Affinity for Pain by RE Johnson

Author:RE Johnson [Johnson, R. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rachel Johnson
Published: 2022-07-12T07:00:00+00:00

There was movement next to her. Hope tried to ignore it and fall back asleep, but in moments her stomach decided she was awake and starving. When she cracked an eyelid against the harsh light of the mini-hospital, she saw Ciaran gripping the top of the bed and planting a foot at the bottom. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“You look ridiculous. Like a bear trying to ride a tricycle.” Hope smirked as he scowled at her.

“You little shit.” Ciaran furrowed his brow, but there was no mistaking the smile hidden underneath. “I need a bigger bed in here.”

He picked her up, completely giving up on trying to lie next to her and set her down on his lap. She sat side-saddle and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

“I’m really hungry.”

“Yeah, well, guess you’d better get cooking, eh?” Ciaran winked at her, and she punched him solidly in the arm. They both flinched.

“Jerk. Making the cripple stand and shit.”

“Oh, fine. Big baby.” Ciaran lifted her again and set her back on the bed with a plop. “We should remove your sutures first. Yeah?”

“Probably a good idea, I guess.” Hope stretched out on her side and lifted up the hospital johnny. The GSW didn’t look nearly as bad as she remembered. That serum was extraordinary. There was probably something demonic about it.

The skin around the wound was bruised, but the hole had sealed up already. It’d only been a few hours, and her flesh had knitted back together. Hope was powerful and advanced healing was a common demon trait, but this was extremely potent stuff. Whatever Gallo made was impressive, and it was no wonder he wanted to keep it a secret. People would kill for it.

Ciaran rolled over the metal tray which held all the necessary supplies. A spray stung for a moment before her skin numbed. Hope’s thigh was tingly and exposed, but Ciaran made quick work of cutting the sutures and using a small pair of tweezers to remove them. She couldn’t feel pain, but there was an echo of sensation, of something pulling in her skin. It felt gross.

The stitches slid out easily enough, but the tiny holes bled slightly, and she was glad for the numbing agent. It was almost like before, before Ciaran, when she couldn’t feel anything. He cleaned up the blood, and after a moment or two of pressure, they clotted. Ciaran swiped on more of Gallo’s bottled magick.

As it sunk in, Ciaran covered her wound with gauze. He taped down the edges, and then snapped off his gloves. Hope was a little sore, but all in all, she was millions of times better, and that brought her back to her stomach, which chose that particular moment to growl audibly.

“Do you have anything I can wear? I don’t think Dimitri would appreciate it if I ran around the kitchen naked.”

“I washed your leggings and sweater. They’re right there on the chair.” Ciaran moved the tray out of the way and stared at her. His eyes practically glowed, and Hope didn’t think he was focused on food.

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