The Nightmare (The Mist #2) - Regine Abel Page 0,36

and silenced the blossoming anger that threatened to rise to the surface at feeling so helpless.

“You must be feeling extremely awkward and weak right now,” Naima said in a soothing voice. “That’s perfectly normal. But it will only last a few minutes. Flex your arms and legs a few times to help get them going.”

An odd mix of anger and pleasure swept over me. I hated that she had to babysit me because of my current state, but I loved having her care for me. I began contracting my muscles again, but Naima frowned and shook her head.

“No, not like that. Hang on,” she said.

To my utter shock—and complete delight—Naima opened the double reinforced doors that kept me locked inside this space. There was no fear emanating from her as she approached me of her own free will. Even the tension in her eyes didn’t stem out of any worry I might do something to her, but out of concern for me. I loved that, and yet it stung. Did my weakness trigger this absence of fear or had she finally accepted that, as her Darkest Desire, I couldn’t harm her?

She sat next to me—although a little too far for my liking—in a position similar to mine.

“Lift your legs like this,” she said, lifting her knee to her chest before putting her foot back down, then repeating the same process with the other leg.

I tried to imitate her but felt myself on the verge of falling off the bed and onto my face. I immediately lowered my foot back down, gripping the cushion to keep from making a spectacle of myself. Naima’s hand flew to my shoulder to hold me back. It was as if lightning struck me where her hand made contact. An inferno burst to life in my groin and spread like wildfire throughout my body. A strangled moan rose in my throat.

Mistaking my moan of pleasure for one of pain, Naima jumped to her feet and came to crouch in front of me. Her beautiful hazel eyes filled with concern, and she cupped my face in her hands as she examined my features. Another moan escaped me, and my eyes all but rolled to the back of my head from the intense pleasure of her touch. How could such a pathetically weak vessel be so fucking responsive to the feel of my woman’s skin against mine?

My blood rushed to my groin while the fire in my nether region intensified, and a dull throbbing manifested itself.

“Zain! Zain! Stay with me! Focus on me!” Naima said forcefully, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

That fear, born out of concern for me, smelled delicious. I inhaled deeply, savoring her distressed energy. My ethereal self, which I had felt disconnected from upon waking, stirred to the front to feed on her emotions. They coursed through me, giving my foreign limbs the jolt of power they had needed. I opened my eyes, my gaze boring into hers, then I covered her hands with mine. I exhaled before taking in another deep breath to fill myself with her.

“Yes, Zain. That’s good, breathe in and out, and focus on me. You’re going to be fine,” Naima said encouragingly. “The dizzy spell will pass. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“It’s you, Naima, not my awakening,” I said in a rumbling voice that had goosebumps erupt all over my woman’s deliciously dark skin.

“What?” she asked, confused.

Letting go of her hand on my right cheek, I wrapped my palm around her neck and drew her face a hair’s breadth from mine.

“You’re the one making me dizzy, my love,” I said in a purring tone. “Your touch is like liquid ecstasy.”

Shock, disbelief, and outrage crossed her beautiful features in quick succession before she pulled away from my touch and straightened. Naima glared at me, looking like she was fighting the urge to slap me. I would have preferred for her to bite me or rake her nails all over me…

“You sick fuck!” she hissed. “You had me worried something had gone wrong with your birth, and you were busy playing mind games?!”

I smiled and tilted my head to the side. “I wasn’t playing any game, Naima. Your touch genuinely made my head spin. It set my entire body on fire. This vessel may be awkward and fragile compared to my ethereal form, but it fucking loves your touch.”

Naima gaped at me, speechless, while I held her gaze unwaveringly. I recognized the moment she realized I wasn’t lying. The