Page 15 of Heal Me

The bag zips up by itself, and he takes a seat beside me on the couch, giving my thigh a comforting squeeze. It’s a friendly gesture, but my body interprets it in a different way. I squirm out of his touch, uncomfortable by the unbidden arousal. It’s ridiculous and clearly one-sided. I clear my throat and stand. “Right. Okay, I’m going to get ready for bed and turn in. Good night.”

“Good night, Charlotte,” he says in that beautiful drawl of his, my name sounding sweet as Tupelo honey on his tongue.

I grab my bathroom bag and close the door. Looking at myself in the mirror, I want to curl up into a little ball and die of embarrassment—my cheeks are flushed and my nipples are painfully hard. “Snap out of it,” I tell myself quietly as I perform my bedtime routine.

Rifling through my bag, I find my little prescription bottle. I’d like to eventually wean myself off the sleeping pills, as the side effects aren’t great, but I’m still having a hard time falling and staying asleep. Quietly, I tiptoe back out to the sitting room in search of water.

The sofa bed is pulled out, with a now-shirtless Gabe resting against the headboard, reading something on his phone. Oh my God, Gabe is shirtless. And it is a sight to behold. He looks up from his phone and smiles at me. “Sorry to bother you,” I stammer. “I need some water.”

The minibar opens of its own accord and a water bottle floats over to me. Snatching it out of the air, I have to close my jaw, yet again, as I walk out of the room.

“Night,” he calls after me.

* * *

Gabe

Wide awake, I’m lying with my hands behind my head. Another part of my anatomy is semi-awake, all because Charlotte walked in the room with her voluptuous breasts freed from a bra, her nipples erect against her snug tank top. The truth is I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Charlotte since first seeing her at Memphis Magic. Although I get the feeling the impression I made on her wasn’t quite as memorable. Ha! That’s an understatement—she practically sprinted to get away from me.

Ignoring my cock, I run my hand over my face and sigh. She’s jittery around me, and I suspect it’s related to the energy vampire who kidnapped her and Aubry. Grabbing Damion’s “possession” file, I flip though some notes. I’ve already ruled out Charlotte’s mom, Debbie, and her friend as having a hand in the summoning and possession. My phone vibrates and I grab it.

Turek: The witch has been cleared. A tough nut to crack, but she didn’t intentionally trap your Cambion buddy.

Me: Thanks. I owe you one.

Turek: Damn right you do. Damion took over while I was working my mojo on Aubry. Boy, was he pissed!

That’s fine, let Damion be pissed at me. But as his lawyer and best friend, I’m okay with being the bad guy. Honestly, I didn’t think Aubry would intentionally trap Damion, as she doesn’t strike me as that kind of witch. But better safe than sorry.

Me: It goes without saying this is to remain confidential.

Turek: And yet you said it.

Me: Smart-ass.

Turek: Goes without saying.

Turning off the lamp, I toss and turn, eventually drifting off, only to be awakened by a terror-filled scream. Teleporting to Charlotte’s room, I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. I’m in my angelic form, so even though it’s pitch black, I can see her, but she can’t see me. If she could see me, she would likely scream louder.

Assessing the situation, I see she’s not hurt—that it must have been a nightmare—and so I shift back into my human form. “Charlotte, it’s alright,” I tell her in a soothing tone, her tears dampening my bare chest.

“Everything alright?” Aubry asks, flipping on the lamp, sitting up in her bed.

“It’s fine,” Charlotte says, shrugging out of my hold. A box of tissues is now in my hands and I extend it to her. She grabs one and dabs her eyes. “Just a dream. Everyone can go back to bed,” she says, embarrassment in her tone.

“Do you need anything else? A snack? Something else to drink?” I offer.

She pushes back some hair matted to her face with tears and sweat from her nightmare. “Thank you, but no. Good night,” she says, dismissing me as she flips off the lamp.

“No problem,” I tell her, straightening her covers and walking out and closing the door behind me.

Returning to bed, I quietly make a phone call. “Reginald, my friend. I have a job for you. Bring me everything there is to know about Brad Cunningham.”

Chapter 8

Charlotte

I never realized what horrid energy is hanging around the hospital until I began consciously defending my aura when out in public. An aura is the energy field surrounding your body. Energy vampires attempt to latch on to you, and if you already have a weakness or hole in your aura, then they can feed off your energy. Interesting now that I’m paying attention how one particular surgeon has been trying to tap in to mine. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that he’s not intentionally trying to steal my energy. But Dr. Tom Cooper is an arrogant asshole, so giving him the benefit of the doubt is difficult.

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