Page 43 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

O nce the heaving stopped, I laid down on the bathroom floor, too exhausted to move very far in case the heaving started again.

My body ached everywhere, inside and out.

I was pretty sure I had some deep bruises on my back and sides from the kicks that jerk gave me and rolling out of the van, plus the angry marks on both wrists.

I felt just as rough inside from the heaving of my stomach and the flash of pain that had run through me when I touched Morgan.

Whatever was in the drug cocktail they'd used, it was doing a number on me.

Whether the strength of the reaction was due to the drugs, or it was a side effect of the mating and being man handled I didn't care, I was more than ready for it to end.

Devon hovered in the doorway, not wanting to get in my way but not able to leave me alone either.

I understood his reluctance to let me out of his sight, the last time he'd done that I'd been taken.

I knew he wanted to touch me, to come in and hold me and to reassure himself that I was back and safe but at the same time he was afraid he would hurt me.

The bruises were healing but not as fast as they should have been.

"Nick?" Devon said softly.

I picked up my head and looked at him.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Can you help me to the bed? I'm not sure I can make it on my own."

"Of course, let me take care of you for a while." He came into the bathroom and gently picked me up.

"Normally I'd insist on doing it myself, you know me." I tried to make a joke of it. "But right now, I just can't."

"It's okay. I've got you." He murmured, cradling me easily against his body as he lifted me off the floor.

I curled into him, letting the his scent wrap around me and comfort me.

He carried me out of the over-sized bathroom and into bedroom.

He carefully laid me on the bed, pulling the sheet and blanket up over my battered body.

"We need to get some food into you but let's give it an hour or two and see if your stomach stays calm first. If you can't eat by then we'll have to see about an IV to replace some of the fluids and nutrients you've lost."

"I'll try to eat in a while but I'm not gonna worry about it now." I burrowed into the bed, trying to get warm. "Come lay with me?"

"Sure, give me a minute to check with Caden and I'll be right there.

" He went into the main room of the suite, but left the door open.

I heard the rumble of his voice and Caden's for a couple minutes before he reappeared.

He toed off his shoes and pulled his tee shirt off over his head but left his jeans on, before sliding into bed behind me, He curled around me and held me gently.

I moved until my head was resting on his arm as he held me.

The feel of his strong arms around me was comforting, the contact of his skin against mine made me feel better, as if my injuries were more distant, more healed.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax, to let my body heal itself.

I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew Devon was calling my name and stroking my face. I opened my eyes and looked up into his concerned face.

"It's all right, Nickie. I'm right here with you." He was saying.

"I know you are." I said. "Is something wrong?"

"You were dreaming. You started struggling, fighting me and calling my name."

"I don't remember any of it." I shook my head, confused.

"It's probably better that you don't." He continued to pet my face and neck. "How do you feel?"

"Better, some."

"You ready to try to eat something? Or at least drink something?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Alexis suggested we start with a little bit of one of those shakes you drink."

I thought about that for a second, waiting for my stomach to rebel at the idea. When it didn't churn and protest, I agreed. Devon got up and got one from the small fridge in the other room.

I pushed myself up until I sat in the middle of the bed and took the small can from him. I tried to pop it open, but found that I didn't have enough strength.

"Can you get this?" I held the can toward him. He took it only long enough to pop the top before handing it back. I tipped the can back and took a few sips.

"Not too much," He cautioned. "we want to make sure you hold it down, not lose even more fluids."

I nodded and I lowered the can to rest in my lap, waiting to see what my stomach would do.

I held the can out, he took it from me and set it on the nightstand before sliding back onto the bed beside me.

I leaned back against him, letting him take my weight as I waited for my body to accept or refuse the thick liquid.

Devon held me close, careful of my bruised and battered body.

I couldn't get enough of his touch, of his skin against mine. I lay in his arms, absorbing his warmth and his gentleness.

"I wish I could give you the strength you need, the energy to heal faster." He murmured into my hair.

"Wouldn't that be nice."

"I could do it if we sealed our mating."

