He is Ghost

Bacon

No matter how cold she made it, the shower only helped ease her muscles, not her temper. But at least she had gotten the blood off her body. She scrubbed and scrubbed at herself until the only thing left was raw pink skin. And yet, she could still smell him on her. It was like a thick cover of damp forest had coated her body.

Clothes were waiting for her when she finally emerged: a pair of thin men's jeans and a sweater. They did smell like him, but they also smelled like another. It was a softer scent, faded and old but sweeter. She scrunched her nose up at it. Stepping out of the bathroom, she was greeted with another smell. It made her mouth water in ways she hadn't remembered it to do. She licked her lips.

Bacon.

That scent eased the fury. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had bacon. Her nose led her into the kitchen where she saw Judd standing over a pan on the stove. His back was turned to her, shirtless and rippling with muscles not yet affected by the heat. Not that they needed to be. Claw marks were healing on various places of his abdomen, and the wound on his arm mostly healed over, aside from a small corner that had reopened. Neira felt the urge to stare. It was as if a blanket was thrown over her senses. It left only one small corner of her open to the world, a small part that breathed only for him.

Stupid fucking mark.

A pile of toast was set off to the side next to another plate of eggs. Something moved on the other side of the room, and she glanced to see Jaro's human face scrunched in a mixture of pain and anger. He was lying on the sofa on his side in a pair of very tight boxer briefs. A bandage wrapped around his thigh was beginning to show the red leaking underneath.

Jaro let out a growl, and her gaze returned to his face. His dark hair was matted with sweat and stuck to his forehead. It probably took him a good while to shift back into his human body.

A piece of toast flew across the room and slapped him in the face. Judd grinned at his aim from the kitchen as Jaro blinked and glared at him. "You're not you when you're hungry," Judd mocked with an edge to his tone. Neira did not understand. It only seemed to make Jaro more agitated, but he bit off half the piece of toast in one bite.

"You're not even going to apologise?" Jaro snapped, his gaze back on Neira and gesturing to his seeping wound.

Neira scoffed and moved around to fall into a chair she was previously standing behind. The impact caused a lance of fire to torch her skin. She grimaced. "You broke down my door."

"So, you decided to try and tear my leg off?" he barked, shoving the rest of the toast into his mouth.

Neira rolled her eyes, "another second, and you would have been dead. Who cares if you are missing a leg then."

Jaro snarled low and moved his arm more firmly underneath him. Judd threw another piece of toast at him. "Jaro," he warned, "Neira could beat your ass, and you know it. Pull your head out of your heat-stricken cheeks and smell the roses." He grinned at Jaro, pointing his spatula for effect.

Neira wanted to be smug about it, but she kept her face blank. Instead, she pressed her lips together and tucked her legs underneath her.

The door opened, and Lincon and Landon came in with grins on their faces. They looked at Jaro, pitifully lying on the couch, and then at Neira. Lincon covered his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter as Landon snickered openly.

"My dude," Landon said, trying to high-five her. "You're the real deal." Neira stared at his hand long and hard until he awkwardly dropped it.

Lincon looked back at Jaro. "I commend you. Your effort is duly noted," he quipped as his hand dipped low and slapped Jaro on the ass. A hiss fell from Jaro's teeth with the pain as he glared up at him.