different place. For a few minutes, I focus on pushing them away. No more is said between Alek and Finn, and I hear the door slam. I lie with my cheek against the rough carpet for a few minutes longer until Alek approaches.
He looks down. "Can you get up?"
"You could be a gentleman and help me up, since you seem so bloody keen on being my knight in shining armour."
He squats down. "Remember what happened when I touched you last night?"
I struggle to sit. "When you kissed me, you mean?"
Alek closes his eyes. I’m too tired and sick for this bullshit. I roll onto my side and push myself onto my hands and knees, head down, trying not to vomit.
"See what he does to you?"
"It’s not him, it’s the after-effects of the accident."
Alek sits on the floor next to me. Something in his face reflects pain, morphing from the anger I just saw directed at Finn. "No, it isn’t, Rose. He wants your life. Every time you get close to him, you die a little."
"No. That’s crazy."
"If he had any guts, he’d just do it. He's supposed to be fixing his mistake. I don't know what his game is, and I don't believe a word he says."
I push myself into a sitting position, tears annoyingly on their way. "Fixing his mistake?"
“He’s the one who fucked up and let you live. He’s here to send you to the Void, technically killing you. He's getting rid of the abomination he created."
"Huh, nice...There's me , thinking you liked me."
Alek gives a half-smile. "We're both mistakes, although some of us don't see things that way."
I swallow. "How ... how could he...kill me if I'm not alive? Can't I take his energy?"
"How did you feel when he touched you? The same as when we touch?" he asks. "Did he feel cold?"
"Yeah."
Alek rubs his face. "He's not human either, Rose. His energy is very different. He’s powerful. "
“ Then if he wants to kill me, he'd have done it by now."
"I'm not sure ; maybe he's using his extra time to kill a few more people at the hospital. Easy targets."
"Is that what Reapers do? Like the Grim Reaper? He seems like such a nice guy."
Alek snorts. "They help people cross over when they die. They choose where to send the souls. So, it's likely he's the one killing people, isn’t it?"
"And you? A Reaper did this to you , too?"
"You look ill, Rose ; we should talk about this later," he says evasively.
I curl up and rest my head on my knees. "Why couldn't I get out of the house? Did you do something?"
"No, what happened?"
"That's why Finn came; I was stuck, like there was a barrier at the door or something."
Alek rubs his eyes and the genuine confusion in his face suggests he wasn’t the one trapping me in the house. Lizzie?
"Why didn’t you call me instead of Finn?" he asks
"Because I'm a bit scared of you, Alek," I admit in a small voice.
Alek shuffles forward. "Don't be, please. Last night, I gave you my energy to replace the energy the ghost in the street took from you. I took energy from Clarissa, sent her to the Void, and gave it to you. If I hadn't, you'd have gone."
"Gone where?"
He shakes his head and breathes deeply, wincing slightly.
"But you gave too much? Is that why you look ill?" I ask.
Alek holds a hand up then squeezes his fingers, as if trying to stop himself touching me. "I never give. Ever. But I had to help you."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the first person like me I've met for many years."
Alek touches my face and I jerk at the heat of his touch, his electricity trickling from his fingers across my skin. He awakens every nerve ending in my body, overwhelming me. Embarrassingly, a small gasp escapes my lips and his eyes zone in on my mouth.
"Since last night…I want to touch you again. When I first saw you , I was aware of the strength of the energy inside you and knew exactly how taking that could make me feel." I shrink away from him and wrap my arms around myself. "No, I don't want to take. I want to share and feel again what I felt last night. I don’t care how I was
He looks down. "Can you get up?"
"You could be a gentleman and help me up, since you seem so bloody keen on being my knight in shining armour."
He squats down. "Remember what happened when I touched you last night?"
I struggle to sit. "When you kissed me, you mean?"
Alek closes his eyes. I’m too tired and sick for this bullshit. I roll onto my side and push myself onto my hands and knees, head down, trying not to vomit.
"See what he does to you?"
"It’s not him, it’s the after-effects of the accident."
Alek sits on the floor next to me. Something in his face reflects pain, morphing from the anger I just saw directed at Finn. "No, it isn’t, Rose. He wants your life. Every time you get close to him, you die a little."
"No. That’s crazy."
"If he had any guts, he’d just do it. He's supposed to be fixing his mistake. I don't know what his game is, and I don't believe a word he says."
I push myself into a sitting position, tears annoyingly on their way. "Fixing his mistake?"
“He’s the one who fucked up and let you live. He’s here to send you to the Void, technically killing you. He's getting rid of the abomination he created."
"Huh, nice...There's me , thinking you liked me."
Alek gives a half-smile. "We're both mistakes, although some of us don't see things that way."
I swallow. "How ... how could he...kill me if I'm not alive? Can't I take his energy?"
"How did you feel when he touched you? The same as when we touch?" he asks. "Did he feel cold?"
"Yeah."
Alek rubs his face. "He's not human either, Rose. His energy is very different. He’s powerful. "
“ Then if he wants to kill me, he'd have done it by now."
"I'm not sure ; maybe he's using his extra time to kill a few more people at the hospital. Easy targets."
"Is that what Reapers do? Like the Grim Reaper? He seems like such a nice guy."
Alek snorts. "They help people cross over when they die. They choose where to send the souls. So, it's likely he's the one killing people, isn’t it?"
"And you? A Reaper did this to you , too?"
"You look ill, Rose ; we should talk about this later," he says evasively.
I curl up and rest my head on my knees. "Why couldn't I get out of the house? Did you do something?"
"No, what happened?"
"That's why Finn came; I was stuck, like there was a barrier at the door or something."
Alek rubs his eyes and the genuine confusion in his face suggests he wasn’t the one trapping me in the house. Lizzie?
"Why didn’t you call me instead of Finn?" he asks
"Because I'm a bit scared of you, Alek," I admit in a small voice.
Alek shuffles forward. "Don't be, please. Last night, I gave you my energy to replace the energy the ghost in the street took from you. I took energy from Clarissa, sent her to the Void, and gave it to you. If I hadn't, you'd have gone."
"Gone where?"
He shakes his head and breathes deeply, wincing slightly.
"But you gave too much? Is that why you look ill?" I ask.
Alek holds a hand up then squeezes his fingers, as if trying to stop himself touching me. "I never give. Ever. But I had to help you."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the first person like me I've met for many years."
Alek touches my face and I jerk at the heat of his touch, his electricity trickling from his fingers across my skin. He awakens every nerve ending in my body, overwhelming me. Embarrassingly, a small gasp escapes my lips and his eyes zone in on my mouth.
"Since last night…I want to touch you again. When I first saw you , I was aware of the strength of the energy inside you and knew exactly how taking that could make me feel." I shrink away from him and wrap my arms around myself. "No, I don't want to take. I want to share and feel again what I felt last night. I don’t care how I was
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