Page 84 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

I cross the distance between us in a blur, and we clash together, wrapping our arms around each other and spinning until we hit the ground. Both of us are laughing, saying crazy, stupid, breathless things that make no sense.

She pauses, stroking my cheek and looking into my eyes, her face suddenly serious. “Body,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head and try to speak, but she doesn’t give me the chance.

“No,” she says. “Whatever you’re going to say—no. I did a stupid thing, a really stupid thing. I hurt you, and I put myself and my sisters in danger. I betrayed your trust, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

“Amanda,” I say, staring up at her in wonder, “I’m so glad you’re alive, I can’t even understand a word you’re saying.”

She giggles. “Well, you better start listening, because the main reason I stayed alive is so I could apologize to you.”

“Are you hurt?” I ask, looking down at her. “You’re covered in blood! You must be injured—”

“I was,” she says with a little smile. “But I’ve healed already.”

“How is that possible? Lucy told me your powers were dying again.”

“It turns out, love is the key. As soon as I stopped fighting my love for you, my powers came back.”

“Will it work for the others, too?”

“The others!” she cries in realization. “I have to get to them!”

“They’re in a bad way,” I admit. “Bae sent for help, but I don’t know if anyone can get here in time.”

“Let’s go!”

Amanda jumps up and runs into the woods. A couple of our guys are waiting in the woods, watching us.

“Go check out the crime scene,” I say. “We’ll need to give Bae a report.”

One nods, and they go towards the stench of quickly drying blood in the meadow beyond. I follow Amanda, surprised at how quickly she’s moving.

I have to shift to keep up, and as I get nearer to her, I see that the forest is actually helping her. The long branches part as she approaches, and the land rises up under her feet so she won’t trip.

She’s even more amazing than I thought.

When we get to the bus, she doesn’t even slow down, just charges straight inside and up the aisle to Nell. When I get inside, she’s cradling her friend’s head, a soft yellow glow emanating from her hands.

“Will this work?” I ask. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I won’t,” she mutters. “My boundaries are much wider than they were. If I can wake Nell first, she can help with the others.”

After a few minutes, the bruise on Nell’s face fades away, and there’s a tremendous crack in her arm as the bone resets. Soon after, she opens her eyes, blinking up at Amanda in surprise.

“You’re alright!” Nell cries, sitting up and throwing her arms around Amanda.

“So are you,” Amanda answers, squeezing her back.

“What happened?”

“No time for that. Can you use me, draw on me like a conduit?”

Nell frowns, seeing the glow around her friend for the first time. “Yes, I can. What happened to you?”

“I found the problem,” Amanda says, smiling. “And I fixed it.”

Amanda turns to look at me, and Nell does, too.

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