“Like sex.” Now Luca understood, he truly understood what Nox meant when he’d said he couldn’t be with Luca like a normal man. That it would be the Anubis and what it desired had nothing to do with affection.
Nox sighed against the back of Luca’s neck. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“You tore out his throat with your teeth. Your teeth.” Luca’s voice shattered.
Nox pressed a kiss against Luca’s temple. “I need to get you out of here. There will be more, and I don’t know how fast they’ll get here.”
“I can’t…” Luca tried to hold himself up. “It hurts. I can’t.”
“It’s okay. I’ll carry you.” Nox scooped Luca up.
Sobs shook him, fear cinched his throat, and his trembling muscles tightened into knots. Luca buried his face against Nox’s chest. But as soon as Luca closed his eyes, there was the image of Nox with that man’s head in his hand and blood on his lips.
*****
Nox set Luca in the passenger side of the Jeep. “Hang on, and I’ll get you some juice.” Nox got one of the bottles from the bags of groceries and opened it. “Here.”
Luca’s hands trembled as he took the offering. He drank a few swallows and tried to hand it back.
“You need all of it.”
“I’m too sick. I can’t.” Gray tinged Luca’s naturally tan skin.
“Your body’s trying to heal. I know you feel bad, but it will only get worse if you don’t have calories in you.”
Luca took another sip.
Nox dug out a shirt and pair of sweats from the duffle bag. “Put these on.”
“They’re yours.”
“You’re soaking wet, Luca. You need to get warm so you can heal.”
“You don’t even have any clothes.” Luca winced and pressed his fingers to his temple.
“Let me see.” Nox brushed Luca’s cheek, and Luca jerked away. His heartrate spiked, and his fear perfumed the air.
Would Luca ever look at Nox again and not see what he’d done? Nox set the clothes on the seat beside Luca. “Go ahead and change. We need to go.”
Nox went around to the driver’s side and got in.
“That man.” Luca tried to put his drink in the cupholder but missed. Nox caught it and set it down inside. “He called you, Nash.”
Blood and bruises smeared across Luca’s face. Pain crumpled his expression. And Nox was the cause of some of his suffering. If not all of it.
“Did you know him?”
“No.”
Luca slumped in his seat.
Nox pushed the clothes closer. “You need to get your wet clothes off, Luca.”
Luca gripped his sweat shirt, but his hand went limp. “Too tired.”
Fuck it. Nox climbed over Luca and dropped the seat back. He whimpered, and Nox was sure his heart would crumble.
“I’m only going to help you change your clothes.” Nothing else. He would find a way to never touch Luca again if that’s what he wanted.