And even if?—
No.
I crank the water hotter, letting it burn the thought away.
It was just a bite. Just teeth. No claim. No bond. Nothing that matters.
She’s fine.
I just need to stay the hell away from her until whatever I think I saw fades completely.
That’s it.
Problem solved.
So why the hell does it still feel wrong?
BETA BAIT
Beta Bait:Don’t forget to review your experience withTidalDominance!
FIFTEEN
LANI
By mid-afternoon,I know I’m not fine.
It starts with chills that won’t leave, even wrapped in a hoodie with the kettle boiling for the third time. My skin feels wrong – too tight, too sensitive – like every nerve is turned up just a fraction too high.
I tell myself it’s exhaustion. Adrenaline crash. Too much sun, too little sleep. Or maybe I caught a cold from being out in the rain last night. Not that you cancatcha cold frombeingcold, but you know, I feel like crap.
Normal things.
Still, I can’t get warm.
I curl up on the sofa with a blanket and my phone, but the screen makes my head throb. My stomach rolls unpleasantly, nausea blooming and receding in slow waves.
Annoyed, I push myself up for water.
The house smells strange.
Not bad. Just…loud? Sharp. Like the air itself is crowding me.
The glass slips in my hand as dizziness hits. I catch myself on the counter, heart racing, pulse fluttering under my skin like something trapped.
Okay.
Not fine.
My fingers drift to my neck without thinking.
The skin there is hot. Aching. The awareness has spread – not just pain, but insistence. Like my body keeps circling back to that one point, waiting for something to finish what was started.
That thought makes my stomach drop.
I shouldn’t feel like this.
I never feel like this.