Page 44 of Healing Creek (Arena Dogs #3)

Pain radiated from Creeks left jaw line and lower lip as Jupiter’s gloved fist unerringly found the exact spot it had landed on his previous strike.

The same place it had landed the last four out of five times.

It was as if the Dog was going for precision rather than taking whatever shot was open.

Precision and power. He was hitting hard enough in the same damn spot that eventually he would split Creek’s lip, despite the gloves.

Creek went for a body blow only to have another punch land on his jaw again. “Fuck,” he muttered as he jogged back out of Jupiter’s reach, jaw aching. “You do something to piss Feeona off?”

Jupiter shook his head with a chuckle. “Nope. All’s well in Feeona’s world today. She’s probably still in bed.”

The implication that he and Seneca had worn her out with sex was not lost on Creek.

The words and the satisfied grin on Jupiter’s face struck a blow to his heart as powerfully as his fist had struck Creek’s jaw.

He missed Grace. He could have been sharing a bed with her every night. If he hadn’t been an idiot.

Another blow landed on his jaw, throwing his head back. “Fuck. Are you actually trying to break my face?”

Jupiter sobered. “Nothing so serious as that, but maybe you should go and get it checked out in the med-bay. If I hit you too hard.” His hands had lowered as frustration fixed across his face.

Creek saw his moment and swung a powerful blow toward Jupiter’s jaw.

It connected with a loud smack and Jupiter staggered back.

With a roll of his shoulders and a twist of movement, Jupiter shook it off. “Damn, you punch harder these days.”

Since Grace had healed him. “You were right,” Creek mumbled.

“What was that?” Jupiter rubbed the back of his glove against his jaw.

“You heard me. You were right, about Grace. I never should have left her with her family.” Done with sparring—and getting punched in the jaw—Creek clasped the strap of his glove between his teeth and yanked.

It loosened and he shook his hand free. “She might be safer, but a warrior does not stay behind when the battle is coming.”

“A warrior?”

“Grace was attacked many times and she survived, and where are her enemies now?” Creek put a fist over his heart. “We’re a pack. We fight together. Defend each other.”

“Kill for each other,” Jupiter finished the thought, the hint of a grin on his lips.

“She was more than strong enough to be an Arena Dog mate. I knew that, but I was blinded by fear.” He’d never had anyone to look out for but himself.

“She is strong enough,” Jupiter corrected. “You speak as if she’s dead.”

“Gods forbid. No, she’s alive and well, but far out of my reach.”

Jupiter tugged at his gloves to loosen them. “And if she wasn’t so far?”

“I don’t even know where they were headed.”

“There are coms for that.”

The two Dogs put their gloves into the cleansing processor so they would be ready for their next use and headed for the gym door.

“And what would I say? Forgive me, I was a fucking idiot?”

Jupiter threw an arm around his shoulder and squeezed. “That might be a good start, but I think it’s missing something important.”

Like, that he loved her. “Missing a lot. Why would she forgive me? I broke my promise to her and left her. I treated her worse than her family treats her. And I left her with them.”

“Mmm,” Jupiter grunted. “My mates and I have discussed this, and Feeona believes there will need to be some getting on your knees…and groveling. Lots of groveling.” Jupiter patted his shoulder as he spoke. “So, what are you going to do?”

Creek humphed then sighed. “I guess I’d better start by explaining to Mercury that I am going to have to leave for a while.”

“I think you should start with getting that jaw looked at. You’ve got a nasty bruise starting and I think your lip is swelling.”

They stepped into the lift together and Creek said, “Bridge level” at the same time Jupiter said, “Level two.”

Creek scowled at his pack brother. “Cancel level two,” he said for the computer. Then to Jupiter, “My damn jaw is fine.”

A few minutes later they stepped onto the bridge in search of Mercury.

The Dog stood next to his small mate where she entered calculations into the navigation station.

Still agitated and anxious, he approached Mercury with less submission than he thought might be appropriate.

“May I speak to you in the command center?”

Mercury spoke without looking up from Samantha’s workstation. “Not right now. We have a problem with the nav charts.” They were headed for the forest planet that Samantha had spoken of often. But Creek didn’t want—couldn’t stand to wait any longer to act on his feelings about Grace.

Surprising him, it was Jupiter who spoke up. “It’s important.”

