25. VANYA: THE AFTER EFFECTS

“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 into the bathroom again.
I stared up at the ceiling as I listened to him moving around the bathroom. My mind raced with different word he was 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’ve 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 too,” 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. He wanted the bathe with me?
I couldn’t stop the smile from slipping onto my face. Maybe my prayers had been answered after all.
“You want to bathe with me?”
“You’re not. . .I want to get in behind you so you don’t slip under the water and drown.”
My smile slipped a little. “I’d appreciate that.”
He smiled and slipped his arms underneath me. I managed to wrap and 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 and that he didn’t really want to get into the bath with me because he felt attracted to me. It wasn’t like we’d be having sex either—I wasn’t in the right state of mind to have sex either. I’d be like a flapping fish since my damn limbs wouldn’t cooperate with the demand my brain was sending me. Not even 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. I wasn’t sure how Devrim had managed to get us both into the tub without me slipping or puking on him.
Unfortunately I didn’t get a glimpse of his body like I wanted too, because 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 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. He felt huge, which led to another question; were all shifters hung?
“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 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 slipped 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 and flatter, not like yours.”
“Their chests?”
My mouth dropped open when he raise his other arm and gripped my right breast. He squeezed and gentled his hold but didn’t let go. The hand on my stomach slipped lower between my legs.
“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 you female before,” I croaked.
Devrim’s hand slid away and dropped into the water. I instantly missed his touch.
“There are very few females left. Most of them were killed before they could escape. The few females left stay within the pride for protection.”
“Protection? Are they in danger?”
“Not directly, but we don’t want to take that risk.” Devrim reached for the soap and washcloth. “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 and then my hair. 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. He even 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 this close and by the way he suddenly felt so distant, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to have him this close to me.
“The water is getting cold.”
“But it’s still warm.” 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—his nostrils were flaring. Was it my imagination or were his eyes darker than they had been before? My eyes dropped to his throat were a pulse was beating erratically 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. Along with that 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 doorframe, he silently watched us.
My eyes trailed over him in appreciation. Obsidian always wore black which in a way suited him completely—especially with his dark tattoos. But I was sure a bit of colour in his tattoos would fit him too.
“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?”
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 and rested his forearms on the side of the tub.
“How are you feeling, sweets?”
Swallowing, I gave him a small smile. “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 whole lot better.”
My smile widened as an idea formed when I caught his glancing at Devrim. I glanced between them but Obsidian’s eyes caught mine again. Was he silently challenging me?
“Is dinner ready?” Devrim asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes.”
“Good. Vanya needs to eat and then rest.”
He gripped my hips but froze when Obsidian leaned forward. He was still staring at me, waiting? Had he read my mind? Licking my lips, I turned my head to look at Devrim.
“Obsidian can kiss better than I can. 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 and then down.
“There’s—”
“You want to kiss her, but you’re scared,” Obsidian said. “Ask me to teach you.”
“I-I—” he trailed off and swallowed.
“Say it,” Obsidian rasped. “Say it.”
Devrim swallowed loudly. “T-teach me,” he whispered. His eyes shot up and locked with Obsidian’s. “Teach me how,” he said a bit louder.