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ChapterFive
Donna
Icould hear the distant call of seagulls, and I caught the scent of the salty sea air. For the first time since I’d lost everything, I was filled with a sense of calm. The voice that had plagued me for months was no longer there, and my head didn’t feel like it was about to explode. The last thing I remembered was trying to scale the nearby cliffs, strong hands gripping me, and then I was flying. Antoine’s scent had enveloped me. I couldn’t remember anything after that. The sound of someone moving close by me drew my attention, and I opened my eyes.
“Donna?” came a whispered voice from beside me.
It took me a while to work out who it was. “What happened to me, Jeanie?”
I struggled to sit up. She helped me and puffed up the pillows behind my head. There were tears in her eyes and then she put her arms around my neck and sobbed. Her emotions concerned me. I held her close and was almost tempted to cry myself. When she pulled away from me, she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
“We thought we’d lost you, love. Antoine was so distressed.”
Did he really think that much about me after such a short time? I was sceptical about insta-love because that only happened in fluffy romance stories, right? But even as I thought it, my stomach flipped at seeing him again. I coughed, my throat a little raw as if I’d been shouting.
“Here.” Jeanie handed me a glass of water. “Drink this.”
I drained the glass, the cool liquid soothing my throat a little.
“Thanks.” I handed it back to her. “What’s happening to me?”
“I’ll get Antoine. He’ll want to know you’re awake.” She kissed the top of my head and padded out of the room.
I was just sitting up a little straighter in bed when there was a soft knock at the door. “Come in.”
Antoine popped his head around the corner. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful smile curving his lips. The next was how his brow was furrowed, purple smudges beneath his eyes. Had I caused this concern? He walked over to me, all male swagger and so sexy that my hormones were doing somersaults.
“Hey. You don’t know how relieved I am to see you awake. Can I sit down?”
“Hmm, yeah, sure.” I cleared my throat and grimaced; it still felt a little scratchy.
“Would you like some more water?” He looked at the jug on the bedside table, which I hadn’t noticed before.
“Yes, thanks.”
He poured another glass and handed it to me. Our fingers connected and an image flashed through my mind. I had long claws, and I was tearing at Antoine’s hand. The glass began to slip from my fingers. I opened my mouth to scream, but there was only silence. Antoine caught the glass and held it to my lips.
“Here, drink this. It’ll help.”
I drank the whole glass and the discomfort lessened.
“What happened, Antoine? Did… did I hurt someone. Was it you?” I almost didn’t want to know, and yet I was compelled to find out.
“What do you remember once you got into bed?”
I shrugged. “Not a great deal. Kind of like short images. And there was pain. So much pain in my head. And the voices… Am I crazy?” My head fell, and I looked down at my hands while they fidgeted with the duvet.
Antoine tilted my chin upwards until I was forced to lock eyes with him. He had me mesmerised, and I was afraid if I looked at him for too long, I’d lose myself completely.
“You’re not crazy. Far from it. How… how…” Antoine appeared to be fighting with what to say, his brow furrowed.
“Just tell me, Antoine. After everything that’s happened to me over the year, I don’t think anything would shock me now.”
His eyes narrowed and he tugged on his lower lip. “How open are you to believing in the supernatural? You know, like otherworldly creatures living amongst the humans.”
A small laugh made its way up my throat. “Next you’ll be saying I was possessed by a demon.” I started to giggle, but his face was deadly serious.
My eyes went to his hands. I picked them up and studied them at great length. Good, no blood or claw marks.
