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11
Braxton’s green eyes sparkled, pleased I had agreed, and he took my hand in his once more. My entire body tingled with his touch, and I wondered if everyone felt this frantic rush when they had “perfect chemistry” with someone.
Whirling around, he took me to the table, and picked up the tray with our plates and drinks.
“Sam, I need a to-go box,andcan I borrow your keys? I’ll bring it back tonight before you close. I promise,” Braxton asked one of the guys by the short wall.
Sending a not-so-discreet glance at me, the guy smirked. “Sure thing,” he agreed, handing both things to Braxton.
“Thanks!”
Placing the food in the box, and securing the drinks in the side flap, he pulled me through the back door. We came out to another room with metal cabinets on the wall, and he opened one of them, immediately taking off his shirt.
I had seen plenty of shirtless and even naked men in my time. On any given day, I was easily in the company of twenty warriors, who wore nothing other than leather pants and arm shields. Nevertheless, the sight of Braxton’s side muscles as they clenched and expanded with the dismissal of his shirt did something to me.
My stomach dipped while I followed every curve, rise, and bend along his torso, unable to pull my eyes away.
“Sorry, I just wanted to change out of the dirty uniform.”
Was he talking to me?
Suddenly feeling my mouth become dry, I watched him face me, showing perfectly formed biceps, pecs, and abs—even the corded muscles along his shoulders and neck were perfect. The sight kind of took the breath out of me, and there went my pulse again. Thrumming inside my veins, it accelerated, and I unconsciously stepped closer while he got the next shirt ready to wear.
When my hand reached for his chest, he froze. Feeling the tingles spread over my body with the touch, I wondered if he felt the same thing I did. The goose bumps that rose under my fingertips, causing a shudder to rock his back, were the answer. A smile curved our lips when we looked into each other’s eyes.
“Did you feel that?” he whispered, leaning even closer.
“Yes…”
“I’ve never felt anything like this. Never felt a girl the way I feel you,” he confessed, and I wanted to sayme neither,but my fingers stopped in the middle of his pecks, reaching something harsh and cold.
Eyes widening, I glanced at the Dragon ring that hung from the chain. “My ring!” I gasped, but even as I did, I was reminded of how wrong I was. The crystal enclosing the Dragon glowed brightly against his chest, more than I had ever seen it do.
“I’m sorry. I found it on the table after you left that day, and thought I’d never see you again. I wanted to keep it safe for you,” he explained, mortified.
Though I could hear him clearly, I couldn’t respond. I was too bewildered by the way it reacted to him… then something else called my attention. Hand lifting, my fingertips traced the fading bruises on his body. Only a yellowish hue was left of what had apparently been serious marks.
“How did you get those?”
The second Braxton realized what I had seen, he recoiled from my touch. “It’s nothing. I just ran out of my medicine and those appeared again.”
“Again?”
He shrugged, yet the gesture was anything but casual. He was trying to diminish its significance, but I knew he was talking about his rare illness, and the blood he could no longer receive.
“I have this thing—not important—but I used to bruise up like this when I was a child…” His voice trailed off, eyes focusing on the fading marks just like mine had.
“What is it?” I asked, concern growing in my belly.
“They are almost gone?” he whispered in disbelief, briefly looking into my eyes—trying to understand. “I just got them last night, how are they already—?” He stopped himself, looking down to his hand.
When my gaze followed his, I noticed for the first time that his hand was red, the skin seeming sensitive and fresh, the way it looked when my people healed after a burn. Those were common among my kin—one of the hazards of dealing with Dragons—so common that I recognized the newly formed skin instantly.
“When did you burn yourself?”
Still bewildered, he slightly shook his head. “Today,” he admitted, but offered no other explanation. He didn’t have one to give. Healing that fast wasn’t normal for humans… nor for my people.
Intrigued, my eyes returned to him. Was Braxton one of us? Was his blood as pure as his father’s had been? Was that why the Harbinger’s ring glowed in his presence? It couldn’t be. If he were pure, then he wouldn’t be sick. He wouldn’t be experiencing bruises, or suffering without his medicine, without the blood he seemed so desperate to obtain.
