Chapter 2.

Hope's POV.

I fell asleep at work. I fell asleep and now I'm dreaming a very, very weird and realistic dream. It's the only thing that makes sense. It's the only logical explanation.

Why else would I be taken against my will by one of the most attractive men I've ever seen and taken to a campsite full of equally attractive men just to be led to the actual most attractive man I have ever seen in my entire life, ever? Why else have I not heard about Camp Hot Stuff before?

I assume that the man, covered in blood, on the stretcher in front of me is the dangerous (-ly sexy) Malakar.

He is absolutely, breath-takingly stunning. A towering figure that commands both my fear and my desire at the same time. His jet-black hair is long, thick, and wavy and it frames his handsome face with its sharp features to absolute perfection. His full mouth hints at both cruelty and temptation. His body is a masterpiece of raw, masculine power. His deeply olive toned skin stretches over his beautifully formed muscles. His arms are covered in what looks like tribal tattoos, and his piercing yellow eyes burn like molten gold. I am suddenly overcome with an intense desire to run the tips of my fingers over his bare skin. I want to know what he feels like.

What makes this all feel even more like a dream is the fact that Malakar is staring, gaping at me, actually, like I'm the most amazing thing he's ever seen. His stare is so intense that I feel my skin tingle. I try to look away, but it feels like some invisible force is holding my gaze with his. Something is happening. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it feels like I've known him my entire life. Like I'm finally seeing my lover again after years of being apart. I feel a certain connection with him. Like my soul recognizes this strange, handsome man. I suddenly feel safe. Like I belong here, with these people that I've never even met before. Like I've finally come home.

I shake my head, trying to get rid of this strange feeling. It's scary, but wonderful at the same time. And still, Malakar stares at me. He doesn't even blink. He tries to sit up, but his massive arms are to weak to support his weight and he fumbles back down. So, instead he raises his head so that he can look at me again. His yellow eyes grow dark. A strange expression crosses his face.

"Mate." He whispers in a dominating and primal voice.

The rest of the men in the tent, including Talon, all turn to stare at me with a look of incredible confusion and disbelief. Their eyes dart from me to Malakar and then back to me again. I feel very, very uncomfortable beneath their stares.

"What?" I whisper, uncertainly.

Before any of them can answer me, Malakar lets out a howl of pain. He writhes around on the stretcher, clutching his side. The two large men at the entrance of the tent rush in and attempt to hold him down. They have a hard time. He's strong, and in a massive amount of pain by the look of it. Out of pure instinct, I step forward to help, but just as I do, Malakar growls. Not a figurative growl. No, an actual growl, like some wild animal caught in a painful trap. His eyes flash an even brighter shade of yellow and he snarls at me. He actually snarls at me.

I gasp and stumble backwards. I bump into Talon, who catches me. It's my turn to stare at Malakar. He looks like a mad beast. He scares me. No, he terrifies me. What the hell is going on here? What is this?

Malakar howls once more and then he falls back onto the stretcher. His entire body goes limp. He's passed out from the pain. The two men beside him turn to stare at me again. My entire body is shaking. I don't want to be here anymore. I want to leave. I turn on my heel and make to run away, but Talon stops me. He looks at me with imploring eyes.

"He needs your help. Please?"

I can't ignore the  desperation in his eyes. I am a doctor after all.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask in a shaky voice.

"He's been shot. You need to take the bullet out. He'll die if you don't."

I frown up at Talon. "You need to take him to the hospital." I demand in a more even tone.

Talon shakes his head. "No. We can't. You have to do it here." I open my mouth to object, but Talon cuts me off. "We have everything you need."

The expression on his face leaves no room for argument, so eventually, I sigh and turn around to head over to the stretcher. Talon rushes past me and gives me a medical bag full of medical supplies and equipment. I raise both my eyebrows at him. I probably don't even want to know where they got it all from. He smirks at me.

I begin working on Malakar's bullet wound. There's blood everywhere and the wound is still gushing. I begin to feel around for the bullet inside. It's wedged between two of his ribs and only narrowly missed his lung. After struggling for several long seconds, I finally manage to get it out. The bleeding stops as soon as I do. This is strange, but not as strange as the bullet between my fingers. It's made of silver and has strange markings edged into its sides. I regard Talon with a deep frown, but he gives me a 'don't even ask' look. So, I turn to put the bullet down and pick up the sutures, but when I turn to face Malakar again I see that the wound has already started to heal. I gape at it, frozen, with the sutures in my hand.

"Thanks, Doc. You did a great job." Talon says it so matter-of-factly that I don't know how to respond. "I'll get you back to your car now."

I open my mouth to object. I want to tell him that they need to clean and dress the wound to keep it from getting infected. I also want to ask him how it's healing so fast. I actually have a million questions that I want to ask. But before I can say anything, a searing pain shoots through the back of my head and travels down my spine. I feel my legs giving in beneath me and everything around me fades into darkness.