Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I stood up. An embarrassed smile pulled at my mouth. Good thing the guys weren't here to see that one. I turned on the faucet, leaned down and took a drink from the stream. Swishing the water around in my mouth, I spit it out. Repeating the process until my mouth no longer tasted like vomit. Getting a good grip on my stomach, I turned and examined what was in the toilet again. I covered my mouth and nose with one hand as I leaned over the edge of the sink.My brain couldn't figure out what my eyes were trying to tell me. Whatever Kiema had thrown up was actually pulsing in the water. Like a sluggish heart, it beat and throbbed, causing ripples in the shallow bowl of dirty, chunk-filled water. There's no way she could still be alive after throwing up an organ, right? I took my phone from my pocket, switched it to video and took a short shot of...whatever that thing was. I would send the video to Atlas later.Right now, I needed to

I pushed through the doors to my suite. I hadn't been lying to Kiema. There was something going on in my body, but it wasn't something I was familiar with. Crossing the few steps to the oversized bed, I fell face down, my feet hanging off the end. The whole day ran through my mind again. If Kiema reacted to every healing like she did today, I don't know that I would want her magic. The cost/benefits didn't really add up in my mind. But then again, I'd been called a cold-hearted bastard by more than a few exes. I laughed and curled up on my side. My legs and chest felt like they were growing, almost like the growing pains I got when I was younger. I looked at my legs and arms. Nothing looks different.I pushed the weirdness from my mind. I'd deal with whatever happened in the morning. Other than the weirdness, I honestly haven't felt this good in my entire life. I wanted to tell the guys but didn't want to raise their hopes in case this was just a false positive. They d

I couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. But the look on her face told me her story was true. Her parents were her slave owners. That explained her father's remark about her only having the thoughts he gave her. And why her mother had dismissed her from the dinner. They didn't see her as real. Just a thing to parade in front of others. Make her perform tricks and then put her back in her cage when she finished. I felt my blood start to heat. My fist clenched around the skillet handle. Those bastards. They pimped her out. For mind-boggling sums of money. Not a penny of which she saw. I would bet my own meager fortune. I'm just glad they don't pimp her out for sex. I stopped that train of thought before it could go any further.Not even my life had been that bad, and my life sucked ass. I gritted my teeth. Soon, that life would be nothing but a memory. But Kiema's? After this ritual, she would go back to that prison. Her entire life depended on her parents. I shuddered.

I needed to get my head examined. The woman had been stalking me, fucking stalking me around the kitchen, and I had scuttled back like she had the plague. The skin I'd wanted to touch and taste had been within my grasp and I turned into a fucking saint. Banging my fists against the solid wood door, I lowered my head to the surface. "Kiema. Come on. Talk to me."No answer. "Shit." I turned and slid down to my ass, back against the door. All I could see was her convulsing body as she emptied herself into the toilet. The toilet that looked like it held a piece of her internal organs. I squeezed my eyes closed, rubbing my fingers against them. The scene played out in my mind again. The taut body bowed back like a crescent moon. The pale skin that held none of the life I'd come to expect of her honeyed tones. The blank eyes. I won't be the one to cause that again. Not in this lifetime. But what if she was right? What if my touch doesn't hurt her anymore?I knocked my h

I could've sworn I not only felt, but heard, the fire being extinguished in her as soon as she stood trembling under the cold water.Looking at her soaking wet had me pushing her farther into the shower and stepping in behind her. Might as well cool some of my own flames while we were at it. I'd been with a lot of women. But nothing had turned me on harder or faster than having Kiema kiss my chest. Every hesitant graze of her lips shot fingers of fire to my cock. Every timid lave of her tongue had tightened my balls. I hadn't been lying when I told her that she could come check out if what she'd done was okay with me. I closed my eyes as I imagined showing her, all fucking day and night. "Are you okay?" she asked.I opened my eyes, shot her a wry smile "Except for my balls turning to icicles, yeah, peachy. Why?"She giggled. "You look like you're in pain.""I redirect you to my prior statement." I traced a finger over her mouth. "Your lips are turning blue. How're t