Seduced by Power by Alex Lux Page A

lay against his chest. "I'm so sorry, Rose, for what I did to you."
    I shifted, angry ribbons of agony tearing through my body, and faced him. "It wasn't you. And I'm the one who started this mess to begin with. I'm the one who owes you an apology."
    My breasts pressed against him, his large hands on my hips and back. I had enough pain already that my power didn't interfere with the unexpected—and totally inappropriate—pleasure I felt at the contact.
    Our kiss melted me, tongues dancing, bodies pressing closer together, my leg draped over his, wrapping around him. I lost myself in our touching and moved my arm to embrace him. "Ouch!"
    I couldn't stop from screaming out. My arm didn't want to move.
    Derek braced it and helped me sit up. "Let me help you get dressed and make a splint. Then we should find everyone else."
    My eyes wandered the room and landed on Blake, still unconscious against the wall. "Oh God, I forgot about Blake."
    Derek glanced over. "I'm not exactly Team Blake, but he tried to save your life, so I owe him one. I'll help him after we take care of you, okay?"
    I nodded, biting my lip to keep from screaming out again as he helped me to stand. Bankun had done a number on me, and there wasn't an inch on my body that didn't ache. So much of my skin had turned blue from bruises that I was starting to look like a Smurf.
    It took both of us a lot of sweat and tears to get my pants on and find a shirt of Derek's I could wear. We settled on a button up flannel that did nothing for my figure, but resulted in the least amount of cussing on my part. Once dressed, he dug through his closet and pulled out an arm sling.
    "Me and my brother did a lot of wrestling when we were young. These came in handy."
    He secured it around my neck and placed my arm in it. The support helped.
    A minute of rummaging through the bathroom drawers and he returned with a glass of water and two pills. "For the pain."
    While I welcomed anything that would help me control my powers, even I had limits.
    Derek bent down to the floor and rubbed his fingers against the carpet.
    I cocked my head. "What are you doing?"
    "The rose oil spilled. I don't know how you had this, but even a little could help." He held his finger to my mouth, and I sucked the oil off his finger, taking it deeper into my mouth than was absolutely necessary.
    The bulge in his pants told me I'd succeeded in distracting him.
    Without a full dose, the effects were subtle at best, but more immediate than ibuprofen. I hoped it would help me heal faster, otherwise, given the severity of my injuries, it would take months to recover.
    Looking at Blake, I knelt to rub a finger in the carpet as well.
    Derek helped me back up. "What are you doing?"
    Yeah, he so wasn't going to like my answer. His jealousy hadn't been lost on me, not that I blamed him. I gestured to Blake's prone figure. "He needs some, too. We're going to need him to defeat Mother."
    Derek's lips tightened into a line, and his face hardened, though not in the same way it had when Bankun had possessed him. "Do you have to be the one to give it to him?"
    "No. If you want to stick your finger in his mouth, you can do it."
    "I can do it," said a voice.
    We both turned to see Jasmine standing in the hall outside the room.
    I limped to her, using my one good arm to hug her. "Are you okay?"
    She nodded, her dark hair bobbing. "Yes. The Druids who guarded us for Bankun set us free. Everyone's meeting downstairs to figure out what to do. I told them I'd find you guys."
    Derek hugged Jasmine. "I'm glad you're okay. And we'd love your help. There's some rose oil on the floor. Can you give it to Blake?"
    We left her to tend to Blake while we joined the family in the living room. Derek had to help me navigate the stairs, as each step I took made my body shake.
    Lauren and David held hands and stood by the fireplace, whispering to each other. David had bruises on his face that I imagined came from Bankun. Poor Derek, having to