He kissed the side of her head. “I think I won.”
Gemma grinned against his neck. “That was a stupid game anyway.”
His deep laugh rumbled in his chest. She could’ve stayed like that forever.
The soft caress of fingertips tracing circles on her back roused Gemma from her sleep. She smiled and turned her head on her pillow so she could see Christian.
He was on his side, his pillow caught between his other arm and his head. His light brown hair was no messier than usual, but the golden hues in his hazel eyes were luminescent, full of such glee as they watched her wake. Giddy warmth built in her chest and cascaded down her limbs. Even first thing in the morning, he was so bloody handsome.
“That’s the best alarm I’ve ever had,” Gemma joked.
Christian grinned. “I tried to let you sleep as long as I could. Rami wants you to come in for a DNA test this morning.”
Gemma dropped her face into her pillow. Maybe if she suffocated, she wouldn’t need to face the fact that she wasn’t fully herself anymore.
The circles stopped, and the pillow was gently tugged out from under her head. She made a show of letting her head fall onto the mattress.
Christian chuckled. “Come on. It won’t be that bad.”
She groaned and didn’t move. The blankets whipped off her lower half, and she shrieked at the onslaught of cold air against her bare skin.
“Oh, that’s not fair,” Gemma said, sitting bolt upright.
Christian giggled and pinched her naked butt when she went to stand. Her reaction elicited a deep belly laugh from him before she pummeled him in the face with a pillow.
Like when she’d first arrived in Zion, Gemma had stood between panels of electroglass. But this time, a scientist evaluated her for any physical abnormalities associated with her purple blood and newfound “ability.” She hadn’t known whether or not to be pleased that the exam showed she was anatomically normal.
An hour later, however, the scientist presented the results from her blood draw and cheek swab—and nearly knocked Gemma’s legs out from under her.
“Your DNA is incorrectly coded,” the scientist, Doctor Manae, said.
“What does that mean?” Christian inquired.
The scientist brought up a blank screen on her large panel of electroglass. “DNA typically has four nucleotides.” She drew a rough sketch on her screen. “Gemma now has a fifth. Whatever she disturbed at that alien site has literally implanted itself into her DNA.”
Gemma gulped a shaky breath and pressed a trembling hand to her chest. The results were impossible; they defied science. She should be dead or deformed.What did I touch? Why is this happening?
Christian’s hand found her other, his face ashen.
“Is there any way to extract the extra nucleotide?” Rami asked, frowning.
Doctor Manae shook her head. “Not unless we want to kill Gemma in the process.”
Christian’s grip on her hand tightened.
Doctor Manae waved them over to a massive microscope and switched on the light. “This, however, is most concerning. We’ve already seen the color of her blood has changed. But if we look closer...” On the nearby wall, a new visualization was projected.
Mixed in with Gemma’s blood were purple cells that swam amongst all the red and white, like ashes in water. Whatever she’d bothered in that temple had clung to her like a parasite and was now thriving—perhaps even multiplying—off her literal lifeblood.
Gemma leaned into Christian as her legs weakened, and he wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling. The room blurred as tears filled her eyes.
“It’s not just the hue that has been altered,” Doctor Manae continued. “There are a significant number of these cells, and this is inone dropof Gemma’s blood. I fear to think how many circulate in total, and what would happen if they were to overtake her red and white cells.”
“So, what does this mean for Gemma?” Rami asked.
Doctor Manae shrugged. “I honestly can’t say. She could remain as she is, coexisting with this foreign occupant, or it could take over completely. We won’t know until more time passes.”
A quiet whimper sounded in Christian’s chest, loud enough that only Gemma would’ve heard. She bit down hard on her tongue, the sharp sting a deliberate distraction to keep tears from falling.
