THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) by Alisha Basso Page B

bedroom door. Just that small amount was
enough to suck me into horrible darkness, yet my sweet Grace had been filled to
bursting.
    May
heaven help her .
    I rested
my head against the door, a cold sweat soaking my body. She was my world. My
heart. I had a soul, thanks to her.
    I can’t
help .
    Entering
that room, touching that blood could be all but fatal for me and anyone in my
path. I smashed my fist against the flimsy door, denting it, I growled.
    Silver
liquid dropped a pattern onto my shirt and I flinched, wiping my eyes, I braced
my head on the wall once more.
     
    FOURTEEN
     
     
    My body
was a mess. God, how could one woman spew up so much sludge? Cripes, poor
Jamie. She looked like she’d been dipped in chocolate. I hovered above them
all, a specter, having been ejected once my Madea mind was clear enough to
force me from the pain. They’d been working on me for hours. Filling me full of
blessed IV fluid and dodging the flying tar.
    I had
convulsed so much that the priest had entered the room and was running all over
it waving his crucifix and splashing everything with holy water.
    I was a
shadow, disconnected from the macabre scene below. They were all in a panic, I
was lucky as hell to have them.
    I watched
as Jamie wailed, her hand still gripped in mine. Gavyn rushed back and forth
changing IV bags as the old bags emptied. Then, at the point when it seemed
that everyone might just collapse, my poor body settled, no longer spewing that
viscous liquid and no longer jerking around as if possessed.
     I saw
Seth. He was pacing outside the door. I felt my heart swell. He was so
incredibly strong, and now I understood how horrible the demon blood was for
him. I’d been there to watch helplessly as he struggled with his own battle. His
heart had proven stronger than his animal desires and he had won, but he wasn’t
taking any more chances. As much as it clearly pissed him off, he had to stay
away.
    Lucian was
there, his face was a frightened mask of tears and worry. Whatever he had been
doing in the beginning of all of this had been dropped once word that I could
die had spread. Tobias, I knew, was in the cockpit, sitting in the small jump
seat near the pilots, and Ann was nowhere to be seen. I had to assume she was
back with her baby. God, what a disaster!
    Then there
was the woman, the demon, Helen. She was a problem and that was the truth. She
was still locked in the small lavatory. When I first left my body, all of my
memories had returned in a rush. It was all there, including the marathon
bouts of hard core sex I’d had with Lucifer . God help me, I still had
possession of my soul though, amazingly enough. But Helen. I remember now that
she was the receptionist in Hell and right now she was chanting in the
bathroom. Bad news! If that priest didn’t stop flinging water all over my
unconscious body real soon, his blessings were going to get a smack-down, and
Lu will have a perfect chance to come on up and join us.
    God, I was
pissed! Fucking conniving demon. Even in spirit form, I wanted to blush. Oh Lord,
the things we did. Oh, he has a lot to answer for!
    The bags
were all cleared away and my body had remained calm. The purge was over.
Everyone looked exhausted. I watched as Lucian lifted my sticky body and placed
me in the shower. Jamie had entered with me and removed my clothing. Lucian
helped her wash the sludge off my skin. It was a difficult endeavor. Thick bits
of sticky blood clung to the shower walls. I was still pale as paper but at
least I looked less blue.  
    “God,
Jamie, she looks dead,” I heard him say as he lifted my arm. It flopped limply.
    In my mind
I sighed. I had to go back to my body. It was unfair to continue to let them
think I was still in danger. I closed my eyes and slipped into my cooling skin.
     
    ***
     
    It felt
like only a moment had passed as I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar sight.
    “She’s
awake!”
      I
flinched .
    “Dang,
James,” I winced.
    Opening my
eyes