Jared sighed. “That’s not what I meant. You’re too important not to use the best means available, Nina. I thought if I figured out a way for us…I was trying to figure something out.”

“You’re j-just s-saying that to g-g-get me to go back there!”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Jared said. He lifted his coat and I took another step back. His jaws tensed. “I made a mistake! I didn’t want to hurt you! I just needed some time to fix the mess I’ve made!”

I tried to turn the corners of my mouth up into somewhat of a smile. “I th-thought you didn’t make m-mistakes.”

With a desperate expression, Jared took a step toward me, groaning when I took another step back. “Don’t make me do this, Nina. Don’t make me force you. Please get in the car!”

“I’m not going b-back there,” I sputtered.

The rain poured down Jared’s face and streamed from his chin. “I wasn’t going to take you…,” he sighed, “I want you home with me!”

I watched him for a moment, trying to read his eyes.

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” he said, reaching for me. “I want to take you home.”

I sucked in a breath and nodded. Jared wasted no time wrapping me in his coat, but it was already soaked through. He lifted me into his arms and in the next second I was in his car.

Jumping behind the wheel, Jared cranked up the heater and then rubbed my arms with both hands. “Jesus, Nina, your lips are blue.”

He raced down streets that seemed more like rivers. I had just closed my eyes when he pulled to the curb in front of the loft.

“Stay awake, Nina. Don’t go to sleep.”

Jared took the steps three at a time, unlocked his door and skipped more steps to the loft. He held me in one arm while he turned on the shower, and the steam immediately filled the room.

He lifted my stiff body into the shower and held me against him. I cried out as the water burned my icy skin. After a while, the quivering turned less violent. Once I was able to stand alone, Jared adjusted the temperature to a hotter setting.

I looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Jared grimaced, his eyes glowing steel blue. “Let’s just get your temp up.”

He pulled the gauze from my hand and inspected my wound, wincing before glaring down at me. I watched as he gently scrubbed the festering cut with a washcloth.

“You should have gotten stitches for this,” he grumbled. His jaw tensed as he rinsed the soap away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, worried that it was resentment in his eyes instead of concern.