Free Pandora's Ring by Kaitlin R. Branch Page B

was getting light-headed again, with the throbbing cries of the throng pounding on her skull. How wasn’t she bleeding from the ears? How much more could she take?
    Eli shook his head. “No, I’ve got high standards. And to be honest, you’ll be getting a lot more than just me.” He smiled, stroking her hair. “If you survive this, your life isn’t going to be quiet–you’re an anomaly after all. But damn, you’ll have your pick among heaven, hell and the in-betweeners.”
    “They’d all want me for the power, though,” she closed her eyes against a sharp pain in her eye. She drew a breath, and it shuddered through her, incomplete. She drew another, gasping for air as a pain grew slowly in her chest, like a balloon being inflated. She groaned softly, pressing her hand to the spot.
    Eli   surged forward and kissed her without waiting for permission. The pressure eased, but he lingered. Without meaning to, she kept him close. He was cool, a welcome relief against her feverish skin. His body was strange, smooth like bleached ivory, velvety to the touch, hairless but for the perfect mane of raven locks coursing down his back. As she touched it, she was shocked to discover it wasn’t oily, merely shiny and smooth.
    Finally, Eli pulled back, breathing hard. “Better?”  
    “Yeah,” she replied, her lungs filling more easily but mouth hanging half-open. She stroked his shoulder. “What was that?”
    “Heart attack,” His claws shifted on her waist, and Samantha shivered. Where Cyrene induced disgust, Eli’s were touches of warmth and sensation. He cupped her cheek. “If it helps, I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
    She smiled. “You sound like a soppy romance novel. I’m not a virgin, you know.”
    “Yep.” He nosed her neck. “But given you can see me properly…an assurance seemed appropriate.”
    She bent her neck back. His touch was still cool, gentle and smooth. Like silk, she realized. Cool silk. “I guess I should insist you refrain from fingering me with those claws.”
    He stopped, and then gave a surprised laugh into her ear, pulled her into his lap. She acquiesced, already feeling better now she had some hope of life. Maybe he was tricking her, but she’d already invited him to take her soul. If he did, she’d be at peace. If he didn’t, she’d be at peace. When he pressed his lips against her neck, she could just enjoy the warmth of his skin against hers. “Don’t worry. I have a talented tongue to make up for it.”
    “Is what they say about demonic endowment true?”
    “We do have cloven hooves, so you could say we were hung like a bull…but I’ll let you decide when we get there.” He paused to capture her lips again, cradling her neck.
    Every time he kissed her it grew more natural. When he wasn’t fixing some catastrophic organ failure, he was a very good kisser. It felt wonderful, deep, like she could trust him. She wasn’t afraid. Was it a good idea to trust him? Maybe not. But the fact was, as far as she’d seen, he’d waded into a fight he couldn’t hope to win against Cyrene, and then refused to fulfill his assignment, no matter how easy it would have been. Suddenly, she frowned. “How much trouble are you going to be in for this?” she asked. “Fixing me when you should be breaking me?”
    Eli didn’t pause as he bent and nibbled on her neck, which drew a faint gasp. “Not a clue,” he replied after he had her shivering. “No, really, this is pretty much unheard of.”
    She drew the shreds of her shirt off so Eli’s lips could go further down her collarbone and chest. Eli stopped dead, gaze pained and aching. “Samantha,” he murmured, brushing her skin.
    She looked down. Her chest was a mosaic of blood, scratches and burns. She couldn’t even feel most of it. “I didn’t know it was so bad,” she said. “My back too?”
    He nodded, looking hesitant. He was pausing and she could see it wasn’t because he questioned her beauty. The guilt on his face was