Page 63 of Seducing Jenny
A concerned frown creased Abyss’ brow. “There are certain maladies unique to conduits that often start as reoccurring headaches. Our evolution gave us three power centers. Head, chest, and pelvis. Only maladies that attack the head center tend to survive our ability to self-heal.”
The thought of anything hurting Jade/Jenny made me nauseous. “You think she has some conduit disease?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” Abyss said. “Our abilities take a toll on the body. Some conditions stay in the head. Some descend to the chest and cause pain. But the worst ones…” her face turned grim, “they descend further, into the pelvis, and those bring on extreme, uncontrollable arousal.”
Jac’s eyes widened, and I understood his shock. “Are you saying she would become…insatiable, sexually?”
Abyss nodded solemnly. “Were it to come to that, to put it mildly, she would fuck an army.”
What the hell?“What should we do?”
“For now, nothing,” Abyss said. “She’s complained of headaches for a day or two. New conduits often get headaches after arriving on Halla because of the adjustment. There are ghosts everywhere and they pull energy from the living. That could be the cause.”
“And if it’s not?” Tiger asked, sounding just as worried as I was.
“If this progresses to chest pain, bring her back to us. The conduits are the only ones who can help her at that point.”
I nodded. “I swear we will.”
CHAPTER 18
Tiger
After we said our goodbyes and boardedCheesecake, Abyss went to the lounge for take-off, and I was surprised Jade didn’t come back out of her quarters.
Mal said, “She’s probably just tired from the headache.”
“I guess.” I set a course for his estate on Orhon, my fingers flicking over the navigation system. “She seems so off.”
“She does,” Mal agreed. “Which makes me believe she’s in more pain than she is letting on.”
I glanced at him, seeing the concern on his expression. “You think she would lie to us?”
“Not lie, exactly,” he said, settling back in the co-pilot seat. “If anything, she’s trying to spare our feelings so we don’t worry about her.”
I flipped a few more switches, prepping the ship’s driver. “I’ll always worry about her, even when she’s well.”
“That is because you are a good man.”
I gave him a side-long look. “So are you, even if you pretend not to be.”
He arched a brow. “What do you mean by that?”
“The whole blood lust thing and your reputation that you never dispute.”
I steered through the city, noticing the twinkling lights hanging in some windows. Everything was cleaner, no garbage in the streets. Houses and buildings were painted and repaired where needed. Faithless—Sorellamore now—had embraced Sarah’s positive philosophy, and I was glad to see it. Ghosts deserved a good afterlife.
I continued when he didn’t respond. “You act like you’re some terrible person, when you’re not.”
His features turned somber as he glanced out the window at the city, too. “Ihavedone some terrible things, Tiger.”
“Everyone has done terrible things, Mal,” I argued. “What matters is what you donow.”
His handsome jaw tightened. “I’ve killed people.”
“You’ve told me that and you’ve had your reasons,” I countered. “It’s not like you’re some indiscriminate murderer.”
“No, I’m not.” He paused a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. “Killing is not the only bad thing I have done, but I no longer have any interest in doing those things. Thanks to you and Jenny.”
