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RECKLESS Bailey Bradford
38
way to the small bathroom. He grimaced as he saw what looked to be the remains of his
laptop and cell phone, and Nathan stopped long enough to be sure. Yep, bastards had even
shattered his broadband card. The little neon green bits of plastic could only have come from
that. Assholes, he muttered, then shied away from thinking about James and Bryce s fates.
There s a generator here, so you can shower with hot water. Take as long as you want,
but it ll turn freezing cold after about fifteen minutes. Nathan turned the knobs and dug out
a towel. At least the bathroom was still relatively clean. Apparently the other shifters hadn t
bothered with personal hygiene. He wrinkled his nose when he saw a puddle of dried urine
by the toilet. Someone had been a lousy shot. He d have to take care of that later, right now
he had to get Marcus settled, and then
I ll fix us something to eat, then Nathan looked over just in time to see Marcus
knees hit the floor, his arms flailing in an attempt to catch himself as he fell over.
He should have expected it, should have paid attention, Nathan fumed as his heart
raced up into his throat. Skidding on to his knees, he reached for Marcus wrist. The pulse
was steady, stronger than it d been days earlier. Nathan looked at Marcus unconscious form,
wondering how he d been so stupid as to forget about the man s injuries, new and old.
Too wrapped up in my own little psychosis. Nathan needed his ass kicked for being
such a self-centred prick. Come on. Let s get you cleaned up so I can play doctor.
Marcus didn t respond to the teasing, but Nathan thought he felt a glimmer of
amusement in his mind. It couldn t be his own he wasn t the least bit amused by the fact
he d let the other man topple like a felled tree. Nathan felt the back of Marcus head, worried
he d cracked his skull in the small bathroom, but it seemed Marcus had managed to keep
from doing any more damage to himself.
Relieved, and mindful of the time limit for a hot shower, Nathan hooked his arms
under Marcus and lifted. The height discrepancy made it impossible for Nathan to hold
Marcus upright, but he simply didn t have the strength left to carry the man any more.
Hefting as much weight as he could, Nathan lugged Marcus to the shower stall. Getting them
both over the lip of the stall was tricky, and Nathan banged both of their heels, but he finally
got them in and under the stinging hot water.
Groaning, Nathan sat down, holding Marcus as he d done in the stream, his legs
bracing Marcus . He tipped his head back and rinsed out his mouth; he wouldn t be good for
anything if he didn t get the taste of blood washed away.
RECKLESS Bailey Bradford
39
By the time he d scrubbed every inch of Marcus, stoically ignoring the man s erection
and his own, and washed Marcus hair and beard twice, the water was already beginning to
chill.
Having had enough of frigid water courtesy of his trips through the stream, Nathan
shut the shower off. He d dry Marcus, do what he could for the man s injuries, find them
both some clothes, then feed them. By that time the little hot water heater should be full
again. At least it had better be.
After towelling Marcus as best he could, Nathan then left him sitting propped against
the bathroom wall. He needed to check the bedroom, likely change the bedding, so he
couldn t very well haul Marcus in there yet. The couch was out as well since his laptop,
phone and broadband card were strewn across the surface. He d feel like a total asshole if he
moved Marcus onto the couch and the poor guy got jabbed with something.
And sure enough, the bedroom reeked of the others. It made Nathan s stomach cramp.
He didn t want to think about those two, not for anything.
Nathan got busy, stripping the bed and tossing the dirty bedding into the hamper. He
sprayed a light coating of unscented sanitiser and despite the claim, it was not unscented
that made his nose burn, but the room smelt better than it had before.
Satisfied he d done the best he could for now, Nathan went back in the bathroom and
squatted beside Marcus. The man was still out cold. And probably literally cold, Nathan
realised as a shudder worked over his thin form. All right then, up you go. He pulled
Marcus arm over his shoulders and slid one arm around the man s waist. With his other
hand, he held Marcus wrist where it dangled by Nathan s collarbone.
Nathan counted to three in his head then stood, bringing Marcus up with him. It wasn t
graceful, not anywhere near it, but he finally managed to get him into bed. He covered him
with the heavy comforter then tucked it in around Marcus, wondering at the protective way
he felt towards this wounded man. He wanted to take care of him and God help anyone who
interfered. Nathan couldn t for the life of him figure out why he felt that way. It was
frightening, really, but it was something to focus on rather than what had occurred outside
the cabin earlier.
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