His own wound, from the bullet that had gone through his triceps, was already mostly healed. Monstrum Kindred were tough and they healed very quickly, for which he was grateful. He just wished that humans weren’t quite so fragile. Poor Mia was going to take so long to recover from her wounds! He thought of offering to heal her with kisses, but he wasn’t sure how she would feel about that, considering that he was going to leave her so soon.
At last they were both clean. Storn made sure to dry Mia thoroughly and seat her on a small chair beside the shower while he tended to himself. The fur on his hips and legs was thick and curly when it was wet and could be difficult to dry. Luckily, the Kindred of this Mother Ship had quick-dry towels that absorbed water almost instantly. They sucked up the moisture, leaving his lower half fluffy and dry in a surprisingly short amount of time.
“Feeling better now?” he asked Mia, as he helped her to her feet and led her to the sleeping chamber.
“Much,” she assured him in her faint, whispery voice. “Let’s lay down together, all right? I want to feel you holding me one…” She cleared her throat and her eyes were suspiciously bright. “One last time.”
“One last time,” Storn agreed sadly. He helped her onto the bed and lay beside her, pulling her soft, naked body close to his own. Looking down into her face, he stroked her cheek lovingly.
“You’re so beautiful, my lovely one,” he murmured. “You take my breath away.”
Mia gave a sad little laugh.
“Are you kidding? I don’t have a speck of makeup on and my hair isn’t even all the way dry. Plus this awful mark on my throat…” She touched the tender place and winced. “I must look a mess.”
Storn shook his head.
“You’re always beautiful to me. Even when you are wounded. I wonder…” He stopped, uncertain if he should go on.
“You wonder what?” she asked hoarsely.
“I wonder how you would feel about me healing you one last time?” Storn asked uncertainly. “I don’t want to leave you wounded like this, lovely one.”
“Oh…” Mia bit her lush lower lip and looked at him uncertainly. “Could you? I wasn’t sure since we’re not going to bond now if your body could still…would still be able to heal mine.”
“Just because we can’t bond doesn’t mean I can’t heal you,” Storn assured her. “Here, lift your chin and let me give you the Kiss of Healing one last time.”
Mia obeyed, lifting her chin to give him better access to her throat. Storn leaned over her naked body, so lovely and curvy and so small beneath his own large frame. He wanted to be gentle with her—wanted to heal her but also to give her pleasure—something for her to remember him by.
Carefully, he placed a kiss on her wounded flesh, hearing her soft intake of breath as he did so. Hoping he wasn’t hurting her, he continued to make his way around her throat, covering the ugly place where the wire had twisted with a necklace of kisses, letting her know that she was loved—that he would always love her, no matter what.
“Oh, Storn…” she whispered and he couldn’t help noticing that her voice wasn’t nearly as hoarse or whispery as it had been earlier. Good, he was helping her. Not just healing the outside of her throat, but healing the inner problem, too, Storn thought with satisfaction.
But even when the ugly red marks disappeared, he didn’t want to stop kissing. Mia’s skin was so soft and warm and she smelled so good and felt so right in his arms…
“Storn…” she whispered breathlessly. As he lapped gently at her throat and the sensitive side of her neck, she gave a little moan and pressed her thighs together tightly.
I should stop now—she’s healed, Storn told himself. He knew that her throat was an erogenous zone—one that had never been touched before he had come to know her. That wasn’t surprising, considering what a brute her ex-mate had been. Storn hoped he had killed him, though he couldn’t be sure. For now, though, he didn’t want to think of that.
At the moment, all he wanted to concentrate on was Mia. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her just a little bit longer, making her squirm just a little bit more, as the scent of her feminine desire rose to tantalize his senses…
“Oh,” she moaned again. “Oh Storn, please, could you…would you kiss me just a little bit lower?”
Storn stopped nuzzling her neck and looked into her eyes. They were clouded by need—a need he wanted desperately to meet. He told himself that he had to be careful. He couldn’t go too far or he would risk bonding her to him, which was exactly what he didn’t want to do. Still, he didn’t see how kissing her lovely body could hurt.