“Fuck!” I roar so loud, the window in my bedroom cracks down the middle.
Gripping the edge of the mattress, I take a few deep breaths, remembering what Nariko felt like in my arms. The way her lips felt against mine. How I swallowed her breaths so her air was in my lungs. How her body fit perfectly in my grasp.
The more I think about her, the more my pain eases. I’m able to breathe better.
“Get your head out of your ass and get your girl, Oakley,” I mutter to myself. “And don’t let her see you like this. She’ll think you’re weak.”
I push myself up to stand, and my legs shake. My muscles, my fucking bones, they protest. My knees give out, and I catch myself on my nightstand.
“You can do this. You’re fine. You have to get to the shower.” My biceps quake from the strain, using the nightstand to help me get my bearings.
Again, my knees buckle. I fall onto the hardwood floor, and the unforgiving surface digs into my skin. Pathetically, I try to crawl to the bathroom. My sweaty palms stick to the floor, and I grit my teeth, pushing through the pain that is burning my shoulder blades.
Sweat collects on my forehead, dripping down my nose until it slips from the tip, creating a small puddle on the floor.
“Fuck,” I gasp, hanging my head in defeat. I need a break. A few seconds. That’s all.
I know I’m dying, but I never thought it would feel like this. My claws lengthen, digging into the hardwood floor. The bones in my fingers throb, and I hang my head, shouting as I drag them across the surface, leaving deep grooves that can’t be fixed.
My upper lip curls when I lift my hand to feel my fangs push from my gums. This time, the pain makes me collapse onto the floor. My teeth throb. They feel loose, like they are about to fall out.
“Why is this happening so fast?” I gasp, flipping to my back to gain some relief.
Dizziness swims in my head again, and I cover my ears when a loud, high-pitched ring happens again.
A knock on the front door travels to my bedroom. Three simple beats, but from here, the knock is like nails dragging against metal, reverberating in my head.
Snarling, I flip to my hands and knees, my brows raising in shock when blood pools around my nailbeds.
I drag myself to the wall, my knees scrubbing the hardwood. When I’m close enough, I slouch against it and exhale a long breath when the pain subsides.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I cover my ears when each pound rattles my skull. There’s no energy for me to shout at Nariko to come in. I know it’s her. Her scent can’t be mistaken. Even from here, the smell of flowers and rain has my mouth watering and my body buzzing for her blood.
It isn’t safe for her to be here. I don’t know what I’ll do. My vision hazes to red, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get them to shift back. I’m stuck in this form, dying of thirst, dying for my mate.
I whip my head to the left, peering outside my open bedroom as the front door handle twists, the metal grinding against metal. I grit my teeth, needing the grating sound to stop.
The hinges creak as the door swings open, and the floor groans when Nariko steps forward.
“Hello? Oklahoma? It’s Nariko. Westin said you were unwell, and I brought you something that always makes me feel better.”
I don’t have the energy to get up and greet her. Now that my mate is here and I can breathe her in, the agony that has infected me lessens enough for my lungs to fully expand.
“Oklahoma?” Her voice tilts with concern. “Are you here?” She takes a step, her shoe squeaking against the ground as she toes them off.
“Nariko,” I rasp, squeezing my eyes shut to get rid of the double vision.
“Where are you?” The small patter of her feet makes me smile. I love the sound of her in our house.
Ours.
Cause she’s home now.
“Here.” I lick my dry lips, barely keeping my head up. “I’m here.” It takes all the energy I have left to ball my fist; more blood pushes from my nailbeds, and my bones crack, threatening to break.
Swallowing, I bang on the wall three times. They aren’t very loud. I’m not sure if she will hear me. “I’m in here.” My throat becomes raw from the effort to speak.
