His eyes flicked to Ash then back to me before he shrugged and hopped up on the bed behind us.
Doc nibbled at my neck.
"Hungry?"
"A little," he admitted.
I tipped my chin back, inviting him.
He hesitated.
"You shouldn't let yourself get too hungry."
Doc sighed. "Later, after you all eat."
I snuggled into his chest again, wondering why he was feeling shy all of a sudden. Ash still studied us, but I couldn't read the expression on his face.
Doc went back to rubbing my back gently while we waited for Ed and Allan to finish dinner. I tried not to drool as I watched their coordinated movements as they went through their nightly dance of preparing us dinner. Someday I really should help them, but it was so nice to just watch.
I reluctantly climbed off of Doc's lap when Ed and Allan finished dinner and we all gathered around the table. Ash ended up on one side of me and Ed sank down on the other. I pushed my knee against his and he put his hand on top of my thigh for a moment, leaving a burning warm spot and making me squirm a little on my cushion.
Thinking about how I could maybe get one or two of my guys alone, or all of them, without kicking Ash out, kept me occupied through dinner.
Once we had finished, I offered my arm to Doc. He shook his head. "You need to keep your strength up," he said. "As soon as this storm breaks, you three have to build us a cabin."
I wrapped my arms around him, inhaling his leather scent as he hugged me tightly. "You sure?"
"I'll be okay."
"Don't starve yourself," I whispered. I knew he was feeling a little uncomfortable with his vampire side after indulging it so deeply when rescuing Ash, but he still needed blood.
"You can have some of mine if you want." Ash stared at the table while he spoke, and I could tell it had taken a fair bit for him to offer.
I glanced up at Doc at the same time Ash did, just in time for us to both see him twist his lips. He cleared the expression from his face quickly enough, but Ash had seen.
Before we could explain what demon blood did to Doc, Ash nodded and headed out the door.
I sighed. "I'll go get him."
"Sofia, be careful of the storm. I don't want to have to rescue someone else from a blizzard."
"I will be." I knew he referred to our adventures at my parents' house during Thanksgiving. I took a minute to throw on my coat and boots and then plunged into the snowstorm after Ash.
Fortunately, he wasn't far. He was leaning against his snow-covered Camaro, arms crossed, shoulders hunched. It was probably a good thing it was snowing, or he might have left.
"Ash, demon blood makes Doc sick."
He turned, head tilted.
"It's actually so bad for him, that the first two times he drank demon blood, it almost killed him. I saved him the first time. The greater demon saved him the second."
Ash touched his neck. "He drank my blood to help the mage free me."
"The greater demon did something to Doc. He can drink demon blood now, but it still isn't good for him. It just won't kill him. She knew he would help Nikolai free you, even if it would nearly kill him to do it."
"Oh." He sighed.
I came up next to him and put my arms around him. "Ash, we want you with us for as long as you want to stay."
He hesitantly hugged me back, finally pulling me close, threading his fingers through my hair as I leaned into his chest, his other hand firm against the small of my back.
Snow swirled around us, but he was warm enough that I didn't get cold while he held me. He tilted his head down so he could lean his cheek against my head. We stood there until my feet got cold. I shifted, and he released me.
"Toes are freezing," I explained.
He squeezed my shoulder. "You should head back."
"You should come with me."
"Thought you might want some time alone with your pack."
Ash was perceptive, but even if the cold didn't bother the demon there was no way I would leave him out in a snowstorm.
"I can wait, Ash. Come join us."
When he hesitated, I grabbed his hand and dragged him back in the direction of the yurt. He didn't resist and soon we were back in the warmth of the yurt, snow melting off of us.
The guys were dealing out cards. Someone had found a deck recently and they had rediscovered the joys of card games. No one said anything, just dealt a hand for Ash and me and made space for him to sit next to me at the table. It put him between me and Doc and once the cards were dealt, Doc put his arm around Ash and gave him a quick side hug, before going back to the game.
Ash might have been fighting back tears, but I sensed that he didn't want any extra attention at the moment, so we just played the card game and stayed close to him while still trying to let him have some space.
Chapter 14
Sofia
"Let's run!" Ed exclaimed.
The storm had abated, and we were ready to be out of the yurt for a little while. It was comfortable, but with six of us in there we were a little crowded. Darkness had fallen early both from the storm and the time of year.
Allan jumped up from the cushion, obviously in agreement.
Ed turned his puppy eyes on me and arched an eyebrow.
He was right, it was time to run. I looked at Doc who smirked and nodded.
"Nikolai, Ash, would you like to join us?" Doc stood and headed over to Allan. He would have to take blood from one of the werewolves to transfer the ability to shift to us.
Nikolai tilted his head. "Run?"
"As a wolf."
Nikolai's eyes widened. He looked
