Chapter 66

The air between them was thick with an unnaturally sweet, stifling heat. Silas' kiss felt like a punishing claim, meant to conquer Bethany whole. Her mind told her that she should resist, but against the unfamiliar heat surging through her body, she felt helplessly weak. Bethany's heart sank as she whimpered. "That broth…" Silas felt the burning in his own body and realized the broth was indeed the problem. "You..." His voice came out hoarse as he stared at the woman on the mattress, her face flushed and eyes hazy. "You drank the broth Jane gave you, too?" Bethany gasped for air, her fingers fumbling with the strap that had slipped off her shoulder. Her eyes brimmed with moisture as she forced out, "I did!" Silas understood immediately. Only his father could have ordered Jane to do this. He propped himself up and shook his head, trying to clear his blurred vision and quiet the desire in his mind. But Bethany felt utterly miserable, as if her long-dormant body had been set a