Page 210 of The Curse Trilogy

“Turn around,” he murmurs assertively.

I do as he says, and I cringe lightly when his hands begin massaging the compound into my back and shoulders. The burning in my skin grows, and I’m not sure if it’s this substance doing it or his touch.

His hands linger momentarily just above my rear, and then I hear his breath release as his hands move from my body. I turn around and take the bottle from his hands, and his eyes seem to become lost in mine momentarily.

“Your turn,” I mumble, and he turns around to give me access to his back.

I shiver lightly as my hands touch his skin, and then they glide up his strong, smooth, and perfectly delectable back. My breath goes rasp as I draw out the finish, and he turns back so our bodies are forced to be face to face and barely touching. My breasts press against his firm body, and his erection presses against my stomach.

Grrr. Skin on skin is fucking killing me. I may love Brazen, but I’m still just a hybrid.

His hand grazes my cheek before he tilts my face up to force me to stare at him, and then I begin shivering almost violently, my body involuntarily shaking like a human suffering severe withdrawal symptoms.

“What the hell?” I slur out through my chattering teeth, my lips going numb and drawing down just slightly, like I’ve had a mild stroke.

“It’s the radiation. Now that it has entered your system, it’s causing the radioactive shivers. It’ll subside once you can drink some blood, but you have to let it work for a while. You’ll feel cold, weak, and dizzy. We’ve been under here long enough. Let’s go sit down,” he murmurs gently while cutting the water off.

“Why aren’t… you… shaking?” I chatter out.

He pulls a blanket down from the emergency overhead compartment, and he wraps it around me before pulling one down for himself.

“Because I’ve been in the lab and in the field more than you. It’s mandatory to scrub down if there’s ever even a suspicion of an outbreak of any sort. I’ve built up a tolerance to the side effects.”

Well aren’t you the lucky one.

“Come here. It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he warns while motioning for me to join him on the small bench built against the wall.

He presses his back to the wall, and I go to curl up in his lap so he can help steady my almost convulsing body. He wraps his arms around me, and I’m thankful my blanket is separating our bare bodies.

The sealed door opens to several men walking in with their masks and biohazard suits. Clay walks over to us, and he tosses down a couple packs of blood as I snuggle in deeper to Hale’s chest. His hand tangles in my hair as he tightens his grip on me, forcing my head against him even tighter. My teeth continue making their clattering music, and he rocks me slightly as he tries to keep me from seizing.

“I’ll draw your blood after you heal. The radiation will tamper with the tests. We’re going to put down Campbell, and then we’ll figure out what the fuck is going on. Are you okay to look after her?” Clay asks Hale.

“You know I am. I’ve had plenty of radiation showers.”

“Can I have blood now?” I stumble out.

“You should be in the clear,” Clay answers with his muffled tone caused by his mask.

I try to open the pack of blood as he joins the cleanup crew in the other room. I hear the gunshots firing to bring down the man who was once our breed of hybrid. I cringe as I hear the body collapse and splash against its own pool of blood.

My trembling hands can’t open the pack of blood, and my weakened state keeps me from using my gift to aide me in my endeavor.

“Let me,” Hale smoothly releases while pulling me closer to him and ripping the pack open with his teeth.

I reach over my shoulder to take it back, but my trembling hand causes a few drips to slosh out to my shoulder before reaching my mouth. I begin guzzling as I feel the stray bits trickling down my back.

The blanket around me moves as I feel the incredibly soft lips pressing against my back while Hale works the trail of blood in reverse. My breath hitches from the feel that has always ignited every bit of energy within me, and I feel his smile against my shoulder as he finishes removing the rest of the escaped blood.

“Sorry,” he breathes. “It’s easy to forget we’re not together when I’m holding you like this.”

I exhale loudly, and then I continue gulping down the blood. He rips open his pack, and I finally summon up enough composure to speak.

“Apparently I’m not the only one who made you feel that way while we were together.”

I hear him wheeze in a painful breath as if I’ve just stabbed him with something, and then his arm tightens around my waist before pulling me in closer to him.

“Araya, I need to tell you something,” he strains out, and I can hear his hesitance and reluctance staining his tone.