Page 49 of Ignited

But the space between her and the door looked like at least a mile.

Karisma put her feet on the floor and tried standing up, holding on to the edge of the mattress. The room started to tilt and whirl, and her knees buckled.

A voice came from the doorway. “Fuck on a stick. What are you doing up?”

Boomer’s arms came around her just as she was about to slide to the floor. “I’m fine,” she said.

“I’m not even going to dignify that ridiculousness with an answer. You’re going back to bed.”

“I have to pee. Really bad. And I’m not wearing any underwear, so this is going to get ugly fast.”

And humiliating. She was not peeing on the floor like a two-year old.

Boomer said, “Okay, I’ll take you.”

“Don’t even try to carry me like a little baby girl. I’ll rip your throat out.” She flicked her fingers, but there were no claws. Damn.

“Yeah, right. Scary,” Boomer said. But he left his arm around her waist, supporting her so she could walk. Sort of. She felt like a half-melted Gumby, rubbery legs seeming to bend in all directions except the right one.

He let her take her time, despite the danger of her peeing on the floor. Finally they arrived at the bathroom.

“You can leave now,” she told him.

“Uh huh.” He lifted the toilet cover and sat her down.

“I can’t pee with you standing over me. I’ll just have to sit here until my bladder bursts and I die.”

Boomer rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll wait outside.”

He walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. With a relieved sigh, Karisma let go and peed. It felt like a gallon. How long had she been unconscious? It seemed like days.

When it was over, she barely had the energy to use the toilet paper. Standing up seemed impossible. Maybe if she just waited a minute…

She was wakened from a half-doze by Boomer calling, “Do you need me to wipe your butt?”

She managed a snarl. “Fuck off.”

The snarl gave her enough energy to stand up, holding onto the vanity. It was only two steps to the door. She could do it.

She couldn’t. She was already starting to slither downward when Boomer opened the door. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her back into the bedroom like she weighed around two pounds.

Well. This being carried maybe wasn’t as bad as she thought. Boomer smelled amazing, and she could bite that place on his neck he liked so much.

“Quit that,” Boomer muttered. “You’re giving me a boner.”

“I like those.”

“You can barely stay awake.” Boomer deposited her on the bed, arranged her pillows, and tucked the covers around her. “You need to drink something,” he said, going over to a mini-fridge that had somehow manifested in a corner of the room since the last time she remembered being in here.

“I’ll just have to pee again.”

“That’s how it works, babe. Here.”

He handed her a bottle of cold water from the fridge. The minute the water touched the inside of her mouth, she realized how parched she was. She sucked down half of it before Boomer took it away. She growled.

“Now some of this.” It was a nasty protein shake, but she was so hungry she managed to get some of it down.

“Okay, good,” he said, after he put it away. “We can watch some more Malory’s Peak.” He climbed into bed next to her, and picked up the TV remote off the nightstand. “It’s the new season.”’