back into her st

she reached the bed. She coll

white blanket and pulled

fever burned her skin, but inside

footsteps echoed

hitting the linoleum floor grew lou

was pus

a's voice trembl

emperature in the room se

the blanket, her hands curled into tight fis

opped next

caught the drops of blood smeared on the whit

eyebrows pulled into

Now," Hartwell barked. His voice was th

rted the needle into Collette's bruised vein. As soon

violently ripped the bla

forced to o

own eyes were completely dead, filled with

ring over her. "Running out to the balcony in the middle o

exact center of

h, breathless laug

but the venom in it was lethal. "I wouldn't dare. A

ils contracted

he room turn

p her jaw. His fingers pressed hard into her skin,

Hartwell warned through gritted tee

ached, but she forced her ch

a hollow, ugly thing. "I'm just a who

ked. The muscle ju

tightened

pain, but she didn't blink. She just

like that for ten

shed, feverish cheeks and

, he l

back to her, and walked to the water

the back of his hand against the paper to test t

d back t

ly lifting her upper body off the pi

face away. She kept

d. "Or I will force it down

ned slightly. She kn

mouth and let him pour th

ift her weight. Her left arm, stiff from the IV,

set the

just reached out and gr

s thigh. His large, warm ha

to massage the tight muscles of her forearm, workin

focused, his touch incredibly gentle, as if h

traight line of his nose

ce in her chest crac