The pupils of his eyes flared white. “I’m sorry.”

Luc folded his hand over the center of where the worst of the pain was coming from, my forearm, and my arm caught fire. My back bowed as my head kicked back. A scream ripped through me as the ceiling of the car warped, fading out and then rapidly coming back into stark clarity. My legs straightened, and I didn’t know how I didn’t kick Luc through the door, but he was still there, holding onto my arm.

“Stop!” Heidi cried out. “You said he could help her. He’s hurting—”

“He’s making her better,” Emery said. “I promise, Heidi. Just give him a second.”

This wasn’t helping. At all. It was nothing like the brief warming I’d felt before.

The pain pulsed and flared through my entire body, obliterating all thought until there was no pain and nothing . . . nothing but swamping heat.21

Warmth flowed, seeping into bone and tissue. I was floating, like I was in the warm ocean waters of the south. I thought of the beach, but I . . . I couldn’t remember when I’d actually gone to the beach.

Memories still came together, of the bright sun and pale, gritty sand, of sitting with my toes just touching the frothy waters. There was laughter, and I knew I wasn’t alone. I was safe, always safe—those images broke apart before I could hold on to them.

I knew I’d never been to the beach. Neither of my parents had been the vacationing kind. There hadn’t been time after the invasion, and before . . .

Why couldn’t I remember before?

You know why, whispered a voice. Before never existed.

I was floating again, and thinking became overrated. There was this voice, this deep melodic voice whispering in my ear, telling me to give in, and that voice was warm and safe. So, I gave in to the warmth settling over me. I let it lull me deeper, guiding me back into the abyss, where I stayed and stayed. Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours, but I finally, finally opened my eyes.

I wasn’t in the backseat of some car, writhing in unbelievable pain. I was on a bed, a very comfortable bed. Swallowing against the dryness in my throat, I looked around the room. The moment I recognized the bare walls and exposed brick, my heart stopped.

Luc’s apartment.

What happened came rushing back to me. I’d been leaving school and run into this Origin—he’d broken my arm and Luc had done something. Something big, because my arm barely hurt.

He’d healed me, for real this time, and that was huge. He didn’t have to do that. They could’ve taken me to a hospital. Wait. Oh God, was I going to turn into a mutated human—

I shifted and my leg bumped into something hard. I stopped moving. I was so not alone. I breathed in deeply, my heart stuttering when I recognized the woodsy scent surrounding me.

Oh dear.

I looked to my left, and devastatingly beautiful features registered. Yep, that was Luc lying next to me, and I couldn’t even begin to fathom how this had come about.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight of him. He was half sitting up, his back against the wooden headboard, and his chin was dipped down. Thick lashes fanned the skin under his eyes. His arms were folded over his stomach and his chest rose and fell deeply, as if he were asleep.

What in the world?

If I had had my camera, I would have taken a picture of him in that moment. Probably sounded creepy as hell, because he was asleep and all, but Luc at rest was a stark contrast of hard lines and unyielding softness.

Okay.

I needed to prioritize, and taking pictures of a sleeping Luc was nowhere on the list of things I needed to do. Unable to help myself, I glanced over at Luc. Eyes like polished amethyst jewels stared back at me. Every muscle in my body froze, causing my arm to throb.

“Hey there, Peaches,” he murmured.

“Hi,” I whispered. I was really out of it, because I knew there were a lot of important things we needed to talk about, but those problems, terrifying ones, seemed muted and far away. “Why am I in your bed . . . with you?”

One side of his lips kicked up. “I was dozing.” His gaze dipped and then he sucked his lower lip in between his teeth as his lashes lifted. “Damn, Peaches . . .”

The next breath I took got stuck as what had happened rushed to the forefront of all my jumbled thoughts. “God,” I whispered, shuddering. “Luc, that guy—he’s responsible for what happened to Colleen and Amanda. Maybe even that family.”

The sleepiness vanished from his features. “I wanted to wait to make sure you were okay before we talked about this—”

Tags: Jennifer L. Armentrout Origin Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net