Free Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy) by C.M. Owens Page B

get back at this pace.  Brazen pulls me into his lap, and we kiss each other in the pitch black backseat.
    “How did they get you guys pinned down?” Hale asks to ice the heat between Brazen and me.
    “They came out of nowhere.  We were investigating their campsite, and we saw it was still warm.  The next thing I remember, our men were screaming as the vests started sounding off with bullets pouncing,” Clay answers.
    The shards of Brazen’s vest are lying in the floor as a sign of what could have been, and a tear drips from my eyes when I think of how close he came to not holding me ever again.
    “I’m okay,” he soothes, and his lips graze my ear.
    “It’s fortunate anyone survived that.  How many did we lose?” Hale inserts.
    “Several of the humans.  The blood from their bodies caused some problems with the-”
    He stops short to keep from offending Brazen, and I see my man starting to brood.
    “You don’t have to hold your tongue just because I’m in here,” he growls.
    “Did they take any of it?” I ask curiously.
    “The dead blood spilled just got them killed.  Dead blood is spoiled blood, and it tastes horrendous,” Brazen mumbles.
    “I actually did not know that,” I murmur with a little embarrassment.  “So why was it bothering them?”
    “Because it still smells good when shooting free from the vein,” Brazen grouses, and it looks as if he’s almost in pain.
    “It bothered you too, didn’t it?” I whisper.
    He nods with a touch of humiliation for his animal side, and then he turns to stare out the window only his eyes can penetrate.
    “Several of the full bloods were killed when distracted by the freshly spilled human blood, and then we also lost several of our men as well when we were trying to pull both free from the slaughter alley.  I never saw the uranium grenade until Brazen fell on top of it to save me.  I don’t know how he survived it,” Clay says guiltily.
    Tears start to shed from my eyes, and the dividing glass lowers to reveal the tinted sky has returned.  Brazen’s lips graze mine to reassure me once again that he’s okay.
    When I look up, I see Hale’s eyes carrying a stinging pain in them.  I shouldn’t feel guilty for kissing my fiancé, but I do.  I feel like a fool when I withdraw a little from the overly affectionate contact without a real reason for doing so.
    Fortunately Brazen is now engaged in idle conversation with Clay, and he doesn’t notice my ridiculous behavior.  But Hale does.  His eyes soften and stare into my hybrid blues very longingly despite the hand still holding mine.  He knows what I just did.
    Fuck.  What did I just do?
    “We’ll be there shortly, and we can discuss it in more detail then,” Brazen says, and I snap out of my eye-fucking trance with Hale.
    What am I doing right now?
    “I love you,” Brazen whispers into my ear, and I smile endearingly at him while mouthing the same affection back.
    I’m ashamed that I let my hair fall to block Hale’s vision of the silent response.  Brazen seems oblivious and gives me a wink to show me how much better he’s feeling.
    He pulls off the scattered fragments of the shirt still on his body and tosses it to the floor to join the remnants of the vest.  The quickly approaching compound is just ahead, and Brazen’s pants tell a devastating story with all of their rips and tears as well.
    I touch his leg through one of the larger holes, and I feel the healed skin where the grenade had once left tortured pieces shredded.
    “It’s all better, baby,” he coos, forcing my girly grin to emerge.
    “You look better too,” Hale says while his eyes burn against me from the rearview mirror.
    “I heal with very little blood,” I murmur as Brazen inspects all the places that had sustained injuries.
    “I remember,” he mutters with underlying meaning, and a snarky grin spreads over his face before he looks away.
    Brazen seems intensely focused on my examination, and my mind is