Free Ultimate Passage: New Beginnings: Box Set ( Books 1-4) by Elle Thorne Page B

angel. Don’t you think you should let me take care of you if I am?”
    “Um, no. You’re still a stranger, guardian angel or not.”
    The seat felt like it was spinning. Or maybe it was the room. Whatever it was, the flavor of Kahlua and cream flowed in her throat, but very definitely from the wrong direction. White Russians didn’t taste as good coming back up. She swallowed the liquid down.
    No. No. No. That was the wrong thing to do. Now it was worse. Her stomach heaved. A glance up confirmed that Finn was watching her, concern on his face. She turned away from him. If she didn’t, she’d—
    God, too late. Just as she turned away, six White Russians projectile-erupted from her mouth. In her peripheral vision she caught his jump backward, and his barstool flipped, clipping hers just right.
    Marissa tumbled to the floor, vomit cascading around her. She slipped on the nasty, grimy, chunky floor and landed right on her ass.

Chapter 18
    M arissa , the human firebrand, was vomiting a white-ish concoction in his direction. He made a swift flip out of her way, but he didn’t count on his barstool tipping, or knocking hers over. He sure didn’t count on her falling down and her own vomit pelting her.
    She sat on the floor, this forlorn, former firebrand, lost, covered in her own vomit, miserable. Pitiful.
    Now what? Fueled by alcohol, and embarrassment, what would her temper lead her to do? He paused, waiting for her reaction. The other thing he hadn’t counted on—
    A flood of tears burst from her eyes, while her face maintained no emotion at all. This woman was beyond confusing. He leaned in, hoping she’d accept his help.
    Help? Help her do what? What could he do? The only way to give this woman help would be to throw her in a bathtub. Preferably one filled with cold water to shock the alcohol’s effects out of her body and bring her to her senses. What could he say that would make anything better? Nothing. So he put his hand out to help her up.
    She stared at his hand like it was a cobra.
    What was wrong with her? “Let me help you.”
    “I’m beyond help.” The snot dribbling from her nose merged with the tears.
    He was happy she was too drunk—hopefully too drunk—to remember the sight she was. With luck, tomorrow morning she wouldn’t have any inkling of this performance.
    And why did that matter, anyway? In a short time, she’d become a part of the mission to help his people.
    What would they do to her? Or to any of the women? What exactly happened once they were in Asazi custody? He should have asked. Why? Why would he have asked? It wasn’t his business. His assignment was to bring them in. He wasn’t a scientist. But now, suddenly, this woman made him want to know. To know that she’d be okay. To know that she wouldn’t come to harm. To know she’d still be that human spitfire, not a corpse. Or even an incubator.
    What was wrong with him? Why did he care? Was it the human genomes in his body that made him care? Or was it the fact he’d taken on a human appearance? What was going on? He leaned back, fighting to keep his confusion, and concern, from showing on his face.
    “Hey, bud.” The bartender was back and tugging on Finn’s sleeve. “She’s a nice lady, and a good tipper and all that.” His face grew concerned as he looked down at Marissa. “But you’re going to have to... well, she’s drunk. You’re going to have to take your girlfriend out of here.”
    “She’s not—” Before Finn could say She’s not my girlfriend , the bartender raised his hand in the universal Halt gesture.
    “She is drunk. She’s definitely drunk.”
    That wasn’t what Finn was going to dispute. A person would have to be deaf, blind, and have no sense of smell to dispute that Marissa was drunk. He nodded in agreement.
    The bartender continued. “She’s going to cause me trouble with the law.”
    “How so?” This was out of Finn’s area of expertise.
    “Public intoxication, blah, blah, blah.