Mercury stopped and looked up to meet Creek’s gaze. “Is that right?”

“Yes. It’s important to me.”

Mercury nodded. “What’s important to you, brother, is important to us all.” Mercury flicked a glance at Jupiter. “That time, is it?”

“His moping is driving me crazy, Merc,” Jupiter answered. “And you better call the medic. I think I hit him too hard.”

A volcano of emotion erupted from Creek’s chest, and he roared. “Would you stop worrying over my damned jaw!” He couldn’t argue the moping. He never moped. But there was no other way to describe his mood for the last two weeks.

“Medic on the way,” said Samantha. Her soft voice showed no sign of concern over Creek’s uncharacteristic burst of anger.

Fucking hell, he was losing his mind.

Mercury shrugged. “Maybe we should talk here, while we wait.”

Creek shot a quick glance around the bridge. Everyone was staring at him. It would be all over the ship in a matter of a day. He sighed.

“I need to leave.”

Mercury’s brows lifted. “Creek—”

“Just temporarily. I need to find Grace. She is my mate and I made a mistake when I told her to stay with her family.”

Mercury barked low in his throat—almost a laugh. “Your mistake was trying to tell an Arena Dog mate what to do. They like to be consulted.” He was clearly smirking this time as he glanced down at his own mate.

Samantha reached up to take his hand and twine their fingers together. She rewarded him with an approving smile.

Creek heard the door open behind him and knew the medic would be there in a short moment. He needed to get his point across. “I guess I forgot that my gentle butterfly is also a fierce warrior. My fierce warrior mate…and I must convince her to come home.”

“I never forgot where my home is.” The voice that spoke from behind him was as familiar as his own—Grace.

Creek spun to face the woman who’d filled his every waking thought in the last two weeks.

How many times had he thought what he might say to her if he had the chance.

She was beautiful. The medic’s uniform she wore fit as if it had been tailored to her form.

It showed the gentle curves and willowy build of her body.

Her pale hair had been knotted near her neck and pulled forward over one shoulder.

Her lips were pink and full but her expression was chilly.

His body responded to her nearness, but no words seemed enough.

Jupiter’s suggestion came back to him. Kneeling and groveling.

She deserved all of that he could give her.

He strode to where she stood and fell on his knees at her feet.

“Butterfly, my heart beats again for the first time in weeks.” It pounded in his chest like a wild thing trapped in the cage of his body. He would cut it out and serve it to her on a platter if that was what it took to bring happiness back into her face. “How are you here?”

“I’ve been here all along,” she said, shadows in her eyes. “You might not want me here, but this is where I want to be. Every war needs medics, even if they’re only med techs like me.”

He hated that she still thought of herself as less. Less than anything. She was smart and kind and brave. She was his everything.

“I always wanted you here. I was foolish and…afraid.” Shame clawed at his guts. “Can you forgive me for sending you away?”

“I imagine my mother had something to do with that.”

“I shouldn’t have let her come between us.

” He had to give her his truth. “Her words wouldn’t have mattered if not for my own fear.

” Creek took one of her soft hands in his.

“Nothing has ever frightened me more that seeing you on the floor of that laboratory. But it is no excuse for hurting you the way I did. I betrayed our bond when I left. It was selfish and cruel and—”

“Human.” Tears welled in her eyes. “You are an Arena Dog, but you are also human. The best man I know.” Her voice shook as she spoke, and she smiled at him with the same love he’d seen in her eyes many times before.

Creek got to his feet and framed her face with his hands.

“I love you, Grace, with all that I am.” He bent down to kiss her and by some miracle she allowed it.

Her lips were warm and soft and tasted like almonds and bliss.

“I love you, Butterfly.” He whispered it against her mouth then trailed kisses down her jaw to her neck.

“I love you, my warrior.” He sucked on the skin over her pounding pulse, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling their bodies together.

Every soft curve and hard slope of them fit together. Two halves of one whole.

She pulled her head back to meet his eyes. “I love you too, Creek. I always will.”

A slow clap began near the door and grew in volume as the rest of the crew joined in. Creek glanced over her shoulder to see Knock clapping in big, exaggerated movements. Jupiter stood closer, propped against a workstation. He mouthed the words “More groveling.”

Creek pressed his lips to Grace’s ear. “Let’s go back to our room. I think I have more groveling to do.”