She didn\u2019t take him to see Jacqueline like he\u2019d expected. Marin took him home.<\/p>\n
His wife lit the lamp near their bed and locked the door, turning toward him in the flickering of the kerosene lamp\u2019s flame. \u201cTake off your shirt,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cI want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom grimaced and sat down in a chair, not wanting to get their bed dirty with the grime of the road. \u201cI need a bath,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019ll come,\u201d Marin said, leaning against the door. \u201cJust take it off, Thom. I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at her in the dim, watching the play of light and shadow against her face. She was pale, perhaps more pale than she should have been, but he knew that she wouldn\u2019t welcome any questions about her own state of health while she was worried about his.<\/p>\n
Thom sighed and peeled out of his jacket, his sweater, and his shirt. Marin\u2019s footsteps whispered on the floor as she came to him, her eyes on the bandages J.T. had wound around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaws,\u201d Thom said before she could ask the question. \u201cOne of them raked me with its claws on the right side. It\u2019s not showing any signs of festering or anything like the dirae<\/em>\u2019s would, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Her fingers were cold against his skin as she started to unwind the bandages from around his body and he shivered at the chill, flesh puckering. Marin sighed softly, her lips brushing against the top of his ear. \u201cSettle down,\u201d she murmured. \u201cI\u2019m not angry.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the tension drained away. \u201cJust worried?\u201d he asked softly.<\/p>\n \u201cToo worried,\u201d she said, stepping back and moving the lamp closer so she could get a better look at the wounds on his back. \u201cJ.T. stitched them up already?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe had to. I was bleeding all over the place.\u201d Thom let his head drop, chin resting against his breastbone. \u201cCameron\u2019s worse off than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCam is Neve\u2019s problem,\u201d Marin whispered as her fingers brushed along the edges of his wounds. \u201cThey\u2019re all red around the edges.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be okay,\u201d Thom told her, reaching around gingerly to catch one of her hands in his. \u201cMar, I\u2019m okay. I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d she whispered in the moment before she kissed him within an inch of his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" She didn\u2019t take him to see Jacqueline like he\u2019d expected. Marin took him home. His wife lit the lamp near their bed and locked the door, turning toward him in the flickering of the kerosene lamp\u2019s flame. \u201cTake off your … Continue reading