Chapter 307

Charles Hart’s hand clamped tight around the back of her neck, his fingertips pressing against her trembling skin. His burning heat seeped through, nearly melting away Stella Johnson’s last shred of rationality. The sharp tang of blood filled her mouth—whose, she couldn’t tell. She struggled against his suffocating kiss, pushing hard against his chest, only to feel the searing heat of his skin beneath the thin shirt and the violent rise and fall of ribs flaring with fever. “Charles Hart!” she finally broke free, gasping as she wiped at the blood on her lip, but he caught her wrist and pinned her to the wall in one swift move. His forehead dropped to hers, lashes damp with sweat. “Say you're leaving again. I dare you.” Her eyes locked on the red veins crawling through his, the blood not yet wiped clean between his fingers. She turned her head, avoiding his gaze, her voice cracking with emotion. “You’re coughing up blood… the toxin and suppressant together—they’re already destroying your