25. VANYA

“I can do it myself.”

“You can barely walk straight,” Devrim said. “I don’t want you slipping and injuring yourself.”

“Devrim…”

“Vanya.” He appeared in the doorway of the bathroom a moment later. “It’s going to take a few days for the tran—injection to work out of your system.”

“What were you going to say before you said injection?”

“Nothing.” He disappeared back into the bathroom again.

I stared up at the ceiling as I listened to him moving around the bathroom. My mind raced with different words he had been about to say before he stopped and used injection instead, but my brain just wasn’t ready to function yet. I still felt the effects of the injection. The room still tilted in all kinds of directions whenever I moved; my limbs felt numb, and I was still tired, even though I knew that I had slept for a few hours.

“Your bath is ready.”

Devrim walked out of the bathroom and stopped next to the bed to look down at me.

“I don’t feel like—”

“You need to,” he growled. “You smell like those humans.”

“Oh.” I sighed and tried to find the strength to sit up. “You know, our sense of smell isn’t as good as yours. I can’t smell those men like you can.” I looked back at him. “Dev, I really don’t have the strength.”

His lips tilted up into a sympathetic smile as he leaned over me. “You’ll feel a bit better once you eat something.”

“I hope so. This is worse than when I had the flu last year.”

“Vanya,” His brows dipped into a frown. “Will you let me get into the bathtub with you?”

I blinked at him. “You want to bathe with me?”

“You’re not… I want to get in behind you, so you don’t slip under the water.”

 “I’d appreciate that.”

He smiled and slipped his arms underneath me. I managed to wrap an arm around his neck as he picked me up and carried me into the bathroom.

I felt a bit disappointed that he was only worried about me drowning instead of getting into the bath with me because he felt attracted to me.

It wasn’t like we’d be having sex since I wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind for it. My arms and legs didn’t want to cooperate with the demands of my brain. Not to mention the whole nausea thing with the room spinning and all that.

“I’ll help you in first and then I’ll get in behind you.”

“Okay.”

Somehow, between the two of us and my spinning head, we managed to get undressed and into the bathtub. If it wasn’t for his perfect skill, I would either slip or puke… or maybe both.  

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a glimpse of his body like I wanted to; I kept my eyes squeezed closed during most of it. When I finally found the courage to open my eyes, we were already in the tub and he was sitting behind me with his legs on the outside of mine.

“Still feel like being sick?” he questioned.

“As long as I don’t move, I’m okay,” I told him.

He chuckled. Devrim shifted slightly and wrapped an arm under my breasts to pull my body back against his chest. We were both naked and as close as we could possibly be in the small tub, which meant that I could feel almost every inch of his body. Meaning that the one part I was desperate to get a look at was pressing into the small of my back, and rapidly growing harder by the second.

“Where’s Ezra?” I questioned to get my mind out of the gutter.

I had fallen asleep sandwiched between them, but woke up alone in bed.

“Ezra is with the brothers, checking out a lead they found,” he answered.

“And Obsidian?”

Devrim stayed silent for a few minutes before he answered. “He’s making dinner.”

I smiled. I couldn’t wait to taste his food, as long as he didn’t cook me any fish again. But then another thought hit. “He’s adding salt and spices, right?”

“Yes. I believe someone picked up the things you wrote on the list.”

“When did you get it?” I asked with a frown.

“Your father gave the list to one of his men when we arrived at the station. The stuff was delivered there before you were taken.”

I relaxed against him completely as the warmth of the water soothed some of the aching muscles. It’s been a rough day, but I was thankful that they had managed to rescue me in time. What if that man had managed to kill me? I wasn’t ready to die yet.

Devrim’s arm loosened and slipped away. I held my breath when his hand slowly moved down my stomach and stopped to rest close to my pubic bone. It was then that I noticed the dark purple bruise the size of a fist. It was where the man punched me when he pulled me from the car.

A purr rumbled from his chest when his fingers continued to trace my skin. “Your skin’s so soft.”

