Pulled by Danielle Bannister Read Free Book Online Page B

able to tune everything else out. It’s slow and steady. Closing my eyes I listen even harder. I swear I can hear the blood running through her veins; can actually detect the delicate sound of healing white blood cells as they flow toward her head, but only her head. Which means nothing is broken. It’s safe to move her.
     
    Slightly terrified by what her touch will do to me, I decide to try just a hand at first. With great care and trepidation, I gently stroke her face with the back of my hand, and in the second our skin touches, I am transformed.
     
    Suddenly nothing else in the world matters except her. She sends electric shock waves straight into my heart, making my skin feel like it’s on fire. But I don't pull away, because it's not a burn of pain; it’s a burn that is healing, magical. It's unlike anything I’ve ever felt before and I know instinctively that I’ll never encounter it with another living soul.
     
    Rolling her over onto her back, I gently cradle my arm under her neck, put my other under her legs and lift her up, amazed by how light she is. I pull her close into my chest, noticing how perfectly she fits there. Her body melts against mine and she sighs my name. I am completely overwhelmed that she has called out my name from some place deep within her unconsciousness.
     
    Inside Elizabeth's office, I become terribly frustrated that I’ll have to release her from my arms to rest her on the couch. Since I’m not sure what will happen to me once she’s out of my arms, I decide to put her down and step away as fast as possible. But, as I lower her down on to the couch, she snuggles up close to my neck; a small grin spreads across her beautiful lips. And right there, as her head rests against me, perfectly content, my heart nearly breaks. I have to let her go.
     
    Pulling her arms off of me, I settle her onto the couch and back away. As soon as I release her, my body starts shaking--pushing me back to her. I can feel Elizabeth's questioning eyes on me, so before I can make a further fool of myself, I run out the door and through the complex, stopping only once I get safely outside.
     
     
     
    Naya
     
    Light whispering wakes me from my stupor and I struggle to open my eyes. A persistent, dull throb runs along the left side of my face. Ow . The whispers stop. Apparently, I said that out loud. I open my eyes, but don’t recognize the room. I start to sit up.
     
    “ Easy, Naya, stay down; you'll make your ice pack fall off.”
     
    “ Ice pack?”
     
    “ You hit your head pretty hard.” Kari steps into view.
     
    Ignoring her, I push myself up a little further on the couch I’m sitting on. The pack falls onto my lap, causing my head to instantly pound even harder.
     
    “ Ow.” Okay, moving is bad. “What happened?”
     
    “ I think you fainted,” Kari says.
     
    “ I didn’t faint.” I say, shaking my head defiantly. I don't volunteer that it was just a childish panic attack. Pain throbs along my jaw line again. “Why does my face hurt?”
     
    “ You kinda hit it on a chair.” That would do it. Kari bites her lip, catching the gaze of someone else in the room. I turn my head to see who she was looking at: Professor Campbell. Right, this must be her office.
     
    Professor Campbell flies to my side, grabbing my hand. “The sound of it was just awful . It resonated all the way into my office.” She gives a quick glance to Kari. “The campus nurse is on her way here to check you over, to make sure you don’t have a concussion or internal bleeding or something worse.”
     
    Embarrassment floods into my cheeks. “I’m fine, really.”
     
    A phone rings and Professor Campbell races to her desk to answer it.
     
    “ How did I get in here?” I whisper to Kari. I didn’t remember walking here.
     
    She starts rubbing the back of her neck. “Um…you were carried.”
     
    “ Oh, how embarrassing,” I groan. “So you and Professor Campbell had to carry me in here? How