Free The Bleeding Crowd by Jessica Dall Page B

you right now is hinder clotting.”
    “You’re handy to have in an emergency.” He
watched her put some water on a hot plate.
    “As are most people with medical training,”
she said.
    “Will you let me compliment you for
once?”
    “No.” She smiled to herself, waiting for the
water to boil before infusing valerian and pouring it into two
mugs. “Drink this.”
    He carefully levered himself up, taking a
sip. He grimaced. “It tastes funny.”
    “It tastes like valerian.” She took a drink
herself.
    “I don’t like it.”
    “Drink it anyway,” she said. “Hold your nose
if you have to.”
    “What good would that do?”
    “What do?”
    “Holding my nose.”
    “Smell adds a lot to taste.” She shrugged.
“If you can’t smell it, you don’t taste it as much.”
    “Really?”
    “Try it out.”
    “I...” He lifted his right arm slightly.
    “Right.” She moved to the bed, using her free
hand to pinch his nose gently.
    He took a sip, his nose crinkling.
    “Well?” She let go.
    “I still taste it, but it’s better.”
    She smiled. “Well, the only way not to taste
it at all would be to get rid of your taste buds.”
    “I’ll survive then.” He waited for her to
pinch his nose again before downing the rest of the tea.
    She took the cup from him and sipped
hers.
    He watched her stand. “Where are you
going?”
    “I’m just going to wash up.” She paused in
the bathroom doorway. “Go ahead and go to sleep. You need your
rest.”
    He watched her move into the bathroom and
shut the door behind her with a click. She had locked the door. He
frowned, but gave into the calm feeling the tea caused and sank
into the pillows.
     

Chapter Six

    Ben woke just as the first signs of light
came through the parts of the window not covered by the blackout
drapes. It couldn’t have been much later than daybreak. He shifted
slightly, giving up on that thought quickly. He would swear he
could feel every cell in his left arm all the way down to the bone.
A dull pain squeezed at the area every time his heart beat.
    It had been a bad cut. He hadn’t bled that
much since that slice on his stomach years ago. Something moved on
his stomach. He frowned, the corners of his mouth sliding up as he
saw the slender fingers coming to rest near his solar plexus. He
moved his left arm with a slight hiss to ensure it was away from
her hand before looking at the woman next to him. Dahlia was still
on the other side of the bed with only her torso leaning towards
him so her arm could reach him. She hadn’t changed. Her jeans were
on the floor near the bed and a nightgown lay nearby, as if she had
started to change, but then had decided to just sleep before
finishing.
    He placed his right hand over her left,
lifting it to his mouth to kiss the inside of her wrist. Her eyes
opened, working to focus on him in the darkness for a moment. She
froze and then jerked away, moving him enough to knock his hurt arm
against his side. He winced.
    She pulled her arm back to her chest, giving
him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. Is your arm all right?”
    He released a breath. “It’s manageable.”
    Scrambling to the side of the bed, she stood.
“I’m going to change the dressing. The cleaner we can keep things,
the better off we’ll be. Do you need a painkiller?”
    “It’s okay.” He shook his head. “I have a
high pain threshold.”
    She nodded. “Wait here.”
    He didn’t move, letting her come back with
supplies to wash, salve, and then re-bandage his arm.
    “Are you sure you don’t want something for
the pain?” She studied the wound and frowned. “It’s inflamed. It
has to hurt.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Really, Ben, you don’t need to put on a
strong face. There’s no reason to be in pain.”
    “It’s good for you,” he said. “Builds
character.”
    “I disagree.”
    “Are you going to keep harping on this until
I agree to take something?”
    “Maybe,” she said.
    He sighed in resignation. “I thought