She blinked and then finally opened her eyes. “Adare?” Confusion clouded her eyes, then was quickly chased away by pain. “My neck.”

“You were shot.” His voice came out garbled, he was so pissed. As well as unwillingly impressed. The woman was a good shot. Where had she learned the skill? Aye, she was full of surprises. “You’ll need blood.” His fangs dropped fast and sharp, more than ready to sink into his hand.

“No.” She pushed against his chest. “You were burned. I saw it, and you have stab wounds all over your arms.”

His irritation must’ve shown on his face for a second, because she turned even paler and her body stiffened against his, still trembling with cold. “Where else are you injured?” He kept his voice as mild as he could.

“I don’t know. Everything is frozen.” A spark of temper finally lit her eyes. “Are you pissed at me right now?”

“Pissed doesn’t come close to what I’m experiencing,” he said, slashing into his palm and pressing the wound against her mouth. He’d deal with his new insight into her and how much that intrigued him at a later date. “I’m healing myself of other injuries right now. That means the healing cells will take over quickly, so drink before the cut closes.” If she fought him this time, she wasn’t going to like the results.

She glared but delicately pulled blood, careful to keep her teeth away from the injury. Even angry at him, even hurt and confused, she took care not to cause any more pain. Her kindness had drawn him from the very beginning, and now her determination and strength only made her pull stronger. Every second he stayed in her presence drew him nearer, and he’d avoided that temptation for years. It was a damn good thing he was so angry at the moment.

Color rose into her face like a finger painting on her cheekbones, and her eyes darkened to a deep green. She pulled away, and the wound along her neck slowly mended. “Thank you.”

“Politeness isn’t going to save you.” He set his hand down and let the healing cells go to work.

“From what? You?” She snorted, reaching up to rub the spot where the bullet had sliced her. “You’ll ditch me the second you can.”

He blinked. “Sarcasm isn’t a good tactic. Find another one.” While her sweetness drew him, this sassiness challenged him, and he’d never been able to turn away from a challenge. “Fair warning, Grace.”

She rolled her eyes. Actually rolled them. “I know I owe Nick and Simone an apology for stupidly leaving a trail for the Kurjans to find their condo.” She wiped blood off her neck, scratching at the dry parts, her expression thoughtful. “How do you think they found us, anyway?”