Page 26 of Cursed Love
Every fantasy of her went out the window as he’d stripped her naked for a cold bath. He could not recall any detail of her body. Her cries ripped a hole in the fabric of his being. All logic went out the window as he ran on instinct.
The instinct to protect what was his.
Peter pushed to his feet and began pacing the space. “I don’t know what it is about her, but you weren’t kidding. A lot of bad shit is circling this area.”
Ryan did not bother answering him. He had already noticed it and planned on figuring out what it was about Brandy. Needing a distraction, he looked at his phone and his brows creased when he found a missed call and voicemail from her. The time of the call was after his internal alarms had gone off, but the voicemail did not give him any more information.
After five long minutes passed, he pushed to his feet and left Peter to go check on his girl.
His girl.
She was his, and he was hers. No doubt about it. Now he needed to take care of her.
***
Brandy was not sure how long she had been out this time. When Ryan lifted her from the tub, she opened her eyes a sliver, but the darkness pulled her under once again.
She tried remembering what had happened, but only snippets got through her muddy memories. She pushed out her mind, like a tendril rolling through the air, and found Ryan in her living room. She was not sure what had changed, but deep within her, she sensed where he was. He was a stranger to her, a comforting, sexy stranger who seemed to save her any time she found herself in danger.
Any time but the near attack from the werewolf who’d tried to corner her.
Brandy sucked in another breath, hoping more memories would filter through the fog. The faint scent of earth hit her senses, and her eyes opened immediately. They did not weigh a ton of bricks anymore, and the blazing heat covering her skin was now down to a toasty warm.
Looking down her body, she noted a thin sheet covering her. She lifted it and saw her naked state. Her gaze moved around the room, and when she did not spot a werewolf lurking in any corner, she forced her breathing to slow down.
“Thank the goddess you’re okay,” Ryan said from the doorway, relief etched into his face.
A blush covered her cheeks when she remembered he was the one to undress her. “Hi,” she whispered.
Brandy ignored the pucker of her nipples as they pressed against the cool sheet, and she took a calming breath.
Earth.
Her eyes widened and flicked to look behind him. She heard light footsteps before a man spoke.
“Rye, she can smell me.”
Brandy grabbed the sheet to her chest and sat up. Her body felt strange as a tingle ran through it, and it warmed again. It still wasn’t quite as hot as it had been before she passed out God only knew how long ago.
“Ryan?” It was all she could manage. Her throat was still ravaged from the fever.
“It’s okay. Peter’s a friend,” Ryan told her calmly.
“H… were…”
“Yes. He’s a werewolf. He’s—” Ryan stopped and stared at her. “Brandy?”
She looked down and was surprised to find a ball of fire in the palm of her hand. Her skin was cool rather than scorched where the fire touched her. “Ryan?” she whimpered, hearing the fear in her voice.
“That’s my cue to go back into the living room,” Peter said, taking the smell of earth with him.
“Sweetheart, look at me,” Ryan commanded, and she met his eyes. “Good, take a deep breath and ignore Peter. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She could see the truth in his eyes. He took care of her, and deep inside she could feel it. There was an invisible thread connecting them. He was a little different this time than the last few times she’d seen him. She ignored the smell of dirt and focused on calming down.
Looking at her hand, she watched the fireball shrink until it was no more. She did not know what the hell was going on with her. First she’d received powers, then was attacked, and now she was turning into the Human Torch.
She locked eyes with him, and his image blurred as her tears came. Ryan walked the short distance to her and sat on the edge of her bed.
