“And why do you care so much?”
“I don’t,” he said, a little too sharply.
It hurt a little, she admitted to herself—and only herself. “Then let me out. I don’t want to have to use force.”
Axle grinned. “Ooh, I feel threatened.”
“I’ll throw myself out the window if I have to.”
Axle rolled his eyes. “Just a few more days. Give me a few days. I just want you safe. Let me ask you this, why do you think the demon attacked you?”
She had never thought about it before. “Well, we could start with this ridiculous bracelet that magically appeared around my wrist.” She yanked the bracelet off her wrist, but only seconds later it appeared right back on her arm.
She looked at Axle to be sure she hadn’t imagined it and it had really happened. The shock on his face confirmed it.
“What the hell…?”
Natalie had the same question on her mind.What just happened?
Axle stood up and walked toward her. “You haven’t tried taking it off before now?”
“I have, but I mean—I always saw it minutes later, and I just assumed that I thought I took it off, but didn’t really do it.”
“When was the first time you saw it?”
“When I woke up from the explosion…All this while, I thought you had put it there, or that you would have some kind of explanation for it.”
“I wish I did.”
Axle took her arm and tried to take off the bracelet, but immediately when he touched it, it sizzled brightly and burned him. The burn was so intense that he cried out in pain. Natalie pulled back in shock, horrified at what the bracelet had done to him.
Her mouth fell open as she glimpsed the burn that covered his whole hand. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry.”
He opened his eyes and stared at her, and she hated the way he looked at her. Tears threatened to fill her eyes. For a moment, it was like their roles were reversed and he was the one scared of her.
“How did it do that?”
“I have no idea,” she whimpered. “Why did it burn you?”
“I don’t…know.” He grunted in pain.
“Let me take care of that. Come.” She pointed to the bathroom.
Axle stared at her strangely as she led the way, like he was curious whether she posed more of a threat to him.
Natalie turned on the water faucet and held his hand under it. She had never touched him like this before, and now that she did, she was feeling something that she never had before. It was probably something she was going to end up regretting.
Axle looked up at her as though he could read her mind, holding her gaze for as long as she dared to look into his brown eyes. Then, somehow, they got lost in each other’s gaze. Natalie’s hands moved up his hard biceps, oblivious of what she was doing.
He didn’t stop her, so she placed her other hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
His lips were soft as marshmallows and seemed to melt into hers. His hands moved around her waist and held her, pulling her deeper into the kiss.
Natalie went brain dead, yet she could not stop thinking about how good he tasted and how she could not wait to taste every other inch of his body.
When she moaned, he pulled away, cupped her faced in one hand, and stared deep into her eyes. For a minute, she was scared that he regretted it already and that she had made a huge mistake. Then, he pulled her body closer to his and kissed her with burning passion.
He left her breathless, wanting more.