Claiming Emerald by Kat Barrett Read Free Book Online Page B

tired anyway. I need to sleep.”
    Russell reached out, gently caressing her cheek. It made her skin tingle, but didn’t add to the mild pain she was already feeling. “You look better. You skin is no longer completely black with burns. Your face still looks raw though. How much does it hurt?”
    “A little. It’s not intolerable and my body will continue to heal even if I don’t take in more blood.”
    “You should probably see if you can get your clothing off. Hopefully it’s not still melted into your skin.”
    She hadn’t felt as if the clothing was sticking to her body. Em stood back up and removed her coat. It was destroyed, the fabric melted right through in spots. It smelled badly of burning flesh. “Do I stink?”
    “It’s not as bad as it was.”
    She took off her sweater. The beautiful purple wool was distorted and crumbled as she removed it. “I really liked that sweater.”
    “I know you did.” Russell picked at a few pieces that were still attached to her body. They came away with a grimace of pain. “Sorry. I didn’t want them to end up permanently in your skin.”
    “I think my body would have rejected them as I finished healing. It has been pushing the fabric out that was burned into flesh.”
    He nodded, sighing as he stared at her. Em looked downward as she unzipped her jeans. The skin of her stomach and her arms looked withered and far puffier than it felt. It was still zigzagged with marks of darkened flesh that had a brownish scabby look to it. The rest of her body was a brilliant shade of badly sunburned red. “Thank you, Russell.”
    “For what?”
    She smiled. “For saving my life. I would have died if you hadn’t gotten me out.”
    “No. You would have woken up when the sun went down and come home. It might not have been a pleasant journey, but you would have made it.”
    “No, I wouldn’t have. I could feel the sun as it rose higher into the sky. The quilt helped, but it wasn’t enough to protect me. When the sun got to its highest point, it would have fried me completely. We have to be enclosed in something that is able to thoroughly block the sun. If it were just a matter of dressing in black or dark fabrics, there would be vampires running around in the daytime. It would be a simple matter of donning a dark cape and a face shield. I would have died.”
    Russell nodded. “I was trying to be ignorant. I know you would have died. Even the houses outside are not sealed tight enough for you to be in them during the day. If you are down here, you have layers of solid concrete to protect you.”
    Em tugged off her jeans, but the action was hurting her hands. She winced and Russell dropped to his knees, taking her pants the rest of the way off. “So what did you say about leaving me to breed?”

Chapter 6
     
    Russell waited as she lay down on the bed and then crawled in beside her. He stayed a slight distance from her body, but Em was cold and didn’t really want him to. “Can you move over?”
    “I don’t want to hurt you.”
    “I don’t think that you will unless you hit me. My skin is sore but not like you would think. Then please answer my question.”
    Russell got up and grabbed the heavy quilt. He lay down beside her again, moving over cautiously and judging her reaction as he slid into her side. Em tugged the quilt over both of them. “You’re cold?”
    “Yes. Oddly enough, I am. It’s probably just my body reacting to the remaining burns. I will be fine once I get some sleep.”
    “Okay. I didn’t know that you heard my comment about breeding. I wasn’t planning on staying away for long. I just want my race to continue. It is possible for a human woman to give birth to a half-breed shifter, but it is harder for a shifter woman to have a child with a human. I don’t want my bloodlines to die out. I was once a very powerful man and a sought-after mate. My body is strong and so are my genes. Are you angry?”
    “Of course not. I would love to have a child,