“Is that why you’re purring?”

He hummed and nuzzled my neck with his face. “Our females don’t look the same as you do. Their stomachs are firm with muscle. Their bodies are fit like ours and their chests are smaller, not as big as yours.”

“Their chests?”

My mouth dropped open when he raised his other arm and gripped my right breast. He squeezed and gentled his hold, but didn’t let go. The hand on my stomach moved down between my legs.

“And they have a lot of hair here.”

I swallowed when one of his fingertips brushed against my clit.

“I’ve n-never seen one of your females before,” I croaked.

Devrim’s hand slid away and dropped into the water. I instantly missed his touch.

“Most of them are kept out of the public eye by their mates or their family. The ones who are unmated stay within the pride for protection.”

“Are they in danger?”

“Not directly, but we don’t want to take that risk. There are very few of them.” Devrim reached for the soap and washcloth and changed the topic. “You must be hungry. Let’s get you clean and back into bed so you can eat.”

“Let’s hope I’m able to stomach it.”

“You will.”

Devrim washed every inch of my body in silence. A moan slipped from my lips when he massaged the shampoo into my hair. The sound had made him freeze, but it only lasted for a few seconds before he moved again. I sighed in pleasure when he added conditioner.

“Do we have to get out?” I questioned when he was done.

The last thing I wanted to do was get out of the tub. I loved having him so close, but he suddenly felt so distant.

“The water is getting cold.”

“But it’s still warm enough to stay for a few minutes.” I gave him a pleading look over my shoulder. “Please?”

Turning slightly, I leaned back against the side of the tub to get a better look at him. His cheeks were flushed, probably from the heat of the water, and his nostrils were flaring. My eyes dropped to his throat where a pulse was beating under his skin.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Is it pride related?”

I shook my head. Devrim hesitated and then nodded.

Licking my lips, I finally voiced the thing that’s been bothering me. “Why won’t you kiss me?”

His eyes darted around the bathroom. Devrim cleared his throat and then looked back at me. His lips parted, but no words escaped. I could make out the sudden panic that filled his eyes.

“Devrim—”

A sound from outside the bathroom had me breaking off. My mouth dropped open when Obsidian appeared in the doorway. With his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulder propped against the door frame, he silently watched us.

My eyes trailed over him in appreciation. Obsidian always wore black which suited him, especially with his dark tattoos.

“Dev doesn’t know how to kiss,” he said with a smirk. “He only knows how to fuck.”

My eyes darted to Devrim when he growled.

“How do you know that?” he asked Obsidian.

Obsidian straightened and stepped further into the bathroom. “I heard you and Ezra talking about it.”

He gave Devrim a wink before looking at me. Obsidian stopped next to the tub and tugged on his pants before he crouched, resting his forearms on the side of the tub.

“How are you feeling, sweets?”

Swallowing, I gave him a small smile. “I’m tired and a bit shaky, but good for as long as I don’t move.”

His lips tugged up in the corner. “Well, if you feel like kissing, you must be feeling a lot better.”

My smile widened as an idea formed when I caught Obsidian glancing at Devrim. My eyes moved between them until Obsidian caught my eyes again. There was a challenge in his eyes, like daring me to voice the thought I have. Does he want that?

“Is dinner ready?” Devrim asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes.”

“Good. Vanya needs to eat and then rest.”

Devrim gripped my hips, but froze when Obsidian leaned forward. Obsidian’s eyes still held the same challenge as he kept staring at me.

Licking my lips, I turned my head to look at Devrim. “Obsidian can kiss better than me. I’m not a very good teacher, but I’m sure he is.”

I watched as his eyes widened and the colour in his cheeks deepened. Devrim’s eyes darted between Obsidian and me, then dropped.

“There’s—”

 “Ask me to teach you,” Obsidian breathed.

“I-I—” Devrim trailed off.

“Say it,” Obsidian rasped. “Say it.”

Devrim swallowed loudly. “T-teach me,” he whispered.  “Teach me how,” he said a bit louder.