Passion Awakened Read Online Free PDF Page A

the upper arm of the
individual with an injection port readily accessible for biweekly or monthly
refills.” The image below the text resembled the very thing she’d seen in
Creed’s arm. Oh my God. Is that what…? No… Without conscious thought,
she shook her head in denial. She jerked her gaze from the display. “Are you
saying this is what was destroyed in your arm?”
    “Yes.”
    “You’re really…” She just couldn’t form the words. They felt
too ridiculous on her tongue.
    “From the twenty-seventh century.”
    “And this drug makes it where no one wants to…” Her palm
went to her mouth, covering her lips. When had she suddenly lost the ability to
finish her sentences?
    “Participate in sexual activity,” he said without a flinch,
as if he were talking about the desire to or not to consume steak.
    Wow. She’d been struck back to monosyllables. Her
head spun on the concept of what the future held. A world without intimacy.
    “Umm…” It seemed so rude, but it would kill her if she
didn’t ask. “So does this mean that you have never—”
    “No.” He reached out, grabbed the display from her hand, and
stowed it back inside his backpack. “I’ve never had sex if that’s what you were
about to ask.” His head swung back in her direction. “My job is to enforce the
law of the Federation, not break the code I’m sworn to uphold.”
    “Oh. I see.” God, it blew her mind that a whole society was
celibate. And that Creed Donovan, the tough alpha male who would easily be the
inspiration for one of her most erotic novel creations was a virgin. Her
nipples went rock hard. Damn. Why did she find that tidbit of
information one of the most provocative things she’d ever heard? Heat crept up
her throat and into her cheeks. She needed a distraction. Fast.
    “So there’s no kind of special equipment in that bag of
yours that would help you to repair your implant?” Shayla indicated the pack
beside him with a wave of her hand.
    “No. And even if I could, I’m out of reserves.” A guttural
sound emanated from the back of his throat. One that said he was one pissed-off
Double T, short for time traveler. Hey, why not? She’d already deemed
herself a nutcase for believing this. “A damn rookie mistake,” he went on to
say. “I’d been chasing Thomas for two weeks, and I’d finally zeroed in on him.
I knew I’d be heading back yesterday with the rebel in custody, so I didn’t
want to lose my lead by warping back for more Sustain supplies.” He shook his
head and mumbled another curse under his breath. “Not a smart move.”
    “You referred to the other man, Thomas, as a rebel. What
kind of rebel?”
    “A Sustain rebel. He and a woman we’d already retrieved by
the time I located Thomas here had removed their implants and fled. That type
of rebellion isn’t tolerated. It would set our civilization back more than a
century in progress, not to mention the damage that can be done by warping
through timelines unchecked.”
    “And your job is to ‘retrieve’ these rebels.”
    He nodded. “Yes. An enforcer.”
    Shayla slowly nodded. “I take it then that when Thomas did
this to you, the chosen site for the stabbing was no accident?”
    “He knew exactly what he was doing,” he nearly growled,
teeth bared. “He also took my timepiece. Wanted me trapped here, detoxing in
the twenty-first century so I can ‘appreciate’ what I’m forcing our people to
live without.” He pushed from the sofa cushions, marched over to the bar, and
with his back to her, spread his hands wide on the surface.
    “So the fever, dizziness, and when you passed out really
isn’t related to any kind of infection from the stabbing, is it?”
    “I’m in withdrawal.”
    Shayla’s gut tightened. “How bad is it going to get? I mean,
how long before help arrives?”
    “A week. Maybe two.”
    Her breath hitched. If he had already experienced withdrawal
symptoms… She didn’t own a medical degree, but that