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Thump thump… thump thump… thump thump.
My gaze drops back to Calla as the others join us around the couch. I shove the bags off the coffee table and pull it closer, perching on the edge as I take Calla’s hand in both of mine.
A muscle feathers along her jaw and her brows scrunch closer as her nostrils flare. She inhales sharply, and her newly silver eyes fly wide open.
11
Calla
My throat is on fire.
It’s a white-hot pain I’ve never felt before. My gums throb and my temples ache with an oncoming migraine; my body knows what it needs to douse the flames.
White noise fills my ears. Slowly—so fucking slowly—sounds start to trickle in. Too many beating hearts to count. Televisions in rooms nowhere near me. Unfamiliar voices. Bottles clinking together in the lobby bar.
Someone is sitting next to me. I open my mouth, at least I think I do, but fire licks up my throat, and I can’t speak.
“Calla.” Atlas’s voice is strong and clear, dissolving the fog trapping me in this dreadful in-between state. His knuckles brush along my cheek, and my eyes shoot open.
Too much comes into focus at once, and I squint at the overwhelming amount of light.
“Give it a minute.” Gabriel’s voice is smooth, calming. “Blink a bit and allow your eyes to adjust.” I follow his instruction and find that it helps.
“How do you feel?” Kade asks, standing next to Lex at the back of the couch.
I peer up at him and reach for my throat, wrapping my fingers around it as if I can squeeze the burning sensation out.
“That’s normal,” Lex says. “It will lessen once you feed, but it never fully goes away. You’ll learn to ignore it most of the time.”
Finally my gaze shifts to Atlas—my sire. He’s sitting at the end of the couch, watching me closely. “I…” My voice cracks, and I try to swallow. “I have to feed now?”
He nods, shifting closer. “You don’t need to be afraid.”
“I’m not,” I say automatically. It’s a fucking lie and a blatant one at that. I’m terrified.
You made this choice, I remind myself.You can handle this.
I start to get up, and the guys all move with me, staying close but giving me room to breathe.
When my eyes land on the pretty brunette sitting across the room, the throbbing in my gums becomes overwhelming. Pain radiates through my temples into the back of my head.
“She was drinking a strawberry daiquiri when we found her, so she might even taste a little fruity,” Kade says with a smirk.
I lick my lips, my heart pounding in my chest. “Who is she?” I ask without taking my eyes off her.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lex says mildly.
I walk toward her, the guys following a few strides behind me. The girl watches me approach, and where I expect to see fear in her eyes, I’m surprised when she smiles at me.
“She’s glamoured,” I say to no one in particular.
“Yes,” Gabriel answers. “It’s easier this way.”
The girl—who has to be close to me in age—stands when I get a few feet from her. She pulls her long, wavy hair over one shoulder and turns her head to the side, baring her neck to me.
My heart beats in my throat as I step in close enough to feel the heat radiating from her. Her pulse is steady, even. I wrap my hands around her shoulders, needing something to hold onto. My eyes land on her neck, to the vein protruding ever so slightly with each beat of her heart.
“Is someone going to tell me how to do this?” Desperation creeps into my tone as I grip the girl’s shoulders tighter.
