Semua Bab TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Bab 131 - Bab 140

Cameron POVThe stack of consent forms felt thick under my hand. I picked up the black pen provided by the hospital and looked at the first signature line. The medical jargon blurred into a sea of gray text. I turned the page. My name went down where the red arrows pointed. Each stroke of the pen felt heavy. I moved to the next page and signed again. With every signature, I felt the weight of Evangeline's life shifting onto my shoulders.Lisa’s voice echoed in my mind. It was a persistent sound that I could not shake. I looked toward the bed where Evangeline lay. She was pale. Her breathing was shallow. It made no sense to me. Franklin and Lisa were tossing around accusations that did not fit the woman in front of me. I knew her. She was my mate. She had been insecure lately. But insecurity was a far cry from murder.The nurse stood by the bed with a digital tablet. She did not look up from the screen as she asked about the patient’s medical history."She has been sick all her lif

Lisa POVI kept my eyes fixed on the plastic-domed food tray. The meal consisted of a scoop of gray mashed potatoes and a piece of boiled chicken that looked like wet cardboard. A printed label with my name and room number was taped to the side. I picked up the plastic fork and poked at the chicken, watching the clear juice pool in the corner of the tray.My mom let out a small, dry laugh from her chair.“So now the hospital kitchen is part of the plot too?” she asked.“I don't know,” I said, dropping the fork. It hit the tray with a dull thud. “Right now, anything feels possible. I don't trust the air in here.”She shook her head and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “That is not a normal way to live, Lisa. You are in a high-security ward. This place is literally designed to keep you alive.”“And yet, I still ended up with a needle in my arm and toxins in my blood,” I countered. I looked at the dark window. The rain had stopped, leaving only distorted reflections of th

Franklin POVThe shipment report was forty minutes late. The last file had arrived with corrupted cells and incomplete columns, so I left the window open on my monitor while I waited for the logistics team to send the corrected version. Cameron expected the final tally by the end of the day. If I missed the deadline, he would assume I was too distracted by the investigation into whoever poisoned Lisa. My coffee had gone cold, forming a thin film on the surface. I drank it anyway, the bitter liquid coating my tongue, and took a bite of a sponge cake someone had left on the corner of my desk. The dry sugar hit the back of my throat the wrong way, triggering a cough. I spit the half-chewed mouthful into a paper napkin and threw it in the bin.The updated file finally pinged in my inbo. While I finished typing the last row of numbers, my phone screen glowed with a hospital notification. I read the preview on the lock screen before completing the sentence I was writing. I saved the docum

“You are safe here.”She shivered. My forehead pressed to hersas I slid inside. The heat of her wrapped around me tight and wet. She gaspedand her walls clenched around my length.I stayed deep and controlled. Every thrustwas a silent vow that her body was being worshipped rather than used. Shewrapped her legs around me and her thighs gripped my hips with gentle pressure.I watched her face and kept the pace steady. The wet slide of my skin againsthers made quiet sounds with every push. Isaw the first tear slip from her eye when the intensity rose. It traced a warmline down her cheek. I cradled the uninjured side of her face in my palm. Ikept moving slow and steady so she could cry without fear. Her sobs mixed withgasps until pleasure took over.The emotion passed through her in waves. Wereached the peak together. Her body pulsed around me and she cried out my name.Mine followed with a low groan against her neck. I stayed inside her for a longmoment before pulling out.I

The heavy curtains in the clinic room shut out the morning sun. The space stayed a dull gray.I opened my eyes. A throb started at the base of my skull. It was a tugging feeling that made the corners of the ceiling move. I pushed my palms against the mattress and forced my body up.Damn it.I sat in the chair and let my head fall back. The pressure stayed. Every breath felt slow. My vision lagged every time I moved my eyes.I looked at the monitor on the wall. The green line of Evangeline's heart rate moved across the screen. I had never felt this clumsy before. My muscles felt heavy. I thought the small chair I slept in for three days had finally caused this.Evangeline had held my hand tight the night before. Her voice shook as she asked me to stay. She said the silence of the clinic scared her. I stayed to keep her calm. Now, I fought a sick feeling in my stomach while the floor seemed to tilt.I stood up. I held the wall to walk to the bathroom. The tiles felt slanted. I turned the