When Souls Collide Chapter 3, Part 1

Deadlines, babies and weddings--oh my. Life is indeed crazier than any fiction I could come up with.
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***Warning. The following story contains erotic elements, explicit language and violence. Read at your own risk.***

She was alive.


A damp cloth moved over her forehead. The cushion under her gave as someone sat down. Where? The smell of incense filled the air and the room felt cool. She opened her eyes and stared at the Kori soldier.

Tesza sucked in a staggered breath.

His shirt was off. He had a cloth in his hand and a bowl of water in his lap. Light poured over his naked flesh, bronzing his skin, shadowing every ridge and hard plane.

Tesza swallowed and balled her hands into the bedding. Her heart jumped several beats. She tightened her grip, wanting to reach out and touch. Would she feel the connection she’d felt when he touched her face in the abandoned plaza?

“I told you I didn’t want to clean up, Kalos. You’ve gotten blood all over my uniform and house.” He set the bowl on a stand next to the bed.

Blood? Her blood? She risked a glance into his eyes, looking for the telling sign of the infection. Nothing. It took a short time for the infection to show. Had it been enough? How long had she been out? She shifted her gaze away, afraid he’d wonder why.

Tesza went to sit up and he shoved her back down. “Stay put. I need to bandage that wound.”

”I can’t stay in your quarters.” Her heart jumped into her throat. “Where are your quarters?” What time was it? She had to prepare for Fourth Night. “What time of day?”

“You can’t go out there. This is the safest place for you.” He finished wrapping her head and drew his hand back. “It’s not dark yet, but soon.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you kill me?”

“I told you, I don’t feel like killing today. Quit asking so many questions.”

Tesza noticed the sheet barely covered her breasts. “Where are my clothes?” Her face heated, replacing the chill she’d felt before. Had he touched her while she slept? Like Jarod touched her on Third night? Her stomach knotted and fluttered at the thought.

“Those rags? I burned them. They weren’t coming into my home.”

“I’m not dirty. My clothes may have been worn, but they were clean.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re clean now. I bathed you while you were unconscious.” His eyes sparked.

“You what?” Tesza shot up, landing on her feet. The sheet dropped. Dizziness assaulted and she pressed her hand to her forehead and glared at him.

The Kori glanced up and raised a brow. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Doesn’t seem to bother you now.”

Tesza shrieked and yanked the sheet up, trying to wrap it around her body. She wanted to crawl away and hide from that piercing gaze. His hands had been all over her body. What had he done when she was out? “I want clothes.” She needed to control the situation.

“You’re in a fine position to make demands.”

“You had no right to remove my clothing.”

“I had every right. I could have shot you and didn’t. Therefore, I own you.”

“I am not yours to own. I belong to another.”

“I could get into trouble for harboring you. After all this, I’ve decided to keep you.”

“You can’t.” Anger crept across her scalp. He may have saved her, but he didn’t own her and in saving her, he could have infected the entire Kori population in the city. She glanced around, looking for something she could throw at him. Distance would be best. There had been enough time to see the illness in his eyes. He wasn’t infected and it needed to stay that way. “I’m not a pet.”

“No, you’re not.” His eyes travelled up and down. He grabbed the tail of the sheet and yanked, sending her flying into his lap. His arms shot around her and locked down.

“Let me go!” Tesza thrashed and the sheet dropped to the floor. His arms were strong, hard. They felt good, right.

She would kill them all. She didn’t want to murder innocents. Children, elderly… She arched against the limbs banded around her, bucking and thrashing.

“Well, this is interesting. You keep wiggling like that and we’re going to have a problem.”

Tesza froze. Oh, they already had a problem. He wanted her.

“What’s your name, pretty Kalos?”

Tesza turned her face away. The way he called her pretty Kalos, warmed her insides. She’d never been flirted with, never been called pretty. Sure, Jarod said he desired her, but he’d never flirted. Not like this. He always spoke direct, to the point. This flirting made her want to giggle and reciprocate.

“Let me go and I’ll tell you.” She needed to put distance between them. It was dangerous, way too dangerous.

“Fair enough.” The Kori loosened his grip and she dropped to the floor on her rear. Tesza grabbed the sheet and tugged.

“Well?”

“Tesza.”

The situation was getting out of control. Tesza pulled on the sheet and he stepped on it, keeping her from getting under complete cover.

“Get off it, you Kori bastard.”

“You didn’t ask nicely and the name isn’t Kori bastard.”

“So what is it?”

“Try calling me enemy.”

“Can I please leave?” She was wading into deeper water with each passing second. She should infect him, but somewhere in her head and heart, back at the clearing, she’d decided she couldn’t, knew she couldn’t. It wasn’t just him. She’d kill them all.

He studied her for a minute, as if he weighed his options. When he finally spoke, she jumped. His voice hit like high-voltage, shocking her to the core.

“I’ll take you out after star-fall, too dangerous in the day.”

 
Thanks for sticking with me. I'll see you next week.
DL