Page 86 of Sinful Curses
Orin didn’t know the answer and had no idea how to navigate any of this. Thrown into a stormy ocean, he was clawing at the water, trying to break free of the surface so he could breathe again, but on the verge of drowning.
One thing was certain; he wasn’t a quitter. He’d get through this just as he had everything else in his life.
He’d survived his father’s death… a death caused byhisactions. That guilt and heartbreak would never leave him, but he’d learned how to handle them, mostly by trying not to think about it.
He’d endured the loss of his brothers and the severing of his relationship with Cole and Brokk until they mended those bridges.Thisuncertainty was nothing compared to all those things.
But what if seeing me with those other women didn’t make her feel like this? What if this is just me?
This unfamiliar doubt plaguing him caused his teeth to grind together as some of the welling blood dripped from his palms to hit the ground. Shehadto have felt this too; she wouldn’t still be so angry and bitter about his actions with those women if she hadn’t.
And he would have to tell her the truth. He inwardly groaned while rebelling against the prospect of revealing so much to her.
He didn’t owe her, or anyone else, any explanations… but he did.
Even he could admit that. If seeing this made him want to bash the demon’s face in with his one remaining boot, what would he do if he saw her sitting on another man’s lap?
The idea of it caused more blood to hit the ground. He had no doubt he’d kill that man.
Sahira spat out more poison as Elsa dug through her pack with one hand. When she removed her jar of salve, he saw she’d badly burned one of her hands too.
As she fumbled to remove the top, Orin knelt and took it from her. After he opened it, Pip dipped her hand into the salve and scooped out a small glob.
Her brown eyes met his as she nodded to Sahira. “I’ll take care of Elsa; you help Sahira.”
Orin dipped his fingers into the cool, white cream. Turning, he shoved aside his jealousy as Sahira sucked more poison from Zeth.
He tenderly clasped her hand and tried not to wince at the lack of skin covering the red, swollen, and burnt muscles beneath his palms. Ever so carefully, he dabbed on the salve.
Their eyes briefly met when she lifted her head from Zeth’s throat again. Confusion and sadness shone in her gaze before she turned away and spat more venom across the ground.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-FIVE
Zeth’s head remained bowed,but he was walking better since Sahira sucked as much of the venom as she could from him. By the end, she was spitting blood instead of yellow bile across the stones.
Venom still mixed a little with his blood, but she couldn’t weaken him further by taking more, and she had to hope she’d gotten out enough for his body to fight off the rest. Zeth still leaned heavily on her and Orin but was lifting his feet again, and the green hue had faded from his black skin.
The sun was setting on the open field of grass and trees they walked through when the faint outline of something came into view. She studied the vague images against the pink and orange twilight sky as she tried to ascertain if it was real or not.
Clasping Zeth’s wrist tighter, Sahira looked around him to Orin. His eyes remained straight ahead as his shoulders bent beneath Zeth’s weight.
She wasn’t entirely sure who she was looking at anymore when it came to him. Despite her every intention not to analyze or look too deep into it, she kept seeing the care in his gaze while he tenderly applied the salve to her hand.
He’d been so gentle and nurturing, two things she never believed Orin could be, but there he was, taking care of her. And not only that, but he’d done it without any quips or innuendo that she now owed him.
He hadn’t issued any smart remarks that would have ruined the moment. It probably would have been better for her if he had because she felt her heart softening toward him again.
This man was such a dangerous enigma, but he kept drawing her back in with his contradictory and infuriating ways. It might be what ended up destroying her.
Lifting her hand, she studied the healing flesh. It throbbed with every beat of her heart, which meant the nerve endings were healing.
More pain was soon to come as it healed further, but the reddened flesh forming over her damaged muscles looked healthier than the charred remnants attached to her before. She recalled Maverick, with his crisp-fried body and the agony he must have endured after surviving the fire.
She’d only badly burned one hand; his entire body had been burnt to a crisp. But he was doing well now… or at least he was the last time she saw him. He and everyone she loved could all be dead now.
Sahira pulled herself from thoughts of her friends and loved ones. Getting lost in the sorrow of being separated from them wouldn’t help. She had to remain focused on trying to escape and surviving.
Lowering her hand, she glanced at Orin again. She resisted a smile as she took in his handsome profile and the determination etching his features.
