Page 145 of The Wishing Game

"It seems to be embedded in your skin," he muses, his eyes still arrested on the marks on my body.

"Ze..."

"But why did it not heal when the game started? Or when I healed you?" He continues, ignoring my silent pleas to drop the subject.

"I don't know." I sigh. "I've had them for over ten years. They are...brandings."

"Brandings?" he repeats, his brows furrowing together.

"From when I was a slave," I whisper.

Realization dawns on him and he freezes.

"I see." His lips flatten into a thin line, and his eyes are back on my chest.

Goosebumps erupt all over my skin and I find myself suddenly colder than before. A shiver runs down my back, his intense regard making me squirm.

"Would you allow me to attempt to heal them?" he asks after a moment.

"What?" I blink.

"I can focus solely on your brandings. If it is something that has been done to your skin, my healing should work."

"You mean..." I trail off as I point to his mouth.

He gives me a nod.

I ponder his suggestion, ashamed to find myself actually considering it. Somehow, it feels a little too intimate to allow him to put his mouth on my skin after... I swallow uncomfortably.

I shouldn't think too hard on the fact that I saw him naked. He's hardly the first naked man I've seen. Yet there's this continuous feeling in my chest that tells me itiswrong. I am married. And I am certain Nikki wouldnotlike any of this. My heart clenches in my chest at the thought. I wouldneverwant Nikki to think I would betray him in any way—aliveordead.

At the same time, if there's a chance I could finally get rid of these markings forever... I'm ashamed to admit that I would take it.

I'll just have to pray Nikki will understand this, too. He knows how much it means to me to finally be free from my past, so I'm certain he'd never begrudge me this. It's not as if I see Ze as anything but a good friend. And he certainly only sees me as a pesky human he's charged with protecting.

"Fine. You can...try," I say as I take a deep breath.

He shuffles closer to me, his hand circling my wrist as he pulls my arm toward him. Leaning forward, I feel his breath brush against my skin as he hovers his mouth over my upper arm. He trails his lips over my skin and a tremor travels down my back.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I await for him to do...whatever he needs to do.

Moving from my shoulder to my collarbone, he finally presses his open mouth over my skin, his tongue trailing along the contour of my marks.

A scorching heat envelops my entire upper body, almost as if the marks themselves were on fire. My pulse speeds up, my heart racing unlike ever before. More heat coils in my stomach as my breathing grows labored until I'm panting. My body tingles all over, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, there's an insane pulsation that grows in intensity with every lick of his tongue.

"Agh," I cry out, pushing him and falling on my back in an attempt to get away from him.

His eyes widen in shock, but it's not because of my outburst. Following his gaze, I look down to find the previously dark markings on my body lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"What's happening?" I ask in a wobbly voice. "What's happening to me, Ze?"

The burning sensation continues, although it's not entirely unpleasant. It's just...foreign.

"I am not certain," he answers, his expression puzzled.

I rub my hands down my arms and chest, and slowly, the light goes out until my marks become the same dull dark spot of ink as before.

"But I can tell you one thing," he continues, looking conflicted. "Those are not brandings made by a human."

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