Page 16 of Reverence

I was halfway through bringing a forkful of fluffy pancake to my lips when the loud click of the door caught my attention.

The door swung open and Ares strolled inside.

My body immediately went into flight mode.

“Sit. I won’t be long.”

He said, shutting the door behind him.

If he insisted, I wouldn’t deny him.

He walked towards his suitcase, and I quickly redirected my attention to the television, refusing to acknowledge his presence any more than necessary.

I ate in silence, the occasional clink of my cutlery against the plate doing little to soothe my already-frayed nerves. Thankfully, the programme playing on the television provided enough background noise to keep the silence from becoming unbearable.

Ares plugged his phone into the charging port before crouching beside his suitcase and rummaging through it.

Then my throat began to itch.

I swallowed.

Once.

Twice.

The sensation only worsened.

I frowned, lowering my fork as I brought a hand to my throat. A strange tingling had spread across my lips, followed by a tightening sensation that made swallowing suddenly feel like an impossible task.

I coughed.

Once.

Then again.

Harder.

My eyes widened as the familiar sensation settled over me.

No. No. No.

It couldn’t be.

I’d only experienced this once before, when I was a teenager but it never happened again.

Until now.

Anaphylaxis.

The realization struck me like a slug to the chest.

I began coughing uncontrollably, desperately trying to draw air into my lungs, but every breath became shallower than the last. My throat was closing.

My heart hammered violently against my ribcage.

“Rivera?”

Ares’ voice cut through the coughing and wheezing.