"Maybe." I replied. "From what Alexis told me it's not certain. You might be able to, or you might not."

"That's probably true." He sighed. "I just want to stop you from hurting."

"I know you do, and I appreciate it." I lay quietly for a few minutes before speaking again. "Can you hand me that can back, I'd like to drink a little more."

I felt Devon twist his body to grab the can before he placed it in my hand.

I took a few more sips, resting my hand and the can on his leg in between sips as I slowly finished the shake.

After handing him the empty can back, I curled against him, letting him lift me onto his lap so I rested on his chest as he leaned against the headboard.

"If you didn't have to move us to go get it, I'd drink another of those." I said, unwilling to let him get up, even to get me food.

Devon picked up his PCD from the nightstand beside him and tapped something onto the screen before laying it back down again without a word. Moments later a soft knock sounded on the door.

"It's open." Devon said.

I looked across the room to see Alexis step in, shaking a can in one hand, Caden close behind.

"Did you want this?" She asked, holding a can toward me.

I took the can and as I pulled it closer Devon laid his hand over the top and popped the tab, opening it for me without a word. I took a few sips and rested the can the bed beside us.

"What happened with the Anikitos and the healer after I ran?" I asked.

"Not a whole lot. I talked to Morgan for a few minutes, they offered again to get us anything we need, and then they left." She sat on the edge of the bed near where my feet lay under the blankets.

"What was it the two of you saw?" I asked.

"I never would have thought to check you without you touching Devon, so it's really Morgan's find."

"What is it?" I asked again.

"The two of you have something going on that you shouldn't, at least not now."

"You mean other than Devon knowing something was wrong?"

"Yeah, other than that. You seem to be siphoning energy off him any time he touches you."

"I thought only sealed mates could do that."

"Mostly, that's true. There are a few who have the ability to loan and borrow energy as a talent, but those who have the talent don't usually have to touch someone, and I think we would have discovered by now if you had that talent."

"So what does it mean?" I asked.

"I don't know really but you feel better when he touches you, don't you? And the more skin to skin contact you have the better you feel?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"That's because the more contact you have with him, the more energy you gain from him."

"It won't hurt him will it?" I asked, concerned for Devon.

"No. He'll eat more, burn more calories, almost as if he were healing himself but it won't hurt him." She explained.

"All right, what now?"

"Well, you'll heal the physical injuries faster if you shift."

"Honestly? I don't have the strength. I don't know if I could even make it to the bathroom on my own right now."

"That's the advantage of our talent." Alexis said. "I can call your wolf for you, if you'd like."

I thought for a second, if I let her shift me it would go a long ways toward healing my injuries. "I'll be even weaker than I am now." I said.

"Yes and no, you'll be weak, yes, but you'll be hungry. You should have no trouble eating once you've shifted."

"Do we have anything to eat?"

Alexis turned and looked at Caden.

"We have some," He said. "but not enough. Let me call room service and once it gets here you can shift her."

"She's going to need an awful lot, can't you just go get it?" Alexis said.

"Nope. No one goes anywhere alone, not anymore." He turned and headed back into the front room, a few seconds later he reappeared carrying a binder with the hotel logo on the front.

"Here. There are some menu's in there for places that deliver. We'll order some from room service then from somewhere else, that way it's not a really large order that will draw attention." He handed the book to Alexis who flipped through it to find the menus.

"We have American, Italian and Chinese." She looked up for my input.

"Just make it easy and order pizza. No one will think anything of delivering two, three or even four pizzas to a suite this size." I said.

"You have a point." She agreed. "What kind do you want?"

"Extra-large, spinach and mushroom for her, meat lovers for me." Devon said, his arms still around me. "Use the card in my wallet to pay for them." He nodded toward the dresser where his wallet sat

"Don't worry about that." Alexis turned back to Caden. "You know what I like, charge it to the pack." Caden took the folder and went into the other room. I could hear the bass of his voice as he placed the orders.

"Now, shifting won't completely heal you, I want you to be prepared for that." She warned.