Rami laughed as he grabbed Gemma by the arms and flung her upside down over the scorching heat of a bright blue fire.
Gemma screamed, the dark brown strands of her hair catching on the flames. “No, please—I didn’t mean to!”
“Gemma!”
Fierce pain shot through her when Christian unknowingly touched the burn wound on her side, snapping her out of her nightmare. Gemma rolled over, almost smacking him in the face, and yelped as she grasped at the site of her injury.
“Blazes, Gemma,” Christian said. “Are you all right?”
“What does it look like?” she snapped before grimacing at the tone in her voice. “Sorry.”
He touched her arm, gently moving it away before sliding her shirt up her waist. “What is that?”
Gemma bristled. This conversation was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid. “It’s nothing.”
“I doubt that. Let me see.”
Gemma sighed, and Christian’s hand tightened ever so slightly as she peeled away the bandage she’d placed over the wound after her shower. Though her back was to him, the hiss that escaped between his teeth was all she needed to hear.
The burn site still looked horrendous.
Christian growled. “I’m going to kill her.”
Gemma spoke over her shoulder. “It really is nothing. Please don’t get yourself into trouble because of my mistake.”
“That isnotnothing.”
She reapplied the bandage, the sting a minor annoyance compared to the shock wave of pain that ripped through her as she flopped onto her back.
Christian was propped on an elbow, a vein popping out on his forehead. Even in the dim light, Gemma could see the fury in his eyes.
She touched his cheek. “I’ll be okay. I know how to tend to something like this.”
His nostrils flared, but then he closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from that.”
Gemma snorted. “You would’ve marched all the way down there to face off against three well-trained soldiers just to keep me from one little wound?” She forced a smile.
Little did he know there’d also been waterboarding involved. And nudity.
But those details she’d keep to herself.
“You underestimate my skills, Proctor.” His goofy grin appeared momentarily before falling into a frown. “Are you sure you’re all right? You’ve had nightmares before, but not like that.”
So, shehadmade noises in her sleep when they were housed in the dormitory. Gemma blushed. Blast, that was embarrassing. How many other people had heard?
“It’s nothing I want to talk about,” she replied, rolling over, swinging her legs off the bed, and sitting on the edge.
Returning to sleep was definitely not going to happen. Besides, her top stuck to her body. She needed to change—and shower.
The mattress shifted as Christian maneuvered closer to her. She almost flinched when he ran his hand down her back. The pain from the stun electrodes she could handle, but it took so much willpower not to push him away.
She wasn’t worthy of his gentle touch. It didn’t matter that he understood or that he would’ve done the same to avenge his own sister. Gemma had wounded him deeply, and she couldn’t forgive herself for it.
“Why are you still here?” She spoke in a quiet voice. “How can you not hate me right now?”
Christian draped her hair over her shoulder as he contemplated. His hand now behind her ear, he stroked her jaw with his thumb. “You’re too ingrained in my soul now to hate you, Gemma. Was I angry? Obviously. But not for a moment did I stop loving you.”
Gemma looked at him at last, twisting to face him more. His eyes were bright and honest, full of the vulnerability he’d displayed since the moment she’d met him.
