Absolute Zero (26 page)

He nipped at my bottom lip, and I let him in. Not just that warm tongue and his delicious scent, no, I let all of him settle deep in my pores. His hand cupped the nape of my neck and tilted my head as he went deeper.

I pushed up to the tips of my toes, needing to be closer to him. Squeezing him tight because I knew he could take it, I pulled myself flush to his strong body.
My Nate
. Now that everything was out in the open, I’d never felt more connected to him.

He slowed his kisses, then pulled away but stayed close enough that our noses touched. His thumb swirled against my cheek, leaving a wake of warmth tingling along my skin. “I’ll take care of you, Mandy. Always.”

A knock at the door broke our connection. Reluctantly, I stepped back and said, “Yeah.”

Tim strode into the room holding a bottle of peroxide and some silver utensils.

My heart rate spiked.

“Wow, did you just do that?” Tim stopped, looked at me and shivered.

“Sorry. Little nervous.” I cupped my face. It felt steaming hot, though. Probably from the kiss I’d just shared with Nate and the fact that he stood in the middle of his room staring at me with wide, dilated eyes.

Whew
.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just warm it up if it gets too cold.” Georgia came into the room behind Tim and turned on the heat.

Tim whirled around. “Wow. You two are crazy strong, aren’t you?” He looked at Nate. “You ready, doc?”

He nodded and guided me to the bed. I almost puked.

“We’ll start with the shoulders, then put you on your stomach for the calves, foot, and save the best one for last.” Nate winked. “As soon as they’re all out, turn on your healing and we’ll have some fun with these little buggers.”

“Fun?”

“Oh, yeah. We’ll get things together, and hopefully draw Andrey to us,” Tim said. “We’ve got some serious power around us, we should be able to take him, right?”

“Yeah,” Georgia said. “Jasmine, Martin, Tim, Nate, Me, and Mandy. We’ll kick his ass back to Russia.”

I laughed again. “Can we just get this over with?” I sat on the edge of the bed and sucked in a deep breath.

“Little cold here with the topical stuff,” Nate said as he sprayed the numbing solution.

Georgia knelt in front of me and grabbed my hand. Nate wasn’t versed enough in anesthesiology, so we’d opted for the topical and my astronomical pain tolerance.

I let out a good screech on that first cut, but by the time the toe came along, I was almost numb.

“Okay, I’ll just cut through your shorts to see this last one, okay?” Nate said.

“Just do it quick. I’m about ready to turn this place into an igloo.”

“Yikes,” Tim said. I couldn’t see him, but I heard the awe in his voice.

Whatever.

“Tim, turn around.”

“I’ll go get something to drink.” I heard him shuffle out of the room.

The fabric pulled away from my shorts, and a little draft tickled my flesh. The cold topical followed, then the dreaded pinch. I fisted the comforter I was laying on as I gritted through the lancing pain. A thin layer of frost glistened on my digits.

I wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Okay. Done. Do your thing,” Nate said.

I curled up in a ball and turned on the cold. Ice crackled, voices muffled, and I got lost in the deep freeze. I zeroed in on the six holes in my body. How dare Andrey and his team mark me that way. The thought of them seeing my body while I was unconscious made me madder than I already was.

More cold.

And Zach. His deception, then finding out it was to protect me, and that he still loved me. Did I still love him? Then Nate. His confident, tender nature appealed to me like nothing I’d ever experienced. He was a freak like me, too. No hiding. No worrying about his safety like I did with Zach. Zach was human and could be used against me, like he was now. Andrey grabbed him, knowing I’d come and save him or trade myself for him.

But Nate. He was so much older and more confident in who he was. Even though he wasn’t even human. Well, he was mostly human. But really, I wasn’t much different. Same with Georgia. Sure, we were conceived from my parents’ love, not a Petri dish of manipulated DNA, but still.

The holes burned, I flopped onto my back. God the ones in my calves hurt. I’d heard Nate say they were deepest. The butt, despite being so embarrassing, was the least painful. My back arched on its own will.

“No. It’s okay.” I heard Georgia say. “She’s fine.”

The bed jiggled.

My body calmed and sank into the soft mattress. Clumps of ice began to slide from my skin as I turned off the cold.

