Claiming her Leopard (Shifter Special Forces Book 7) by Summer Donnelly

Author:Summer Donnelly [Donnelly, Summer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Dot

She had no idea why she was crying over chocolate. It was that they didn’t have a lot of couple-related memories. Most of her marriage had just been a giant, gaping maw where her husband should have occupied.

But the one memory she did have was of scraping their nickels together and going to the commissary for an ice cream cone. Nick had chocolate. Hers was always strawberry.

And now, the stupid war had taken that memory away from her, too. The unfairness of it was minor compared to all their other losses. And yet, as her tears slid down her cheeks, it seemed the most poignant.

With shaking hands, she poured her husband a cup of coffee. Such a simple gesture and yet one she hadn’t performed since she’d been a girl. It felt both awkward and familiar, like déjà vu. “I spent years reading up on Napalm burns.”

Nick accepted the cup and smiled his thanks before taking a sip and setting it down.

Dot sat on the coffee table and took his hands in hers. “I read that a lot of times, victims panic. They try to wipe it off, but that only causes the fire to spread. It would expand the burn area, including their hands.”

His hands were still pristine. His burns started on his upper arms, shoulders, and back. With uncertain fingers, Dot traced the tendrils of burn marks that decorated his chin and cheeks. “You must have stayed amazingly calm.”

Nick swallowed. “I was working clearing brush. Took my shirt off.” He shrugged. “It probably saved my life. If my clothes had caught fire, it would have been a helluva lot worse.”

His matter-of-fact words tore at Dot. Yes, she’d been furious at him for deserting her. Still was terribly hurt.

Getting the words out, spewing them like poison had released decades of pressure. A good cry and a hot cup of sugary tea sent her into a near-Zen state.

Nick’s brown eyes beseeched hers. Dot traced the backs of his hands as she considered his words. Maybe. Just maybe, he’d had his own demons nipping at his heels. Ones she never took the time to consider.

“What happened then?”

“My training kicked in. I hit the dirt, hoping someone would have the sense to cover me in more. We had a bear shifter in the unit. He grabbed his shovel and started piling the dirt on me for all he was worth. I buried my face in the soil, trying to minimize damage to my voice and lungs.” Nick traced the line of his throat and chest.

That hadn’t occurred to her. In all her imaginings, in all her research, she hadn’t considered what would have happened if he’d inhaled the burning gel.

Dot gasped as she realized the magnitude of hell he had suffered. His once beautiful face and body were a myriad of painful scars that wound across his body like timeworn lace. “You must have been so scared.”

“I didn’t have time for fear. That’s the thing. It was like pistons firing. Bam, bam, bam.

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