"You're not going to tell me about her, are you?"

My fingers twitched at my sides as the man continued to question me about Ariana. I watched him with hawk eyes as he mixed things into a bowl on his work station. He hesitated before he grabbed a few leaves from a bag in the fridge.

"Pretty little thing," he muttered. "Ain't ever seen anybody with such pale skin and vivid hair."

"What are the leaves for?"

Spike raised his head and watched me from above the ridiculous glasses he wore.

"To put on her wounds with this paste." He placed a bowl near the leaves and tapped on the rim of it. "Those cat-shifters use it."

Cat-shifters? My brows dipped into a frown. There were other shape-shifters out there? Of course there were but Mother never mentioned them. Then again, maybe she never knew about them.

"How much does she weigh?"

I shrugged.

"Inject her with this every few hours to speed up the healing." He continued to give me instructions as he grabbed syringes and alcohol wipes. Everything was placed on a tray and then handed over to me.

With a nod I carried the tray into the small bedroom that had been built near the back of the basement.

Spike's...lair was in the basement of an ordinary restaurant located in the middle of town. I'd only been in it a few times after my mother's death. She used to visit Spike regularly to pick up medicine—something she claimed would make me stronger but all it ever did was make me puke my guts out an hour after it was injected into my veins.

For a few months after she died I continued to take it until that one time when my stepfather beat the shit out of me and I missed a few doses. It worried me until I realized how much better I felt without taking it.

"Make sure to clean the wounds properly before applying the paste," Spike called.

I glanced at him over my shoulder. "I'm sure that I don't have to tell you how important it is for nobody to know that we are here."

Spike held up a hand. "Of course I know."

I entered the room without replying and kicked the door shut behind me. Ariana was exactly where I'd left her. She'd passed out the moment I pulled the wire from her skin and hadn't woken up since.

Spike's place was the safest for us now even though I knew that Ariana needed proper medical care. I was just going to do my best to take care of her.

***

"I'm going to hell."

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop my eyes from taking in Ariana's body as I removed the borrowed clothes. She was pale everywhere and the red hair on her head was definitely her natural hair colour.

Ariana's hips were slightly wider than her sister's. Or it only looked that way because of her tiny waist.

What really bothered me was the fact that I could easily count each of her ribs. Her skin was stretched tightly over her hipbones too.

I should've paid more attention to her weight that day when she passed out. Shaking my head, I carefully picked her up and stepped over the rim of the bathtub.

Her head rolled against my shoulder as I sat down and repositioned her between my legs. I flinched when my hand accidentally brushed her nipple. My cock jerked too and slowly hardened which made me feel so much worse.

Ariana was unconscious but it didn't stop my eager eyes from taking in every inch of her bared body and my body from reacting to the sight.

Swallowing, I reached for the washcloth and soap, but I hesitated once it was lathered up. It felt like I was violating her even though I wasn't really touching her in an inappropriate way.

Clearing my mind of all thoughts, I focused on bathing Ariana. Once every inch of her was cleaned, I leaned back and wrapped an arm around her waist.

My chin dropped to rest on her shoulder and my eyes fluttered closed. I was tired but sleep was far away.

We couldn't stay with Spike forever. Somehow, anyway he possibly could, Oliver would find us. He was after Ariana for a reason. Conner mentioned something that stuck in my mind. If Ariana was somehow involved in the death of Oliver's parents then he was definitely not going to stop until he found her again.

He could've easily killed her but he chose to torture her instead which meant that he had something special planned.

It fucking complicated things a whole lot more.

Mother had been the one to approach Oliver before she died. She'd assured me that he was the perfect man for the job.

My frown deepened as confusion hit me. Something wasn't adding up.

I tensed when Ariana suddenly stirred against my chest. Through all the injections and me cleaning her wounds, Ariana had only been conscious for a few seconds before she slipped under again.

With a hoarse cry, she jerked up and tried to make a run for it but her limps weren't following her brain's orders. I caught her before she could fall out of the tub but having my arms wrapped around her only seemed to increase her panic.

Her nails clawed at my skin as she trashed in my arms.

"Ariana," I called. "Relax, doll. It's okay. You're okay, I promise."

Slipping a leg over hers, I managed to lock her arms at her side. Whimpers fell from her lips as she struggled to breathe. Shifting my hold, I held her arms with one of mine and then reached up with my other hand to gently cup her cheek.

"My little doll, breathe for me," I whispered against her ear. "I've got you. Deep breath in and slowly out. Come on, you're going to pass out if you don't breathe."

Ariana jerked away and tilted her head back to stare up at me with wide, terrified eyes. She blinked and then sucked in a shaky breath.

I gave her a small smile. "Good girl. Another one."

Slowly her breathing evened out and the tension drained out of her body. Through it all Ariana never looked away.

I took in her dilated eyes and the lopsided smile she was giving me.

"You, my dear girl, are as high as a kite," I muttered in realization.

I was sure that I'd been giving her the wrong dose. Letting out a sigh, I moved a few damp strands of hair from her cheeks. With her struggle water had splashed everywhere. Even the clothes I'd set out for us were soaked.

"You saved me," she croaked.

Instead of answering her, I lowered my head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. Ariana froze for a few seconds before her lips parted and she started kissing me back.

It was only supposed to be a short kiss.

But it turned into more.

Her hand moved to grip the side of my neck while her body shifted in my hold. She seemed to be able to move more easily.

My tongue slipped along the seam of her lips, seeking permission to enter her mouth. It wasn't long before she granted me entrance. I swiped my tongue across the roof of her mouth, making her shiver before I tangled my tongue with hers.

A groan fell from my mouth into hers when she started sucking on my tongue. The action was so unexpected and strange that I froze for a moment.

Water splashed against the side of the tub when she pushed herself onto her knees. I froze again because in the next second her chest was pressed to mine and her knees settled on either side of my hips.

Colour flooded my cheeks as my cock hardened until it started pulsing. I knew she could feel it too. Not only was her pussy pressed to my groin, but her body had tensed.

Breaking the kiss, I blinked at her face inches from mine.

"Y-you. . ."

The colour in my cheeks darkened. "It's a natural reaction."

Slowly, as if experimentally, Ariana moved her hips. My hands shot down to her hips to stop any further movement.

"Ariana—"

"I want to see your penis."