Cabin Fever by Alisha Rai Read Free Book Online Page B

pissed when you did what you did, though I get that it was for my own good. But I knew from the start something was extraordinary about you, so I wasn’t completely blindsided. As I was lying here, my mind cleared and I was finally able to put all the pieces together.”
    Extraordinary? “I took your strength away. Do you get that?”
    “After you gave it to me, right?”
    Yeah, that was the only way she’d been able to weaken him without it hurting her. If she’d weakened or injured him on purpose, she would have been charged a greater price. Still, he shouldn’t know that. “I’ve hurt people before. Your first reaction was right. Keep that in mind before you start romanticizing me.”
    “You won’t hurt me.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “I trust you.”
    His words were so simple, they stunned her. “Why the hell would you go and do that?”
    His brow furrowed. “I don’t know. There’s this…connection between us. Don’t you feel it?”
    Yes. Hell, yes. “So you’re telling me on the basis of your…feelings…you’re going to decide I’m a trustworthy person. Despite the fact that I can do stuff that isn’t readily explainable. Is this how you do all your cop stuff?”
    He smiled. “You mean, am I a naïve fool? I don’t think so. But I’m willing to bet my life you couldn’t hurt a fly.”
    She froze. “Don’t.”
    “What?”
    “Don’t make that bet. You don’t know what I’ve done.”
    He studied her, and his voice gentled, as if he were talking to a spooked animal. “Okay. How’s this? I bet you couldn’t hurt me. You saved me. You’re a healer, aren’t you? What else can you do?”
    When she remained silent, he exhaled. “You don’t trust me. I’m really just interested. You know, I’m a Hispanic mutt. My dad was Puerto Rican. Mother is Columbian, Brazilian and Costa Rican. Our culture lives and breathes supernatural stuff. You don’t know how many stories I was told over the years about my grandmamma and my aunt. They were healers too.”
    A spike of interest rose. She’d never met anyone, outside of her own family, with legitimate powers. “Yeah?”
    “Yes. They worked as midwives. My cousin, she still lives in Puerto Rico, carries on their work. Though I don’t believe any of them are anywhere near as powerful as you are. They’ve certainly never saved anyone from a fatal injury.”
    The admiration in his gaze was so unexpected, she didn’t quite know what to say. Nobody had ever accepted her. In high school she’d been the freak, in college and after she’d kept her abilities tightly under wraps, and when she’d moved back…well, that had effectively turned the people who’d considered her a freak into people who used her to scare their kiddies into behaving.
    He must have mistaken her contemplation, for he lay back against the pillows and sighed. “Do it.”
    “What?”
    “Do it again. Whatever you did before. Make me weak.”
    “What?”
    “I want you to understand that I do not fear you or find you disgusting. I will never hurt you. I owe you everything, and I’m ready to swear on my father’s grave I won’t harm you. However, if you feel threatened or nervous around me—and don’t tell me you’re not wary of me—I give you full permission to make me weak again. Now or whenever.”
    She stared at him, stunned. The fact he was willing to voluntarily give up his strength, submit to her mercy, for no other reason than to make up for her hurt feelings and make her feel safe—her, a woman he barely knew—it was just unbelievable. She’d never heard of such a thing.
    She didn’t bother trying to see his aura. For the first time in her life, she wondered if she could trust someone from their words alone. “You mean that?”
    “I would have died without you.”
    All right, that solemn, devoted look was a bit too much for her. “You’re exaggerating. You weren’t really that bad off. If you were, I wouldn’t have been able to do a