Page 44 of Reaper
Liv arrived back from her lab with the needle.
Pain choked him as Ara cried out.
Liv made quick work of the blood draw, and she ran back down to the lab.With one last squeeze of reassurance, Kai followed Liv, and shut the door behind him.
Because he couldn’t touch her, he wandered around the room, adjusting the vents so the air was directed toward the bed.When he found that he couldn’t stay away from her any longer, he slid into bed, careful not to touch her.
The next few hours were pure torture for both him and Ara.The air conditioning had helped, along with several cold showers.When he put her to bed after she’d cooled off, he had forgone clothing, knowing it would chafe when she warmed up again.He kept up a steady stream of words, hoping that some of what he said would calm her, but she never made a sound except in pain.
The others came to visit, concerned by the information they had gotten from Kai and Liv, but their visits didn’t last long.Watching anyone in pain was a form of torture, but they couldn’t stand to watch as Ara vocalized hers.In the light of day, the flush on her skin was visible, as was the sheen of sweat and the pain etched on her face.
The only relief she felt were the brief showers they had taken.By the time they had finished their fourth shower, he had decided to forgo carrying her back and forth to the shower and came up with another idea.
He soaked towels in cold water and wrapped them around Ara.Every half an hour, he would replace the hot towels with fresh, cool ones, and only then did she finally fall into a restless sleep.At times, she would moan his name, and not knowing if she were in pain, he would reassure her without touching her, talking to her until she fell back to sleep.
He had finished replacing the towels right after sunset when there was a tentative knock on the door.Liv walked in and her expression caused his breath to stall in his throat.Kai came in behind his mate, and shook his head when he noticed the panic in Reaper’s expression.
“I’ve been observing Ara’s blood, comparing it to her other sample…” Liv paused and Kai pulled her close.
Reaper surged to his feet, but before he could react, Liv continued.
“Her cells are mutating, getting stronger.They look, well, similar to your cells.”
Reaper’s legs gave out and he fell back into the chair he’d vacated next to the bed.He watched, stunned, as Liv rounded the bed and stood next to Ara’s head.She moved Ara’s hair away from her neck, and he knew what she saw.His mark, their mating mark, on Ara’s neck.When Liv motioned him over, he noticed the mark, which had darkened to black the morning after he claimed her, as it lay red and pulsing on her shoulder.
“When did you claim her?” Kai asked.
“Two nights ago.”
Liv muttered numbers under her breath.He supposed she had been calculating the time between his bite and when she had developed symptoms.He knew what it meant, but he couldn’t fathom the possibility, even when it was evident.
“By this time tomorrow, Ara will be a full-fledged shifter.”
