to set his blood on fire.Her lush curves and toned body called on him to claim her.He didn’t just want to make her his, heneededto.

“Earth to Amaros,” Zoe said, snapping him out of his daze.“What’s going on with you?”she asked in concern.

“He’s besotted with you, Zoe,” Grace said as she joined them.“Look at the poor dude.He’s got stars in his eyes.”

Amaros glowered at the snickering young cambion.“I do not have stars in my eyes,” he denied.“I was just thinking about the supplies we’ll need.”

“Sure you were,” Grace agreed with an eyeroll.“Speaking of which, I need to grab some stuff from a pharmacy.I don’t want to run out of girly supplies.”