“She’s done.”

A wave of warmth washed over me. Like I eased into a soothing bath. I cracked my eyes open and saw Georgia’s big, blue eyes. Her pink skin told me she was warming me up.

“Thanks,” I whispered. My eyelids snapped shut again. My whole body felt tired. I just needed to sleep for a week.

“Okay, guys. Head out of here, and I’ll get her changed and cleaned up.”

I might have remembered a few tugs at my clothing before I fell beneath the veil of unconsciousness. Mostly I remembered warmth, but then, I let the darkness take me.

God, it had been a long day.

Chapter 34

A
bright light beaming through my closed eyelids yanked me from a deep, peaceful sleep. I cracked one of my lids open and saw a window. The shades were pulled back and bright sunlight poured through.

The problem with that was, I didn’t recognize the window. Or the blue curtains tied out of the way, letting the sun spill in. Nor did I recognize the pale-painted walls. But wait. The picture of a snow-capped mountain looked familiar. I’d seen that before.

Or was it a memory from when I lived in Colorado. I felt something draped over my side and cuddled next to me, hugging me close. Georgia must have slept with me last night.

But the hand that rested on the bed near my stomach didn’t have red fingernails. I turned my head slightly and saw Nate’s dark hair close. Felt his warm breath brush against my neck.

Oh God. What happened last night?

I froze, still as a statue. I was tucked close to him, both of us on top of the covers. It was then I realized my head rested on his bicep, not a pillow. His body formed against mine, as if we fit together like a puzzle piece.

Wow. I liked how that felt.

I drew in a deep breath, absorbing the feel of him behind me. Such strength radiated from his tight muscles, yet his hand lay so gently over my body. I slid my fingers between his, relishing the smooth skin. I pulled it close and rested my cheek on the back of his hand. These fingers had performed surgery on me. After he’d read a book no less.

I felt so safe in Nate’s arms. He knew everything about me, and I knew everything about him. Both products of The Center and their sick, demented antics, and then brought together for some crazy reason.

Together
.

“Are you feeling okay?” Nate whispered.

I turned slightly again and saw his bright eyes. “Hi.”

“I hope this is okay. I didn’t want to be far from you while you slept.” He hugged me close.

“You’re sweet.”

“I had Tim scan you again, you’re clean from the tracers.”

I rested my head back down and looked out the window. I hugged his arm close to me and nestled back against him more. “Good. Thanks.” I slid into darkness again, savoring the feel of Nate’s heart beating a steady rhythm against my back.

“Do you need anything?”

“Just you. God this feels good.”

“Sure does.” He kissed my hair. “You slept a long time.”

“I did?”

“It’s nearly two in the afternoon on Saturday.”

“Was tired.”

“I watched you heal. That was amazing. And you can do that for others?”

I nodded into his arm, still not opening my eyes. “Where’s Blaze?”

“Your apartment. Tim’s with her. She’s looking through the damage. Martin’s there as well, he’s handy with the repair thing. He’ll clean it up good, for you.”

“Probably won’t be getting the deposit back, huh?”

The bed jiggled as he laughed.

“I should call Scott.”

“Georgia did. She told them to stay put and that you’ll call when you’re awake.”

“Is Zach safe?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry. I—”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. Andrey knows he’s important to you. Zach is a target until we can eliminate Andrey and whatever organization he’s working for.”

“You protected Zach. Why?”

“Because of you. It was the right thing to do. I don’t want you to have guilt over Zach’s death or injury.”

The thought of Zach dying because of me, or the people after me, made my stomach churn. The thought of Nate being so selfless to think of my ex-boyfriend and save him made me respect him even more. Nate was too good to be true.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. Just rest.”

“Sounds fantastic, but we should probably figure out what we’ll do with Andrey.”

“And with you.”

I looked over my shoulder. “Me?”

“You and Georgia. We should probably kill you guys off, don’t you think?” He nodded into the pillow, eyes fixed on mine.

“I don’t understand.”

“We could leave Scott alive, might be more believable if—”

I turned more to face him. “What are you talking about?”

“You know, die like Martin, Tim, and I did. Make The Center and this other entity think you’re dead. Oh. I couldn’t find anything on Andrey yet, but I’ve only looked for a while. I may want to sit with this Jess you guys mentioned.”

