I can tell something is wrong.
Mara's friend, in flashy pink, is standing on the side looking panicked. Ben Lewis is there too, in his wolf form. How the hell did they get so deep into the building? I struggle to make my way across to them, realizing they pulled a lot out of the way already.
Finally, I see it. Some strange circle with Mara, unconscious, in the middle of it. She's on the floor, looking as if she were peacefully sleeping. What the hell is going on? Her friend spots me, and just when I'm about to run to Mara, she puts out her arm.
"W-wait, please," she says with a tiny voice.
"What the fuck is going on?" I growl, furious to see my mate in that state.
"She's fine... I think. Mara found this magic circle, and she wanted to try it out, but she passed out, and then this happened. C-can you wait a few more minutes...?"
How the hell do they know she's fine? This circle of red flames around her doesn't look fine to me!
Chapter 20
I try to fight it, to keep my eyes closed and hold on to the memory a little bit longer, but I can feel his hands on my arms, shaking me. It brutally stops, and I open my eyes, unable to fight it anymore.
It's a strange sensation. Like I just woke up from a violent nightmare, but without the harsh part. I'm out of breath, feeling a bit lost, and nauseous.
Liam's eyes immediately meet mine, he looks panicked. I realize he's the one who's been holding me and shaking me like crazy. My neck and shoulders even feel weird. He sighs in relief, falling back to sit on his rear, as he was crouched down in front of me.
"Moon Goddess... You gave me one hell of a fright..."
"Are you alright, Mara?" asks Kelsi, rushing to my side too.
Even Ben looks worried on the side, his ears down.
"I was almost going to get all my answers! Why did you wake me up?!"
They stare at me as if I was crazy, but I'm too shaken up, at the moment. The adrenaline from the dream is still coursing through me, I can feel my heartbeat still thumping erratically.
"I swear, I was living Clarissa's memories, my memories! I was almost to the part when I moved to Silver City and–"
"Mara, Mara, wait," says Kelsi. "We didn't stop you for a long time, I promise, but... boo, look at your... I mean, just look at your body."
What about my body?
Oh... Oh, holy crap.
The burn marks are back. My legs look like they are taken over by growing tentacles, black like coal, once again as if the burns had occurred yesterday. ...Or just now. They are running all around my legs, and as I look up, my arms have some mean ones too. As if my brain had been waiting for me to see, the pain suddenly hits me like a wave, and I scream uncontrollably. How the hell did I not feel that before?! It burns, it burns! It's like someone piercing me with a hot needle, ripping my skin off slowly. It's unbearable, I want to cry and scream. I do. I feel like they all waited to attack at once, making the blow so much worse. It takes me a full minute to calm down and tame it, as they all panic around me. I know this is just the first wave. I can endure this, I can do it...
I hold on desperately to Liam's arm, and listen to his voice.
"Mara, calm down, calm down."
I nod.
I need to control the pain. It’s familiar, I've been through this shit before. I can do this. I take deep breaths, trying to focus on his voice. Grabbing his arm and holding on to it firmly helps me. The burn marks stop progressing on my body, and the pain subsides slowly too. It's like trying to find my little flame among the fire raging inside. I need to tame my magic and have it calm down before it kills me for real.
Liam keeps whispering into my ear, caressing my nape and rubbing my shoulder, careful where he touches. It feels so good to have this to help me. I can lean my forehead on his shoulder and focus on this. I don't care that we're sitting in that dirty hangar, I just need a minute, and Liam.
"Do we need to call an ambulance?" asks Kelsi somewhere above my head.
"No... I'm fine," I protest.
"Boo, you don't look fine..."
I know she's worried, but I've been through this before.
