Banes by Tara Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

from the previous run.
    She pushed her legs again increasing the speed.
    She saw a movement of color around her as something black shot around the room in her peripheral. She pressed the stop button again panting and gasping for air. Her heart pounded in her ears.
    Lydia's voice spoke softly in the background of her pounding ears, "Lucas it's okay. We were just testing her healing capabilities. Remember it's part of the process. Lucas please calm down."
    Ari looked to see Lucas holding Ron against the wall. Both men shook as if fighting themselves instead of each other. Lydia stood behind them speaking soothingly.
    Ari wheezed nearly tripping off the treadmill, "Lucas it's okay. I'm okay." She held out her arms, which were nearly completely healed.
    He turned to see her bright red face covered in sweat smiling at him. He sighed letting go of Ron and walking to Ari, ignoring everyone else in the room. He wrapped himself around her, "You're okay?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded overwhelmed by the sudden show of affection.
    Lydia smiled at her while poor Ron looked confusedly at the embrace.
    Lucas didn’t wait for her to speak to him or respond, he took her hand in his and walked her from the gym. She looked back at Lydia and shrugged, "The other cuts healed as much as the first one Lydia."
    Lydia laughed, "Thanks sweetie."
    Lucas dragged her through the house to the second floor where his bedroom was. He pulled her through the dark blue bedroom, which she had never seen before, into his bathroom. He sat her on his large marble counter top and knelt below. She felt awkward being around him alone.
    "I'm sorry Ari. I didn’t mean to act like that." He spoke softly from the large bathroom cabinet below where she sat.
    He pulled out a medical bag and stood up towering over her.
    He looked into her eyes, "I feel something I've never felt before, I feel protective of you. I can't seem to get a grip on myself where you're concerned."
    His green eyes sparkled as he took her small hand in his and began cleaning her cuts. He washed the blood off revealing nearly fully healed wounds. She watched him tenderly wiping each part of her arms and clearing away the blood
    The tension and heat in the room was overwhelming. Ari stammered, "Y-y-you're bathroom is really big and nice."
    He laughed, "I chose the room because of the huge shower. It's a two person shower."
    She blushed making him blush.
    His eyes grew wide realizing what he'd said, "Oh uhm I didn’t mean. Like I'm big so a two-person shower is awesome for me. Uhm by myself."
    She raised an eyebrow at him.
    He face palmed himself, "Oh my god, I mean. Uhm anyway."
    She laughed. New Ari wanted to toy with him and be sarcastic but Old Ari loved how awkward he was with her.
    She smiled softly, "Thanks for cleaning up the blood."
    He blushed and nodded. Ari slid off the counter pressing herself against him. New Ari panicked making Ari walk from the bathroom quickly. She didn’t look back.

Chapter Six- Port Mackenzie Part Deux
    "It's been three months Lydia, she's ready to snap. I honestly can't imagine being here with you guys for three months with no break. Everyone else leaves for a week or a day or a month but Ari has been here day in and day out for three months."
    "I know Aimee but we don’t know enough, Ron's been doing tests on her samples. Every time she sends someone back she gets the life they had left. It's like a bank account, they go back but they deposit the years they would have lived if she hadn’t sent them back. She's virtually stopped aging. He's testing her DNA to see if she's strong enough to join the Roses, we cant just put a regular human out there. She heals fast but we don’t know if her talents can send back any immortals or if she can do anything else that would help her defend herself."
    Ari sat on the stairs listening. She knew Lydia knew she was there but she didn’t care. She had started to sink into a depression. Lucas had been gone a lot since