Sin of Fury by Avery Duncan Page A

convulsing. And still, he was
asleep. She hoped so, at least. She stared around the room, at the
door in the corner. Going to it cautiously for reasons she didn’t
know, Jamie pulled open the door.
    A grin lit her face as she looked at
the bathroom. Towels were stacked in the corner, a large bowl
placed near the sink. Jamie peered into the bowl, a smile lighting
her face once again. Flower petals. Dumping the petals into the
sink, she turned the water on hot, grabbing a towel. She had never
taken care of someone like this. Her mother had always been there
for her, and had relied on no one through her hardships. The only
person she had taken care of was herself. Chris had never needed
her help, except when he was drunk. Her fear of him had held her
back from tending to him.
    The water was hot in the bowl, a towel
draped over her arm. She walked into the room, setting the
half-filled bowl on the bed carefully. Feeling her heart stop in
her chest at how close they were now, she slowly pulled back the
blanket back from his shoulders, letting it rest on his hips. While
she had been in the bathroom, he had stretched out, now laying on
his chest.
    Tenderness overcame her.
Long lashes swept over his proud cheek bones. His chest was huge,
like a barrel. Streaks of dirt and blood covered him. She started
there, softly swiping the damp cloth over his chest. She had no
clue what she was doing, why she was doing it, or if she
even should be
doing it, but something about him, so relaxed in his sleep, called
to her.
    His face was much more clear to her.
In the room, the shadows had acted as a mask for him. The contours
of his face had been mysterious, angry...terrifying. She shivered,
remembering the horror that had overcome her when she had seen the
mess of his chest and back.
    She stared at the water droplets,
following their path down his chest and to his defined abs. She
swallowed, feeling a sort of heat settle in her stomach. Her hand
felt like it was burning, an ache settling in the lower part of her
stomach.
    Jamie was just letting out a
shuddering breath, feeling ashamed at the need rising within her,
when something covered her hand. Jamie froze. Large, dark, thick,
the man’s hand was covering hers. Her heart stopped in her
chest.
    Her eyes snapped up to his, the
arousal quickly replaced by fear.
    Darkly blazing eyes burned into
hers.
    Awake.
    And furious.

Chapter 6
     
    At first, Talon had no clue what was
happening to him. Warmth, for the first time in what seemed like
forever, was settling upon him with a tight embrace. Soft, delicate
strokes, damp with warm water, slid across his skin with a
gentleness that shocked him.
    He lay there, silently. Talon held in
the shivers that ran through him, staring up at the intently
working woman through narrowed eyes. Soft light surrounded him, and
something covered his hips and legs. The scrape of the material was
a surprise to him, the unaccustomed warmth spreading through him as
she continued her gentle stroking.
    Talon almost shoved her away, almost
took her hand off. The slow rage boiling in his chest was subdued,
though, as he saw her eyes fill with an unfamiliar emotion. They
looked wet, as if she were about to cry. She stared at his chest
and wounds as if his pain were hers. Talon’s hands constricted
subtly at the foreign emotion. Her eyes followed the trail of the
droplets absently, her free hand moving to his leg.
    The gentle pressure of her fingers as
she stroked his thigh in a comforting motion almost undid him.
Feeling his chest pound, he reached up and snagged her hand. Anger,
as sharp as ever, coursed through him. Her soft gasp did nothing
but make his eyes narrow.
    “ I’m sorry,” she stammered,
attempting to pull her hand away. For some reason he didn’t
understand, he tightened his grip around her hand. The fear in her
eyes calmed him, but only minimally. Talon held her eyes, dull
shock dawning on him.
    She was by no means beautiful, he
thought with disgust. Her