Soul Protector by Amanda Leigh Cowley Read Free Book Online Page B

with a damp flannel which he placed on
my forehead. The coolness felt good against my hot skin, and I
tried to convey my thanks just by looking at him.
    He started to strip off my
clothes and if I hadn’t felt like death, I would have been
mortified. First, he slipped off my cardi. Then he unbuttoned my
jeans, and tugged them down. This was hard enough for me to do on a
good day, but he had to contend with my damp skin as well. After
some pulling, they gradually came over my thighs and he whipped
them off and discarded them on the floor. I felt the cool air hit
my skin, and it felt good.
    I was aware of him removing my
socks, before starting to peel my top up, over my head and off my
arms. Later on, I would feel relieved he’d had the decency to leave
my underwear on.
    He began tenderly patting the
cool flannel on the hot skin of my body, trying to bring my
temperature down. My hair was getting soaked with sweat and
sticking to my face. If I’d had the energy, I would have hacked the
lot off right there and then.
    The next thing I was vaguely
aware of was him pushing something fizzy onto my tongue with his
thumb. It was a foul-tasting tablet.
    “That’s it, Gracie, just drink
some water, nice and easy,” he said, holding the back of my head
up, and easing the glass onto my lips. He was speaking to me as if
I was a child and I tried to co-operate as best I could, putting my
total trust in him to see me through this.
    As the minutes ticked by, I
felt my body growing weaker. It was like someone was zapping all my
energy and there was barely enough left to breathe. I was
frightened to fall asleep in case I didn’t wake up, but my eyelids
were growing so heavy, I couldn’t force them to stay open any
longer.
    “It’s okay, just let yourself
relax.” Dan’s reassuring voice was the last thing I heard before
passing out.
     
    When I woke, it was pitch black
outside. My head was still pounding and my mouth was so dry, I
couldn’t swallow properly. I put out my hand to reach for my glass
and jumped when it came into contact with Dan, who was lying beside
me, fully clothed.
    I felt instantly relieved,
knowing he was there watching over me still.
    “Hey, hey, how are you
feeling?” he asked.
    “I’ve been better,” I
croaked.
    “Let me help.” He got my glass
for me and held it up against my lips.
    I swallowed the water too fast,
and nearly choked on it. Dan quickly sat me up, and held me as I
coughed.
    He smoothed my matted hair back
out of my face, and tucked it behind my ears. A sign that I wasn’t
feeling myself, I didn’t even flinch. He helped me lay back down,
and started patting my skin with a damp flannel again.
    “You might not feel it, but you
are improving,” he said.
    I wasn’t celebrating just yet.
But I did feel grateful he was with me. When he’d finished cooling
me down, he lay next to me again and held my hand, rubbing the skin
with his thumb. It was soothing and I felt my anxiety begin to
fade.
    “You’re going to be okay,
Gracie,” he whispered. I locked eyes with him and managed a weak
smile in return. I would have loved to chat with him and get to
know him better, but right then smiling was the best I could
manage. The irony wasn’t lost on me that such a good-looking guy
happened to be in my bedroom, on my bed no less, but the only thing
I wanted to do was sleep.
    Dan sat up with me all night.
Every time I opened my eyes, he was there, reassuring me, giving me
water, or more medication. Gradually, I started to feel better, and
the last time I closed my eyes, I fell into a deep, satisfying
sleep.
     
     
    ~~~
     
     

CHAPTER 6
    .
    Feeling Lost
    .
    The next time I woke, it was
daylight and I was pleased my headache had reduced to a dull throb,
and I wasn’t drenched in sweat anymore. I looked over to the spot
where Dan had been laying and saw it was empty. I imagined he must
be in the living room or pottering about in the kitchen. I sat up
and strained to listen, but all I heard was