Page 15 of Fated to Her

When will it stop? Why won’t it just stop?

I’m at my wits’ end with it. Stumbling into the room, I take out my phone, but it has no service, making me groan. I’m to the point I’m willing to beg them to come over just so I can lie on one of them. Anything to stop the pain, stop the burning feeling coiling in me and searing through my veins.

I snatch my clothes, trying to get dressed, giving up on even trying to clip my bra in place. My hands are shaking too badly for me to get the two sides to clasp together. I pull on a shirt and some track pants and sit still, trying to catch my breath. I’m having trouble even breathing, having to really focus on taking each breath.

I get up and go to Maya’s room, having to stop several times in the hallway. My breathing is raspy, and I can’t seem to get enough air.

I make it to her room, Taylor’s phone on charge on her nightstand. I put our birthday in on the lock screen and unlock the phone. She also has no reception, making me wonder if the cell tower is down.

“Can I borrow your car?” I ask her, shaking her shoulder.

She sleepily nods, going back to sleep. I know driving in this state is bad, but I would never forgive myself if they got into an accident driving me there in this storm. I clutch the banister as I make my way downstairs.

I should have taken them up on the offer to stay with them. I’m kicking myself for being so stubborn. Getting downstairs, I find her keys on the microwave and scribble a quick note, leaving it on the counter. I pocket my phone, hoping I can get cell service on the way instead of just showing up unannounced.

It takes me nearly ten minutes to get to the front door, having to stop every few meters to catch my breath. I just need to get to them; they will fix it. They can help. Opening the front door, it takes all my strength to stop it from flying into the wall as the wind pushes it toward me. I struggle to pull it closed and lock the deadbolt with the key.

The entire street is shrouded in darkness; even the streetlights are out as I make my way to the car. I click the button, the lights flashing as it unlocks.

I get in, struggling to shut the door from the intense wind. I sit there for a few seconds trying to catch my breath before starting it. Even the cold wind can’t stem the burning I feel. I’m drenched in sweat. I reverse out of the driveway. I drive half-hunched over the steering wheel as pain ravages my entire body.

The streets are deserted as I drive through the city before hitting the highway. The wind pulls and pushes the car making me grasp the steering wheel in a death grip to stop it from sliding off the road. I can’t even check for reception because I’m scared to take my hands off the wheel.

Seeing the dirt road leading off the highway, I take it a bit too fast, the car sliding on the loose gravel, making my heart lurch before I manage to correct it.

My vision tunnels as I continue down the street, looking for the turn-off toward their driveway. I drive past it and have to reverse back before turning onto the long driveway. My breathing wheezes out of me.

I’m on the verge of passing out when I stop in front of their house, ripping the handbrake up as I put it in park. I sit back, turning my head to look at the dark house. I just need to get to the door, but that task seems impossible as I clutch the handle, pushing the door open against the wind. I honk the horn, trying to see if it will wake them, my vision going in one eye while the other has black dots filling it.

I climb across the seat, trying the other door, which isn’t as hard to push open. I manage to get out, feeling my way along the car. My hair is being whipped around my face when I see the light turn on inside. I stumble toward the door, tripping over something and hitting the gravel painfully. I feel something trickling down my face as I get to my hands and knees, my head throbbing painfully. I hear a bang and then their voices.

“Addie?” one of them screams as my vision worsens, seeing only black.

Sparks rush over my skin when a pair of hands grab me.

“Addie?” Cyrus says next to my ear.

“Bring her inside,” Eli says, just before I pass out.

• • •

When I wake to the sound of hushed voices, sparks rush across my chest and face, yet my eyes feel too heavy to open.

“The only option is either mate her or change. She is human. There is only so much the human body can take before her organs shut down,” says a man’s voice I don’t recognize.

“Neither of them is an option right now,” Eli says, his voice low, but I have no doubt it is him I’m lying on, as it is close to my ear.

“I know you don’t want to change her till it’s her choice. The council may understand, given the circumstances.”

“And if they don’t? I’ll spend the next fifty years in the pit,” Cyrus says with a sigh.

“What’s fifty years when immortal knowing she lives, Cyrus?”

“No!” Eli says.

“Eli?” Cyrus says to him.

“I said no. I already lost you once, and I’m not doing it again. She will be fine. She will choose. She just needs time.”