League - Fire And Ice Part 9

"Because I knew my father would punish me twice as severely since I not only did it, but I let someone else pay for it. My father is a firm believer in justice." He squeezed her hand. "It was a cowardly thing, I know, and I spent the whole summer, staying home with Taryn to make it up to him."

"Did he know you were the one who did it?"

He shook his head. "No. It's always been my guilty secret."

And now it was hers, too.

"What of you?" he asked. "Tell me who you were running from at The Golden Crona."

Her face flamed. "It was horrible. My father was going to marry me to Clypper Thoran."

"The Giradonal Governor?"

"Yes."

Adron frowned as he stared at her. "Good Lord, he's what? A hundred and fifty?"

"Eighty-two."

His jaw dropped as he shuddered. "Your father was going to marry you to an eighty-two year old man?"

She nodded. "He wants a trade agreement with them, and Clypper wanted a young wife."

"No wonder you didn't mind me," Adron said with a snort. "One way or another, you were bound to end up as some man's nursemaid."

She lost her temper at him, then. "You know, I'm tired of your self-pity, Adron. Instead of thinking of all the things you no longer have, you should concentrate on what you do have."

"And what is that?"

"A family who loves you. And though your body is damaged, at least your mind isn't."

"Yeah well, trapped in an invalid body happens to be my worst nightmare."

Livia glared at him. "I would rather be crippled than mindless. My worst fear is ending up as a vegetable trapped in a whole, sound body.

So, from where I'm sitting you have nothing to complain about."

His frown deepened. "Why would you fear something like that?"

"I saw my grandmother die that way. It was terrible. She lay in a hospital bed, hooked to monitors and machines for almost a year before they finally let her die."

"Why did they do that?"

"Because they couldn't let her go." Her look intensified. "If your mind was gone, Adron, you couldn't be here with me now. You wouldn't be able to see the sky above us, hear the children laughing or anything else. You would be trapped in cold, awful darkness."

"Okay!" he said, wanting this conversation to end. It was too gruesome even for him to contemplate. "You made a good a point." She'd obviously given this a lot of thought. "You're right, I am a self-pitying b.a.s.t.a.r.d. But I will endeavor to be a little less so."

"Promise?"

"As long as you're with me, yes."

Weeks went by as Adron tried to keep his word to her. Some days it was easier than others. And today it was particularly difficult.

"Come on, Adron," his therapist said as she increased the weight on his leg. "You can lift it."

Grinding his teeth against the pain, he hated the patronizing tone Sheena always used. Like a mother coaxing a small child.

"That's it. You're doing fine. Good boy."

"Go to h.e.l.l," he snarled.

"Adron!" Livia snapped at him as she came forward to stand beside him. "You behave."

Adron curled his lip. This was the first time he'd allowed Livia to come with him to his therapy in the hospital. And if she kept that tone up, it would be the last.

"It's all right," Sheena said. "He says that to me a lot."

Livia reached out and took his hand in hers. Adron's heart pounded at the softness of her touch.

G.o.d, he'd gotten so used to her. Had become dependent on her and that terrified him more than anything else.

"Be nice," she said.

Holding her hand over his heart, he nodded. And then he lifted his leg.

"See, I knew you could do it."

He ignored Sheena.

"Okay, let's try some pulls."

Adron let go of Livia and sat up slowly. But no sooner was he upright, than he felt the familiar burning in his chest. Two seconds later, his nose started bleeding and he coughed up blood.

"Dammit," he snarled as Sheena grabbed a towel.

He laid back down while Sheena ran to get Theo.

Livia brushed his hair back from his damp forehead. The tenderness of her touch and look scorched him. And it made him yearn even more for a way to love her like she deserved to be loved.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I just damaged another internal organ. Who knows which one. Since they're all pretty much soup, it could be..."

His voice trailed off as Theo came in with a Gurney and three orderlies.

"You know, Adron," Theo said as the orderlies picked him up and placed him on the Gurney, "if you want to spend the night with me, there are easier ways of going about it. You could just ask."

He wasn't amused by Theo's playfulness. "I want to go home."

"Maybe tomorrow." Theo put an oxygen mask on his face.

Adron pulled it off.

Livia put it back on.

Adron met her gaze.

"I'll call your parents." Holding his hand, she walked beside him as Theo wheeled him through the familiar hallways.

When they reached the scanning room, Adron reluctantly let go of her.

Livia's heart was heavy as she watched the doors close behind him.

How she wished she had her mother's healing powers. Her mother could make him whole again.

So could you.

True, but if she did, she'd lose him forever.

Adron spent two days in the hospital before Theo let him go home again.

While he'd been in the hospital, Livia had stayed with him the entire time and though it was selfish of him, he loved it.

As soon as they were back in his flat, they had gone to bed and hadn't emerged except to attend basic needs like food and drink.

Livia came awake slowly. She blinked open her eyes to find herself lying in bed, wrapped in her husband's arms.

Adron was still asleep, but even so, he had a tight grip on her as if he was afraid she'd vanish.

Smiling, she picked his hand up and placed a kiss over his scarred knuckles.

Then, she heard someone in the outer room. At first, she a.s.sumed it was the cleaning lady who came twice a week, until she heard Taryn call Adron's name.

"Hey, bud," he said, throwing open the door, "I need..." Taryn took one look at them lying naked in the bed and turned around to give them his back.

"Sorry, Livia," he said. "I a.s.sumed by three o'clock in the afternoon the two of you would be up."

Adron rubbed his stubbled cheek against her shoulder as he came awake. "I need to learn to lock my door," he said.

She laughed.

Taryn snorted. "I'm going to go out here and wait until you two get dressed."

Adron brushed his hand over her hair and she felt his erection against her hip. "Why don't you keep walking until you get to the other side of the front door?"

"Ha, ha," Taryn said as he closed the door. "By the way, your wife has a great body."

Heat exploded across her face.

Adron gave her a stern frown. "Say the word, and I'll kill him for you."

She smiled. "It's okay, if you did that, Tiernan would miss him."

Adron rolled over slowly and reached for his injector and medicine on the night stand.

Livia cringed as he gave himself a shot in the stomach. How she wished he didn't have to do that every few hours. Unfortunately, he would have to do it for the rest of his life.

His features strained, he left the bed and dressed.

While he went to speak to his brother, she headed into the bathroom for a shower.

She took her time, letting the hot water cascade over her, until she felt someone watching her. Turning around, she saw Adron leaning against the wall, staring straight at her.

"You startled me," she said while the hot water slid against her back.

"Sorry, I was just wis.h.i.+ng I could join you."

It amazed her how comfortable she'd become around him. Her nudity in front of him had long since ceased to bother her. As did his. In fact, she'd learned every dip and curve of his tawny flesh. Every scar.

She glanced over to the tub a few feet away. "Want me to join you?"

He smiled. "Yes."

Livia turned the shower off, then ran them a tub full of water. Adron got in first, then pulled her in on top of him.

"Careful!" she warned as a wave of panic went through her. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You could never hurt me," he said, then he claimed her lips with his.

Livia moaned. Oh, but she would never get tired of his kiss. His touch.

Pulling back, Adron stared at her in awe. Her lips were swollen from his kiss and her cheeks red from his whiskers. He ran his hand over her ravaged skin.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching for his razor in the cubby hole in the wall above his head.

She sat beside him, watching him shave with a frown on her face.

"Wouldn't that be easier with a mirror?"

"Probably."

"Then, why don't you use one?"