Page 41 of Origins
I glanced up, wondering why Damen’s voice sounded so very strange. His intense eyes captured my attention as he slowly brushed a strand of hair back from my face.
“Sure, we can have a slumber party—we can make it a party to remember.” Damen’s mouth twisted into a breathtaking grin, and I wondered if he was being serious. “In fact, we can have as many slumber parties as you want.”
I hoped that my eagerness wasn’t too obvious. “Because of the ghost?” That was memorable.
“Do you like pink?” Damen asked, his tone still weird.
I blinked at the strange question. What did that have to do with anything?
“And lace?” he continued.
My focus drifted to Julian, who stood nearby—his hand over his face.
I was hesitant now—and wary. Wondering what I might have said that would garner this kind of reaction. “Yes…” I answered, “it’s my second favorite color. Lace is pretty…”
He smiled, and it confounded me. I couldn’t figure out why he’d be excited. Maybe he liked the color pink and lace in the same manner that Titus enjoyed cute things?
His thumb brushed over my lips, his fingers barely touching me. I gasped, and for some reason that made his grin grow wider. “Do you—”
“Okay,” Julian interrupted. “That’s enough.”
Damen pouted before his hand dropped and Julian continued. “Don’t forget why I called you here, Damen.”
That did the trick—Damen’s weird mood vanished instantly. “Right,” he rolled up his sleeves, “let’s take a look.”
Chapter Thirteen
Burn
“I need you to turn around please, Bianca,” Damen commanded, his voice all seriousness.
I tore my eyes from his defined forearms and watched him critically. Becausereally. Despite Julian’s vague—but glowing—recommendation, I had reservations about this. The fact remained that Damen was apsychologist. What would he know about my injuries?
Besides, where I was supposed to sit? I was perched on a high-backed couch.
Julian seemed to sense my dilemma, and gracefully slid onto the couch beside me.
“Sit on my lap—facing me.” He gestured toward himself with a comforting smile. I choked, but he wasn’t fazed. “Damen will need access to your back. They are there as well, I noticed when you turned on your side. We’ll need to contain these burns.”
“E-Excuse me?” He couldn’t be serious. It didn’t matter that his words were made in innocence. And they clearly were—the man had blushed when I removed my sweater.
But it made sense. I could do this—I would just pretend that we were playing Seven Minutes in Heaven. Granted, it would have made sense to go to the kitchen instead. I could have sat on a stool. There’d be better lighting…
But maybe I didn’t have all the details.
“These abrasions need to be handled a certain way,” Julian explained. “Once Damen begins treatment, it might hurt for a moment. I want to make sure you are secure. You can hold onto me—it might help.”
I nodded complacently, trying to keep up. The two of them continued to converse in low voices, and appeared to know what they were doing. They must have done this before. They were the experts. And treating burns was bound to be a painful exper—
“Wait,” my voice sounded panicked. Julian and Damen snapped to attention at once, giving me their full focus. “Burns?”
Granted, I had thought that they resembled burns, but to hear Julian classify them as such was a different matter. None of this made sense. How could Finn, only by touching me, have caused me to burn?
So I was dying? They didn’t seem very concerned. “I—”
Damen knelt in front of me, taking my hand into his own. “Don’t panic, it’s not what you think.”
“It’s not what I think?” I tugged my hand away and shoved my fist against my mouth, holding back my scream. “I don’t even know what to think. You said that I’mburned. Is that why I’m not in agonizing pain? Am I going to die?”
