Page 9 (1/2)
"I’led blond hair back fro truck"
He took a long breath and blew it out through his teeth
She punched hiear "You want to tell me what happened?"
"No"
Nick listened to the air threading through the cab, cataloging her injuries as his ele ht it, his senses picked up on so the air jitter around her
She was cradling her arm
"He burned you?" Nick asked
"How did you know that?"
"It’s his MO He’s a Fire Elemental I’ve felt the effects before" More than once, too Tyler and his best friend Seth used to wait to trap Nick alone They’d pin hi Nick wouldn’t use his abilities to stop them
Only they didn’t always stop at threats
Nick should have let him suffocate in the driveway
"Fire, like Gabriel?" Quinn snorted "Why is that not surprising? They should just burn the crap out of each other"
"Not like Gabriel Nowhere near as strong Givetoit back at the last moment when he went to take it
"Don’t touch it, okay? It hurts like a bitch"
He glanced away frohts fro tears on her cheeks He caught sight of that bruise again and wanted to kill Tyler
"I won’t hurt you," he said "Come closer"
She unsnapped her seat belt and scooted to the ainst his side and their thighs were touching
Her face pressed into his shoulder She shed and put an ar her hair back from her face "Quinn Do you want me to take you home?"
"To your house?" her muffled voice asked hopefully
He hadn’t meant his house, but he felt the pain and fear in every breath she took
"Please?" she whispered
"Okay," he said, hitting the turn signal to make a U-turn at the next intersection "You have to be absolutely quiet Mike will kill me if he finds you there"
"Are you sure you don’t want usted noise "You can’t be too hurt if you’rejokes"
She raised her head and sniffled "You sure out the note in her voice, but warmth snuck across his cheeks as he rees and cloves Of course she’d knohat Adam smelled like--she’d spent an hour with her hands all over hi is still here, too," Quinn continued, kicking at hison the floor of the truck "Nick Merrick, you dirty dog It’s after ht"
"We just talked"
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
"Quinn Shut up and give lanced between her wrist and the road He could feel the heat co
He definitely should’ve killed Tyler in the driveway
Nick blew air along the burn, feeding power into it
Quinn sucked in a breath "What are you doing?"
"Healing it" He had to be careful, though Too much power could hurt He knew that fro her head against his shoulder again "That feels a"
"I’ll send you a bill"
"Can you fix my face, too?"
"Yes" Another breath, another flare of power She was relaxed, so he tried for information "Why did he hit you?"
"I don’t want to talk about it Did you sleep with Adauing all at once, and he told his inant about it Two virile guys? Isn’t that like twice the recommended daily dose of testosterone?"
"Quinn"
"Did youher skin
Quinn led closer "You really like him, don’t you?"
He didn’t answer Honestly, he still didn’t know if he’d been relieved to get Quinn’s call, putting an end to the night, or disappointed that it had cut their tiuy, like he only knew the choreography for one dance step, and this was a completely different type of music
God, he couldn’t even fool himself Disappointed He’d been disappointed
He’d never lost control like that before His life was always about fulfilling expectations Spending a fewlike it He couldn’t wait to feel like that again
Quinn lifted her head and looked up at him "You do really like him I know you do I could tell the instant you saw hilad I’m so transparent"
"You’re not transparent He’s just like that Magnetic Everyone likes Ada the burn out, feeling the skin rebuild Everyone likes Adaed when she’d dropped the words