My brain whirled. “Okay. Yeah. Maybe I do need to rest a little longer.” I nestled my back against him and closed my eyes again. Killing me and Georgia off? I wasn’t sure I could do that. What about Scott and Jasmine?

“Georgia told me about Zach and why he broke up with you.”

My heart fluttered which sent my eyes open again. “She did?”

“Yes. I wasn’t sure if—” He brushed the back of his hand down the side of my face. “Well, if you—that’s why I wasn’t sure if I should lay with you. If you wanted to be with him again…I would understand if—”

“Remember our first time in this room?”

“Yeah.”

“I asked you if you were worried about my being on the rebound?”

He nodded.

“I might have been. And, to be honest with you, Nate, back at Jasmine’s place, Zach kissed me. Told me he loved me and wanted me back.”

The corners of Nate’s mouth curved downward.

I turned onto my back for a better view of him. “But I choose you, Nate.”

He looked at me with his flickering eyes. “I chose you the first day I saw you at that party. Remember when we bumped into each other?”

I nodded. “Why’d you choose me?”

“You’re beautiful. Funny. And when I talked to you, I felt normal. Relaxed. No pressure to breathe.” He smiled. “And then when you handled those guys the way you did, I was intrigued.”

I cupped the side of his face.

“At your smoothie shop that first time, before you shoved me in the supply cabinet, you were so radiant. Confident.”

“Wow. Didn’t feel like it.”

“I saw it. Even if you didn’t.”

“You’re so different. You know that? I mean, asking if I was single before kissing me. Then asking to kiss me.”

“May I now?”

I nodded and turned to face him completely. He formed his mouth over mine, and he cradled my cheek in his hand. Heat streaked up my neck, as I traced my fingers along his arm and snuck them up the T-shirt sleeve.

His warm tongue parted my lips, sending a thrill straight to my stomach. Somehow he seemed more familiar to me since I’d learned the truth. Like we were bonded on a deeper level. I pressed closer to him, deepening my kiss so I could sample more of that addicting scent I’d come to crave.

I scooted my hand down his side and beneath the back of his shirt. His soft, smooth skin made my fingers tingle. Not one single hair on his back. It felt like porcelain. I learned his topography as my fingers memorized each and every curve.

His ab muscles flexed beneath my touch. As I reached for his pecs, he pulled away, breaking our connection.

“Did I do something wrong?” I said, with a ragged breath.

“No.” He caressed the side of my face. “Everything’s fine.”

“Did I find another ticklish spot?” A smile tugged at my lips as I drew him closer.

He came at me for a scorching kiss. Nibbles along my jaw and neck had my skin puckering with goose bumps.

I pushed the bottom of his shirt up, needing to feel him closer. I scooted my hand up further and just past the curve of his pecs my fingers landed on some ridges.

A patch of rough skin amongst all the smooth flesh? That didn’t make sense.

Nate flinched again.

Maybe he didn’t want to be close?

“I’m sorry. You just feel so good to me,” I said.

“It’s okay, Mandy.” He rested his palm on my chest, caressing my neck with his fingertips.

God I loved that feeling. It sure fanned my flaming body. His pupils expanded over his chocolate irises until they were almost black. His nostrils flared as he licked his bottom lip.

I curled my arms around him and pushed his shirt up. He propped himself up with one hand, and with the other, he reached back and slid his shirt over his head, but he stopped, gathering the material to his chest.

“Mandy,” he said with a ragged breath. “I have—um—they—”

“What?” I whispered.

“I just don’t want you to be surprised.” He pulled his shirt all the way off.

Five thick black lines lay above his left pectoral muscle. They started just below his clavicle and ended above his nipple. They curved around the side of his pecs and all the way to the center of his chest. Thick, like a bar code found on the back of something scanned at the grocery store. The skin was raised, like it’d scarred over.

He covered it with his hand and propped himself beside me on his elbow.

“What’d they do to you?” I moved his hand away.

The tips of my fingers grazed the raised marks. Goosebumps claimed his flesh, like I was accidentally cooling the room, but I knew I wasn’t. For once, I felt in total control of my powers.