Chapter 6 Detox
Detox
The sheets stuck to my skin as I squirmed.
Somehow, I was cold and clammy but also overheated.
This was hell. Luca came and went, bringing me water to sip.
At first, I threw up into a trash can he placed beside the bed.
Then I had to run across the hall to the toilet, where I curled around my knees and cried as my soul left my body.
When there was nothing left, I crawled back into the bed, grateful I didn’t need Luca to carry me that short distance. I didn’t think I could manage a second time, and I prayed I wouldn’t shit the bed.
If I lay very still, the room spun, but it was only mild nausea - uncomfortable, but not enough to cause me to vomit again.
My stomach cramped, but it was easy to ignore as a bone-deep exhaustion pressed down on me, like my body expelling everything within it had also drained my life force.
Finally, I slipped into unconsciousness.
Darkness surrounded me. I was back in the den, wandering through the hallway. The doors were open, but the rooms beyond were unfamiliar - clean, modern, simple.
“There’s my girl,” a voice crooned. Turning, I faced Cade. Gilded hair fell over his cheekbones, brushing that manicured beard I wanted to touch so badly. It must feel amazing scraping over my skin.
I wanted to ask why he was in the vampire den, but I couldn’t form the words.
“You belong with me,” he said, suddenly closer. I took a step back, but the distance between us only narrowed until our chests were brushing.
Panting, I tipped my chin up to stare into honey eyes alight with a fire that curled through my stomach down to my toes.
He was painfully handsome with heavy brows, a straight nose, and a soft mouth.
My hand rose without my permission, fingertips grazing over his jaw. He tilted his head, leaning into the touch. Those hateful feelings were gone, leaving a desire that left me breathless.
He pressed his lips into my palm, and I felt him form words that echoed in my mind.
“You are mine.”
We were sprawled across a bed, him over me, his chest bare. My shirt was gone, and his skin rubbed against mine, burning me in the most delicious way.
His hand bracketed my jaw, forcing my face forward. Again, I tried to state my thoughts or complaints, but I didn’t have control over my voice. I was nothing but sensation, eagerly receiving everything he did to me.
His nose dragged across my cheek, achingly slow, as I felt his breath ghost across my skin. Finally, his lips pressed to mine. The touch scorched my lips, down my throat into my belly until I was nothing but flame. The room faded into flickering streaks of red and gold.
“That’s a good girl,” Luca said, brushing my hair back. I looked up into his icy eyes. “Taking your Alpha so well.”
The second man’s arms wrapped around me, holding me to his chest as he reclined back on the bed. His intricate tattoos crawled down his arms and across his hands.
“She’s our perfect mate,” Cade growled. He was moving over me, between my spread legs, inside of me. With a snarl, he thrust roughly, pressing me against Luca. Hot pleasure curled between my legs, seeping up my stomach into my chest. It never felt this good with Evrin.
“You belong to us,” Cade growled.
“Yes,” Luca murmured as his tattooed hands moved over my body.
With another powerful thrust, Cade pressed fully into me, and the pressure triggered something new I’d never experienced before. Exquisite, spiraling pleasure radiated out from where our bodies joined, tingling through my fingers and toes.
Shuddering, I let the feeling roll through me as it broke apart the scene in my mind. The room darkened until Cade and Luca were the only real things.
The feel of both of them against me was overwhelming as my body relaxed into them. Hands grabbed, lips skimming, chests rising and falling.
“Say you are ours,” Luca whispered against my neck.
Cade kissed my chest, rising higher. His tongue licked over my throat, and my breath caught. Surely he wouldn’t bite like a vampire.
Opening wide, the Alpha werewolf bit down on my throat. Finally, I was able to open my mouth and scream.
“Summer!” someone said in my head.
I was burning alive, Cade was ripping my throat out, and the world was spinning wildly.
“Summer, wake up!” That rough voice had a deep, primal command to it that I could not resist. Through pure willpower, I dragged myself out of sleep and opened my eyes.
The room was dark, but I could clearly see Cade leaning over me. He stared with wide, horrified eyes.
What was the matter? Had I done something truly disgusting?
The door swung open, and Luca walked in. The second I glanced at him, Cade spun away and left the room. As he brushed past Luca, he growled, “She had a nightmare.”
“Glad to see you awake, wildcat,” Luca said with a grin. He held a plate with rice and shredded chicken on it. “How do you feel?”
Before I could answer, he offered me a water bottle with a straw. My thirst roared to life and a few drops of water dribbled down my chin as I sucked it down.
“You’ve been out for three days, but you should be through the worst of it now,” he said.
Overwhelmed, I sucked in a deep breath and let it out in three short bursts. The scent of vanilla was stronger in the air now, and it settled me.
“I feel decent,” I admitted. “Not like I’m gonna puke anymore.”
“Good,” Luca said with a chuckle that showed off his dimples. He raked inked fingers through his mass of raven curls. “You had us worried.”
Why were these werewolves worried about me? I squinted at him. He smirked, unworried by my scrutiny.
“I think I’m going to need another one of those showers.” I held up the tips of my hair, cringing at the smell.
“Yeah, you got a little… never mind.” He lowered onto the foot of the bed, those pale eyes locked onto me. “But eat first. You’ve got to be hungry.”
Now that he said it, I realized I was starving. Even before succumbing to the withdrawals, I had been hungry. Warily, I lifted the plate from the mattress between us and picked up the fork. The chicken was mild and only lukewarm. Comforting.
Relieved, I shoveled half the plate down before my stomach protested.
“Take it easy, wildcat,” Luca said, his smirk returning. “That’s probably enough for now. I promise you can have more food whenever you want. We don’t limit it around here.”
Licking my lips, I set the plate on the bedside table and paused. The small cabinet held a lamp, a small stack of books, and now a bowl full of shiny red apples. My gaze flicked back to Luca. Was this because of me?
This man read me like a book, seeing all the things I thought were hidden. No one had ever paid such close attention to me, and it made me feel stripped bare. It made me squirm.
Forget the werewolf. I needed to discuss my exit.
Now that I was done with the venom withdrawal, they should let me go. But the idea sent anxiety prickling through me. It was easier to focus on this moment and not what would come next.
“Let’s get you that shower,” Luca said, standing.
“Thanks,” I said, unfurling my legs. Pushing off the bed, I attempted to take a few steps, but my knees collapsed. My thigh and hip took the brunt of the fall, and my fingers clawed in the comforter hanging off the side of the bed as if the fabric could anchor me.
Luca crouched beside me. “You’re a bit of a disaster, aren’t you?”
“You try walking after detoxing off venom, asshole,” I grumbled. We were close enough I could see the gray swirling through the blue of his irises.
He grinned, wrapping blazing hot hands around my ribcage and pulling me up. Somehow, his touch didn’t scare me the way I expected. The fear was still there, but it was also comforting.
With one arm tight around my waist, he led me with hobbling steps across the room and into the hallway.
“Just turn the water on and I’ll sit on the floor of the shower,” I demanded.
Luca shook his head. “No way. I have a much better idea.”