Page 12 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

“When were you thinking of going?” he asked instead.

Nova turned around and studied him from head to toe. “You have blood on your skin.”

He looked down and saw she was right. Dex held his hand out for the washcloth but she raised an eyebrow in question.

“I’m here to help you, not the other way around,” he reminded her.

Surprisingly, she handed it over without further question. “The sooner I talk to my mother the better, but I can be flexible.”

There was no real reason he couldn’t do it.

Dex studied her as she probed at the wound. He had no intention of just dropping her off though, not when she was going to end up having a confrontation about something her family had clearly kept a secret from her.

If she needed to leave, then he needed to be there to get her out immediately.

Nova poked at her wound, making more blood leak from it. Dex smacked her hand away in irritation. “I told you I couldn’t heal it, what are you thinking?”

“Why go through here?” she muttered. “Why not try to strip the tattoo from my back?”

Dex didn’t want to think about that.

Grabbing her shampoo, he poured some on top of her purple hair. “Witch magic is similar to demon magic, but the spells and shit are different. I couldn’t tell you why.”

She smiled when he started washing her hair, leaning into it. “I don’t think it’s fair I have to be naked and you don’t.”

“It’s not about being fair,” he grumbled, focusing on nothing but her hair. Anything else and he’d lose control.

Resisting her was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but the smell of blood was pissing him off enough it was almost easy.

Without a word, he rinsed the shampoo out and then did the conditioner. The faster they could get out, the better. Then he could grab the food and she could wear some fucking clothes.

“Then what’s it about?” Nova asked, leaning back against him so he felt every curve of her body against his.

Clenching his jaw, he tried to ignore it, but she felt so fucking good that everything in his head just stopped. It took way too much concentration to finish her hair.

“There you go.” Dex turned off the water and snatched one of the towels, wrapping it around her body. “Wear something loose. I’ll get dressed and patch it up. Where’s your first aid stuff?”

“Under the sink.” Nova pointed, watching him closely. “Are you upset?”

He wrapped a towel around his waist and stripped off his boxer briefs before pulling his pants up under the towel. Using it to dry the rest of him off, he smirked at her. “Why would I be upset? Because you’ve almost died on me twice now?”

That made her flinch.

Her first aid kit was exactly where she’d said it was, but she still hadn’t moved.

“I’m not as inexperienced as I may seem,” she said defensively.

“I never said you were.” Dex gently pushed her toward the main room of a tiny studio apartment that happened to have a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a separate, tiny kitchen. It was so small he was starting to feel claustrophobic.

Checking his phone, he opened the door and grabbed the bag of food. All the rage and adrenaline was finally starting to settle down and Dex could almost think straight now that she was covered up.

There was too much going on and none of it made any sense.

First, a witch who was also a hunter showed up out of nowhere, right when the Black Lotus started growing bolder. Then she finds another witch who was stealing magic from other witches.

How much of this shit did Agmos know about and how much had Dex been oblivious to because it hadn’t affected his work until he’d followed her that night?

Nova disappeared into the closet, but she didn’t close the door. “So, are you upset with me?”

He sighed. “No, I’m not.”

Dex was upset with himself more than anything.

How was he going to make this work?

Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to George and the bear responded instantly.

It looked like he could take tomorrow off and still be back in time to get the spell he needed from Sam. George and Larry could schedule the witch interviews for next week and hopefully nothing stupid happened before then.

Nova came out of the closet wearing his sweats and a baggy T-shirt, her wet hair slicked back and trailing down her spine. For the first time since he’d met her, he could see her whole face.

She was fucking beautiful.

And tempting.

Taking the med kit over to the bed, he tried to avoid looking directly at her.

She didn’t have a couch, just the bed. This place was cramped but it wasn’t impossible to move around. He wished he’d known though. He definitely would have preferred it if she was in his apartment behind Grim Corp lines.

“You couldn’t have worn something else?” he asked as he helped her sit on the bed.

“Why do you have so much attitude?” she snapped. “You said wear something loose, and I don’t have any bottoms looser than this.”

Dex gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground before her. “Nova, I don’t think you fucking understand how much I would like to rip them off of you right now.”

The sudden spike of her arousal was almost too much, but Dex lifted her shirt just enough for him to expose the wound. He took her hand and forced her to hold it up so he could work.

Why wasn’t this healing?

That was what concerned him the most. He’d been able to heal a slit throat and a stab wound to the shoulder just fine, but this one was fighting him every step of the way.

Gently he placed his hand over the lines and concentrated. He was able to heal a bit more, but not much.

“Maybe it’s because she took some of your magic.” He shook his head and grabbed what smelled like a healing poultice. Taping it over the wound, he hoped this would do more than he could. “When your magic replenishes it might work better.”

Nova reached in the kit for a vial and downed it. “One can only hope. I’ve never felt anything quite like it before.” She tossed the empty vial back in the box and then grabbed him by the hair. “Now, why don’t you rip these pants off for me?”

Her grip stung and he closed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek. There was no way he was going to give her what she wanted right now. “I’m not going to do shit until you’re fully healed, Nova.”

She pulled back, exposing his throat. The tug on his hair felt so fucking good it should be illegal.

There was only so much he could take before he lost it and he was dangerously close to the edge. “You’re not going to like it if you keep pushing me,” he warned her.

“What are you going to do, punish me?”