Riley’s POV
I have never felt this full before, not in my body, not in my head. It is like sothing cald inside after what happened with Caden, like a loud noise suddenly stopped and left only quiet behind.
With Gunnar, it was different. It felt wild, rough, like he hated every second of it but could not stop himself no matter how hard he tried. With Caden, it felt reassuring. Like he knew exactly where to touch and when to pull away. The difference scares because I do not understand why my body reacts to them at all.
I push the thought away and rise from the bed slowly. My legs feel steady under , which surprises because after everything I have been through today, I expected to feel weak. I stand up fully and look around the room again.
This place is not my apartnt. That much is obvious.
The room is large, clean, and expensive. The bed alone looks like it could cost more than everything I own combined. The curtains are thick and dark, but the windows behind them are tall, stretching almost from floor to ceiling. The air slls sweet, not like flowers exactly, but sothing warr like it is soaked into the walls.
Is this their house in Crescent Hollow?
The thought makes my stomach twist. I walk slowly across the room, my bare feet sinking slightly into the soft carpet.
I hug my arms around myself without realizing it, my fingers brushing over my wrists again and again like I am checking sothing.
I keep scratching my right wrist without thinking, the skin itching in a way that feels deep. It is not the kind of itch you can ignore. It demands attention.
I stop walking.
My eyes drop to my wrist.
And I freeze.
The skin around it is red. Not just irritated red, but darker, angry-looking, like sothing underneath it is alive.
My breath catches in my throat as I turn my arm slowly, inspecting it from different angles. The redness circles my wrist almost perfectly.
My heart starts pounding.
Holy moly hell.
What the hell is this?
My mind races back instantly to Obsidian Veil. To Gunnar. To the sharp pain on my wrist. To his teeth sinking into my skin when I was too shocked to even scream. I rember staring at him, confused and terrified, not understanding why he did it or what it ant.
I rember him pulling back like he had burned himself.
I press my fingers lightly over the red skin and suck in a breath when I feel a strange warmth pulse under my touch. Like sothing is moving.
No. No, no, no.
This is crazy.
I drop my arm and pace the room, my heart racing now. None of this makes sense. People do not react like this from a bite. Bites heal. They scab. They do not... do this.
Just then, the door opens.
I spin around so fast my head feels light.
Soone strides into the room like they own it, like this place bends to their will without question. My stomach sinks even before my brain catches up.
Gunnar.
He looks exactly like he always does. Calm on the surface. Dark eyes sharp and focused. His presence fills the room instantly, and I hate that my body reacts before my mind does.
He has a dress in his hand.
He tosses it onto the bed "Put that on and get ready," he says flatly. "We’re leaving."
I grab the sleeve of my sweater and pull it down over my wrist instinctively, my heart hamring. "Leaving where?" I ask, but my voice cos out smaller than I want it to.
He does not answer. He turns his back to like the conversation is already over and starts walking toward the door.
"Wait," I say, panic slipping into my tone. "What’s going on?"
He stops.
Slowly, he turns back around.
His eyes drop imdiately to my left wrist, the one I am covering with my other palm. My stomach flips.
He starts walking toward , his steps asured and deliberate. "Let see that," he says.
My body reacts before my brain does. I shake my head and take a step back. "It’s nothing."
He does not stop.
"I said let see it," he repeats, his voice low but firm.
"No," I say quickly. "You don’t get to just—"
Before I can finish, he reaches out and grabs my arm. His grip is firm but not painful, his fingers wrapping around my forearm as he pulls my hand away from my wrist.
"Hey!" I protest, my breath hitching as he holds my arm out between us.
His face changes the second he sees it.
The hardness in his expression cracks, replaced by sothing sharp and alard. His eyes darken as he stares at the red skin, his jaw tightening.
I swallow hard because he is close. Too close. I can feel the heat from his body, sll that sa dark, clean scent that makes my head spin even when I am scared.
"When did this start?" he asks.
His voice is different now. Urgent.
I look down, my throat suddenly dry. "I saw it today," I mutter.
"Today?" he repeats.
His eyes widen just slightly, but I catch it. The change is enough to make fear crawl up my spine.
"Yes," I say quickly. "I don’t know what it is. I just noticed it."
He releases my arm abruptly and straightens like he has made a decision. He grabs the dress from the bed and shoves it into my arms.
"Wear it. Now," he orders.
"What?" I blink at him. "What is happening?"
"We don’t have ti," he says, already turning toward the door again.
"Wait!" I say, my voice rising. "You can’t just drop sothing like this and walk away!"
He pauses at the door, his back still to . "Get dressed," he says again, his tone leaving no room for argunt.
Then he leaves.
The door shuts behind him with a soft but final click.
My legs give out.
I fall back onto the bed, clutching the dress to my chest as my breathing turns shallow. My heart is racing so fast it feels like it might break out of my ribcage.
What just happened?
Why did he look like that?
I sit there for a mont, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm myself down. My wrist tingles again, the warmth pulsing stronger this ti, and it makes my stomach churn.
I push myself up and change quickly, my hands shaking as I pull the dress on. It fits perfectly, which only adds to the unease crawling through . When I am done, I glance at my wrist again. The redness has not faded. If anything, it looks brighter.
The door opens again.
This ti, Cane and Caden are with Gunnar.
All three of them stop when they see .
Caden’s eyes soften imdiately. "Riley," he says gently. "Are you okay?"
"No," I answer honestly. "Sothing is wrong with ."
Cane’s gaze drops to my wrist instantly. His expression tightens, but he masks it quickly. "We’ll explain everything soon," he says. "Right now, we need to move."
"Explain what?" I demand. "Because all of you keep acting like I’m supposed to understand sothing I clearly don’t."
Cane steps closer again, but this ti he stops a few feet away. "You need to trust us."
I let out a shaky laugh. "I do not trust monsters."
Caden steps in between us slightly, his voice calm. "Riley, what you’re feeling right now is normal. Fear, confusion—"
"Normal?" I cut in sharply. "Nothing about this is normal."
Silence falls. Cane exhales slowly. "She’s closer than we thought," he mutters.
"Closer to what?" I snap.
Gunnar’s eyes lock onto mine. "Awakening," he says.
The word sends a chill through . "What does that even an?" I whisper.
"It ans," Caden says carefully, "that what you are has been sleeping for a long ti."
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