Page 42 of Knight’s Salvation

She didn’t know what to do to make him better, and that terrified the hell out of her.

“I need to touch you again, okay?” She paused. “I’m just…I’m going to put this pillow under your head.” Crouching down, she tentatively lifted his head and slid it in place. At least she could try and make him more comfortable.

He watched her the whole time and she couldn’t work out what was behind that stare, but it caused serious flutters in her belly. She lifted her hand again and slowly reached for him, unable to resist brushing his hair back from his face.

After she made sure he was covered, she offered him a drink of water, but he couldn’t unhinge his jaw enough to take a sip. So she sat back and waited for it to pass. Twenty minutes ticked by at a snail’s pace, but his condition didn’t change. He shivered and groaned, and she’d never felt more helpless in her entire life.

“I’m going to touch your forehead again,” she said and placed her hand against his skin, sliding down to his cheek. He watched her, but he didn’t pull away. “I’ve never felt anyone this cold. We have to get you warmed up. If you were human you’d have hypothermia by now.”

The best way to warm someone up was body heat. Not something he’d welcome, but at this point she didn’t know what else to do. She pulled off her sweater and stripped off her jeans. “I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’m out of ideas, and we need to get your temperature back up. I’m going to lie against you so you can feel my body heat.” He started to shake his head. “I know you don’t like me, but you can just get the hell over it. I’m trying to help you out here. It’s either this or I go get help.”

He held still, those unnerving eyes not leaving hers.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She didn’t waste time and climbed under the comforter, sliding in behind him. His entire body was rock solid, shaking, freezing. Goose bumps rose on her skin from the shock of it. Luckily, he didn’t have his leather jacket on and wore only a worn T-shirt and jeans so he could at least feel the heat coming from her.

Keeping one arm at her side and the other tucked under her head so she didn’t freak him out more than she already was, she pressed her front into his back. That feeling during her training started to hum in the center of her chest, but for once it didn’t become painful or overwhelming. It was weird, but she could feel warmth radiate through her limbs, like she was sending heat to him.

“Can you feel that?” Her power was still so volatile and her control over it was not great. But this, somehow, felt right, like she needed to embrace it.

He dipped his chin a fraction.

“Is it…am I hurting you?”

He shook his head, again barely a movement, but she didn’t miss it.

Zenon remained tense, and she started to babble again in an attempt to keep both of their minds off what she was doing. She told him about her mother, how wonderful she’d been growing up. How she’d passed away several years ago. About her sister, and the mischief they’d gotten up to as kids. That she didn’t remember what her father looked like, but that her mother had loved him dearly.

She talked and talked until Zenon’s shivers eased and his big body relaxed a little.

To her utter shock a short while later, without a word, he reached back, took her wrist, and pulled her arm around him, holding her hand to his chest. She could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart against her palm.

Mia didn’t dare move, didn’t speak, afraid she’d destroy the fragile truce between them.

A rush of exhaustion hit her about the same time that feeling of warmth flooding her limbs retreated. In the back of her mind she knew it was important, this breakthrough with her powers, with Zenon. But right then she couldn’t think.

Not while she was wrapped around the fierce, broken warrior beside her. A male who let no one in, ever. A male who, right then at least, was trusting her to hold him, to care for him.