Page 15 of Fangs
“Don’t touch me,” I choked out.
“If it wasn’t a matter of literal life and death, I wouldn’t.” Pain flashed through his eyes, but I saw the resolve harden over his face. “But I’m not gonna let you die.”
“No!"
“I’m sorry,” he said, and then he yanked me toward him.
I tried to fight, but my weak attempts were laughable. Juck’s face swam in my vision. He worked Scar’s pants off my hips, and I started crying—furious and helpless tears tumbling down my face.
“Please stop!” I begged, fighting him every inch of the way. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!"
He didn’t respond, his jaw tight as he got my pants off and threw them to the side. The cold rock burned against my bare skin, and for a moment, I thought I’d be sick from the panic, but he quickly slid a pair of men’s undergarments onto my body. The panic receded slightly, but I renewed my efforts to escape when he reached for the shirt buttons again.
“Ember!” he snapped. “Stop it. I am not going to hurt you.”
“Please don’t… don’t do this!” I gasped out, trying to shove him away.
“Gods-fuckin-damnit,” he growled.
He grabbed my arm and hauled me into his lap, my back against his chest. One arm wrapped around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides, and his free hand started unbuttoning the shirt. I tried to thrash against his grip, but he was far stronger than me. He got the shirt unbuttoned and began pulling it off my shoulders.
“No!” I sobbed.
“Ember, just let me—” his voice cut off, and his body went still behind me.
I tried again to jerk away, and for a moment, I thought I was successful, but then I realized he was just moving with me so he could turn my back toward the light of the fire. His fingertips brushed across the scarred skin of my upper shoulders, and I went rigid.
“What are these?” he asked in a quiet, dangerous voice.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hunch forward as much as possible. He hadn’t noticed the brand on my chest yet. My breath came in sharp, gasping sobs, and my body shivered.
“Fuck, okay, okay, here.” He pulled my wet shirt off but stalled as the rest of my back was revealed. He swore under his breath, then grabbed his warm flannel shirt and started dressing me in it.
I shoved my arms into the sleeves, cooperating in my desperation to get the shirt on as fast as possible. I still sat in his lap, giving him a perfect view of my back, but at least he couldn’t see my front. He helped pull the shirt over my shoulders and reached around me to button it up. I readied myself to lunge away when he finished buttoning, but he moved quickly, bundling us both in a blanket. I tried to push away, but he just pulled the blanket tight, wrapping both of his arms around my torso and trapping me against his body.
Squirming only made his arms tighten further, and fuck, I couldn’t breathe. I was back in Juck’s tent, unable to move, panic spilling into my lungs and drowning me.
“I’m just tryin’ to warm you up.” His warm breath ghosted over my neck, making my skin break out in goosebumps. “I’m not gonna hurt you, Ember, I swear.”
I couldn’t answer him. The fire started to swim in my vision as I grew lightheaded from my short gasps of air.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “It’s okay, Ember, you’re safe. Just try to breathe.”
I slowly came back to myself. I was lying on my side, and just a few feet away a fire had died to smoldering embers. I was wrapped up in a blanket?—
The blanket shifted, and I realized I wasalsowrapped up in another body.
I tensed in alarm, and the arms holding me released. I rolled onto my back and stared at Lee’s face above mine. He’d propped himself up on one hand resting on the blanket next to my head.
“It’s okay, you passed out.” He smiled, but it looked strained. “That tends to happen when you don’t breathe.”
I just stared at him. My brain felt sluggish, and my body felt heavy but different from the cold. This felt—fuck—this felt like I wassick.
“Ember?” His brow furrowed.
Was this the beginning of a burnout fever? Why would I get a burnout fever? I hadn’t healed?—
It hit me like a blow to the gut—the river. My powers must have worked overtime to keep me from freezing to death. I closed my eyes, feeling so fucking defeated. I couldn’t even die right.
