Chapter 2

“It could, right?”

“I suppose. You read the same information I did, Nick. They mate and reproduce when they’re in their natural form, not when they have a host.”

“And they mate for life.” Nick drew in a few shaky breaths.

“Nick,” Todd sighed, took Nick’s cup, and refilled it, pressing it back into Nick’s hands. “We have no proof there was a mate. And if there was, I have no idea how it’d—”

“She. It would be a she.”

Todd rubbed the skin under his eyes. “I have no idea how she’dtrack us.”

“Todd, there’s…every time I sleep…it’s there…she’sthere. Right along with him and how he was all over me. I can still feel that tongue and everything it did, every touch…”

Scooting closer, Todd held Nick’s face in both hands. “Nick. Nicky…shush…stop. Nothing is here. We’ve seen no sign of anything following us. You and I check every day. You’ve been with me.” Sliding a hand down to Nick’s shoulder, Todd urged him to lean forward. He lifted Nick’s shirt and peeled away the bandage over his scapula. “Let me see.” Todd pulled in a breath and let out a long sigh. “It’s still not healing well.”

Nick shivered when Todd’s fingers gently touched his skin. He turned his head as far as he could, trying to see over his shoulder. Todd chuckled soft and low, leaned in, and brushed a light kiss over the back of Nick’s neck between his slave collar and where his hair curled up.

“What I dream is worse than what actually happened.”

“You’re my mate, and I’m never leaving you alone and vulnerable like that again. Anything will have to go through me first. Even if sheis following us, we’ll deal with her, just like we dealt with him.” Todd patted the bandage back into place. “In the morning, when there’s better light, I’ll clean that again, scrub it good, and re-bandage it. I think it might be getting infected again.”

The festering wound from the kelbit bite explained why Nick hadn’t been feeling well for the last day and a half. Rolling his shoulder a few times, Nick stretched his arm up and around in a circle.

“I wish the stupid thing would get better already.”

“There’s still some of that antiseptic cream the doctor gave me before we left the Estate. We’ll look for more when we stop to stock up on supplies.”

Nick felt the movement of Todd’s lips as his master talked against his skin. Todd had inched close enough that his legs bracketed Nick’s. His arms wound around Nick’s waist and pulled Nick flush against his chest.

Nick let out a long, slow breath then tipped his head when Todd licked slow, luxurious trails along Nick’s throat. He reached back and felt along the covered wound with his fingertips. “It’s starting to hurt more.”

Todd’s hands roamed lightly over Nick’s shoulder and gently massaged his neck. “And not letting you sleep well, either, I bet.”

He moved his fingertips in soothing strokes up and down Nick’s neck, then continued kneading Nick’s back, shoulders, and arms. Eyes drifting closed, Nick relaxed back, sinking against the warmth and muscle of Todd’s body.

Tongue oozed over his jaw, along his lips, it forced its way inside. Nick jerked to the side, away from the long tongue. It was Todd’s face he saw, not the kelbit’s. That long tongue, dripping with oily venom was coming out of Todd’s mouth. Nick was stunned and confused. This shouldn’t be happening, wasn’t real, his mind screamed. Still, the scene played on. Todd’s face split into a manic grin, then his lips curled into a snarl. His face morphed into Shaffer’s then into the kelbit’s. Lashing out, Nick connected with the hideous face, knocking the head away from the body. Todd’s head rolled away, eyes staring upCut off its head. Sever the spinal cord. Todd’s eyes blinked, and the bodiless head rolled back and forth a few times while it laughed.

“Nick!”

Someone—something—had ahold of Nick’s shoulders, spun him around and shook him—hard. Nick blinked and rubbed at his eyes. Todd let go of Nick and moved back. He rubbed his jaw while sliding it side to side. “Ow. Christ, who taught you to hit so hard?”

“I…you…I didn’t mean…Todd, I’m sorry.” He’d hitTodd? His mate. His master. The thought made his stomach turn and his head pound. Yet, nearly every night Nick relived driving a knife into the creature’s neck and severing its head that wore Todd’s face before he’d watched it roll away, eyes open and staring. Each nightly show his subconscious put on was ten times worse than his final fight with the kelbit had been and even more frightening. Nick shuddered.