“I don't know.” He hugged me close to his bare chest; it was the first time I’d felt his skin against my cheek in a few days, and it made me take a quick breath. “You okay, my love?”
“Yeah. I just forgot how nice our skin felt together.”
He looked down lovingly, but his hand came up quick, gently wiping under my nose as the salty taste of my own blood fell onto my lip. “I think we might've pushed you too hard.”
I touched the blood. “My head feels cold.”
“Okay,” Mike said, clapping his hands once. “One more round and we’ll call it quits for the day.”
“She’s bleeding, Mike.” David turned me around.
Mike stopped in his tracks. “Ara, what happened?”
“David punched me,” I joked.
“Are you okay?” He licked his thumb and wiped it across my lip. “Do you want to lie down for a minute?”
I did want to, but I wanted to get this training session over with more. “No. I'm okay. I'm getting stronger, right?”
“Yeah.” Mike laughed. “Quite a bit stronger.”
“Okay then.” I stepped away from David's arms; the pain had moved to the base of my skull now, slowly retreating down my spine. “Who’s next?”
Mike, David said in his thoughts, his tone coming through with that cheeky smile I just knew he was wearing.
I grinned, rubbed my hands together, and as I wiped them away, flung a bolt at Mike. He cried out as he went down, clutching his arm.
David laughed loudly, slapping his knee, paralysed by hilarity. So I sent one at him, but he ducked, sweeping forward in a quick move, grabbing me at the waist and flipping me up into his arms like a damsel in distress. “Nice try.”
“How’d you know I was gonna do that?” I asked, ignoring the searing in my brain.
“I can read your mind, pretty girl. Even if I can't actually read it right now.”
I laughed, but as the jiggle from my stomach moved up to my chest, the pain shifted again, pushing out on both sides of my head in a pressure-building explosion, just waiting to erupt. “David?”
“What’s wrong?” He laid me on the ground; Mike stumbled to his feet, muttering something about revenge, and came to kneel beside me.
“Lay her on her side.” His big hands cupped my ribs and he flipped me over, placing a shirt under my head. “Trent, get that stuff Arthur gave us.”
I couldn’t open my eyes, but I felt David there beside me, felt his hand on my brow, heard his words in my ear while he soothingly rubbed my body and stroked my hair.
“David?” I whispered.
“Yes, my love…my love…love…”
“Just stay. Don't go.”
“I'm not going anywhere…where…where…”
The dry scent of cinnamon and coriander and number of other herbs filled my head, taking out all the volume and the ringing in my ears. I knew what was next. I held my breath, waiting for it to travel into my lungs and spin my world around, taking me down to the darkness for the next eight hours.
“Love you,” I whispered with the breath I’d held.
Chapter Four
I ran down the stairs, catching Jason’s sleeve as he reached for the front door. “Hey, did you hear?”
“About the labs?” he said solemnly.
“Yeah.” I stepped back a little. “I thought you’d be a bit happier.”
He frowned, making his eyes smaller. “He didn't tell you, did he?”
“Who didn't tell me what?”
“The king approved a lab and greenhouse on the rooftop for Arthur,” he said spitefully. “But declined my proposal.”
I sunk back on my heels. “Why?”
He smirked. “A scientific study into the possibility of you being the power to free the Damned would involve long hours of time spent in each other’s company.” He started walking away. “Why do you think he disapproved it?”
“I'm sorry, Jase,” I called. “I’ll talk to him.”
He turned back as he reached the door. “I’ve known him for over a hundred years, Ara. If even the prospect of freeing the Damned couldn't change his mind, you won't have a hope in hell.”
***
“David!”
He spun around, placing his book down on the dresser as his smile dropped. “My love, what’s wrong?”
“You are what’s wrong.” I poked his chest, coming to stop beside him as the bedroom door slammed shut. “Why did you deny Jason’s proposal for a lab?”
He turned away, groaning. “It’s not necessary.”
“Not necessary? Not necessary.” I grabbed his arm and made him turn back to me. “David, we need to study my powers. We—”
“Mike is doing fine with what he’s got going on in the training hall. I’ve seen his notes.”
“His notes! So you've seen how every time he put me in that cage, every time he makes me shoot things, I practically go into a coma for the next eight hours in excruciating pain! And you think this is okay?”
“Like he says, you just need to exercise it.”
“Are you kidding me? David.” I stopped, taking a few deep breaths. “It starts hearts.” I held up my hand. “What if it can turn a vampire back to a human?”
“I don’t know if I believe in that anymore, Ara.”
My eyes welled with hot tears. “But what if I do?”
He sighed, taking both my arms. “My love, there are more important things to worry about now.”
“But—”
“I don't want to hear any more. Look—” He kissed my forehead, swiping a cold tear from my cheek. “Maybe once this business with Drake is put to rest, I’ll approve a research division. Okay? But not now. Not while we have so many other things to focus on.”
“But it wouldn’t be a problem for you. This is on Jason—it’s his project. He won't get in your way,” I said, hopeful.
“It’s not open for discussion.”
“But…” I followed him across the room. “If you're worried about he and I being alone, you can put a guard on me. I—”
“Ara, please. I'm trying to pack. Can you…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll discuss this when I return from Elysium on Monday.”
“No, we won't.” I spun away. “You’re just brushing it off, like you always do.”