Page 57 of Virgin Lust

Oh, Payne wasn’t going to like Derrick when he saw him flirt with Joy. But more than that, I didn’t know what to think of Joy’s behavior. What Derrick said didn’t sound like my beloved sister. We couldn’t get sick,but we could be poisoned orcursed. Fear gripped me as I reached out for Joy, but she backed up.

“Stop,” I snapped. When I touched her forehead, searing pain coursed through my fingers. I hissed. Joy smacked my hand away and glared at me.

“That’s why I didn’t want you to touch me!”

Her cold words made me flinch as if I’d been slapped. My darling sister didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Yet she bared her teeth at me like I was her worst enemy. She looked sweaty, too. And a little redder than just a minute prior.

“Joy,” I panicked. “You’re hot as a flame. My skin would have blistered if I touched you a second longer.”

“I’m fine,” she brushed me off and walked the opposite direction.

“Don’t turn away from me. You’re not fine,” I said.

“I’m a healer, Prudence,” Joy muttered. “I know my body.”

Really?

All I saw was my sister neglecting her health. I frowned at her retreating form. Something about her condition seemed so familiar. Why couldn’t I figure it out?

“Might I suggest leaving her alone?” Derrick said. “She looks prettyheatedright now.”

Ignoring him, I caught up to my sister and yanked her cloak. “Joy,please.Talk to me. Let’s go to the castle. You need Mom or Melinda to look at you.”

Thankfully, Joy didn’t lash out. Instead, she bit her lip and exhaled loudly. Facing me, she mumbled, “I just need to rest.”

“You need more than that,” I countered.

“This isn’t what you think,” she began. “It’shim.”

Him?

“Joy—”

“I’m sorry. Let Derrick stay with you today. I need to rest.”

“Go to Mom.”

Shrugging, Joy faded, leaving me with the warlock.

Breaking the silence, he said, “Your sister is a loose cannon.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s hot, then cold. At first, I thought that might be her personality.” He scratched his chin. “Until you looked alarmed by it.”

What in Hades was happening? Sending a text to the family, I made sure one of us found out what Joy was hiding.

______

I was at a human’s house ascending a soul when a lot of shouting interrupted my wok. The voice sounded eerily familiar. It was a wonder how I heard Derrick coughing through all of it. “Do you know this thing? It says you’re its…um…his lady?”

Whipping around, I saw Dirk, kicking and screaming, dangling by his shirt collar from Derrick’s hand. “Unhand me this instance. Sire will eat you. Prudence knows who I am.”

“Let him go,” I said.

Instantly, Derek dropped Dirk on his ass.

“Come to pick a fight today, fiend?” I asked, then sniffed and looked away.