Dragon Blood

Chapter 40

The water couldn't get hot enough. She had the hot tap turned as far as it would go, and steam filled the small bathroom... but it wasn't hot enough. Rhia reached for the bottle with shaking hands and tipped it up to her lips. Some kind of alcohol made by the shifters burned her throat and warmed her insides. Still not hot enough. She could still feel the hospital on her skin. The smell had invaded her senses, no matter how much body wash she scoured her body with.

She looked at the crook of her elbow where the I.V. had been There was no visible mark. It had already healed. All the other little scars were gone too. But she could still feel it. Trading the bottle for a shrub brush, she dumped another glob of soap onto the invisible mark and scrubbed. Hard.

No more needles.

How many times had she begged?

No more needles!

Memories flashed before her eyes. Memories she'd thought she'd blocked out forever. Memories of doctors standing over her. Holding her down. Ignoring her screams, her cries, her begging. Injecting things into her. Drawing any number of fluids from her. Drilling into her bones.

No more. No more. No more.

Blood ran down her arm and dripped off her fingertips with the water. She pulled the brush away to look at the rough scratches left behind. As she watched, they stopped bleeding, closed, and vanished as if they were never there. That wasn't right. That couldn't be right. This was all so wrong. She wasn't... she couldn't be... for fuck's sake, the heritage tests were negative!

Dropping the brush, she grabbed the liquor again and leaned heavily against the white tile. What happened to her? How did this happen? She had been out for two days, but she was missing more than that. She closed her eyes and drank, willing herself to remember. Something. Anything.

Angry and frustrated, she slammed the bottle down and jumped when it shattered from the force. Glass scattered across the floor of the shower. Not trusting herself to not step on one of the razor-sharp shards, she reached out to shut off the water. Someone knocked on the door. "It's just me, Rhia," Nolan called. "I'm coming in." Steam flooded towards the opening door and she shivered. He took one look at the broken glass and worry crossed his face. "Are you okay?"

He grabbed a towel and helped her step out of the shower without cutting herself. His hands felt strange to her. Not in a bad way... but different than what she remembered. His skin was soft, and she could feel every crease of his palm and fingerprints. She could feel every ounce of his carefully reserved strength as they glided up her arms and guided her back into the bedroom. He sat her down on the edge of the bed and crouched in front of her, his hands resting on her knees.

An entirely different kind of heat flooded her body. It was hot enough to burn away all memory of the hospital. She wanted his hands on her. She needed him to touch her. She needed those masterful hands running up her legs. Finding that most sensitive spot and pleasuring her until-

"Rhia." She blinked and found herself staring into Nolan's stunning blue eyes. They were filled with concern. "You keep spacing out on me. Are you okay?"

She could feel herself losing focus of his words as he spoke. His mouth was perfect for kissing. Perfect for...

Rhia shook her head and scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her palm. "I'm fine." she said unconvincingly.

He reached up to stroke her cheek with his thumb and she leaned right into it. "How much of that bottle did you drink?" he whispered.

"Not enough." she groaned before looking at him again. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone. She could just reach out and touch him. He only needed to move a few inches closer for her to wrap her legs around him. He just needed to shed a few layers and- "Can I borrow your phone?" She cut over her own increasingly dirty thoughts.