Cassie groaned as consciousness pulled her upward like a tide she couldn't fight. Her eyelids felt like stone, her body like bruised glass. Every muscle screamed with a dull, aching fatigue.
It was like she'd been trampled by an angry herd of bulls.
What the hell had she done last night? It was her birthday and the last thing she remembered was talking on the balcony with Kai.
How on earth did she reach her bed?
Before she could think about it more, something clicked by her ear, tiny and sharp. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting slowly to the light spilling through the window. A grasshopper sat perched on the sill.
But she didn't just see it.
She saw it.
Every vein in its wings. Every fleck of green and brown on its legs. The soft tremble of its abdomen. Even the smallest scratch on its shell shimmered like it was lit from within.
Her breath hitched.
A second later, the world surged in.
The voices outside infiltrated her head, a delivery driver, a mother trying to soothe her baby. She placed her hand over her ears but the sounds kept coming. Tires crunching over gravel. Birds flapping their wings. A cat meowing two floors down.
It was all too much.
She clenched her jaw, slammed her eyes shut.
Then it became silent.
Then one beat…
Then another…
And another…
Like a drum during a sacred dance…low and rhythmic.
It was a heartbeat.
Cassie turned slowly, every movement sending unwanted aches through her body.
Kai.
He was asleep in a chair beside her bed, one hand loosely curled on his lap, the other resting against the armrest. His head tilted to the side, soft silver curls brushing his forehead.
Then his scent hit her.
She paused, scrunching her nose. She'd always loved the pine and earth cologne he wore, finding it so unique. But as she inhaled again, her eyes widened.
It wasn't cologne. It was him.
Underneath the familiar pine and rain-soaked soil, there was another scent. She sniffed. Sage…and cedar.
She leaned closer and inhaled deeply.
The more she breathed him in, the more the hair on her arms stood. Static crawled along her skin.
Mine.
Cassie flinched and spun around, heart pounding. The voice had been so close, she expected to see someone behind her. But her attention snapped back…to him.
To the sound of him.
The blood rushing beneath his skin.
The slow, rhythmic thump of his heart.
Her gaze locked on the pulse at his throat.
It throbbed.
It moved.
Hypnotic.
It called to her.
She stared, entranced. Her mouth watered.
Mine.
A second voice spoke now. A softer, alluring, feminine voice. Not like the first, which was smoky and husky. This one coiled around her like silk.
Without thinking, Cassie slid the covers off her legs and sat up. Her body trembled and her heart thundered.
His scent deepened. Rich, sweet and so intoxicating that it made her dizzy.
She'd liked Kai before…had a tiny crush, had always felt safe around him, but now…
Now, just the thought of him talking to another girl, looking at someone else, made her blood simmer.
He. Was. Hers.
She sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward, drawn toward him like gravity itself had shifted.
She needed to taste him…
no cuddle him…
no sniff him…
But something over rode everything.
Hunger.
She was hungry.
No…starving.
And yet…something pulled her back. Some invisible thread held her in place. She couldn't reach out to touch him, to bite him…to taste his blood that she was craving for.
Kai stirred then, brow furrowing.
"Cassie?" he mumbled.
His eyes fluttered open, and she saw it. His brown irises shimmered, then swirled, a stormy blue spreading outward like ink in water.
She inhaled sharply.
They sat there for a moment. Cassie could hear Kai's heart pick up speed, each beat a little louder, a little faster. His breathing shifted too…deeper and heavier…
And then she felt it like a soft thread brushing against her thoughts.
A masculine whisper. One that was low and possessive.
Mine.
Kai cleared his throat and sat up straighter.
"What happened last night?" Cassie asked.
The Primordia Moon, the voice murmured.
She inhaled sharply and frowned. Had Kai's lips moved and she didn't see? Weird.
She asked. "What's the Primordia Moon?"
Kai froze, and his eyes widened. "What?"
"That's what I heard you say. The Primordia Moon."
Kai sighed, his eyes flickered away as he answered. "I didn't say anything."
Kai's heart rate sped up. Was he lying to me?
His gaze met hers again, genuine concern carved into his features. "Are you sure you're ok? How do you feel?"
She opened her mouth, then shut it. What was she supposed to say? That her vision was so sharp that if she looked out the window she might see space? Or that she wanted to crawl into his lap and drink his blood?
Yeah, no.
Kai's brows pulled together. "Cass, I know when you go quiet like this it means something's seriously wrong. On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?"
"One hundred."
Kai flinched like she'd hit him. "Do you want to talk about it now?"
"No." Then she asked again. "Kai, what happened last night? You're avoiding my question."
He sighed. "As you are mine. Cassie…" He paused for a bit looking at her, his irises flashing blue, like he was drinking her in, trying to memorize her. When he spoke again his voice was deep and raspy. "You know you can tell me anything. I'll always be here to protect you."
His gaze dropped for a second, his jaw twitching. Then he looked up again and offered her a small, crooked smile. "Think you might talk to me after I make you my famous glazed caramel pancakes?"
Her throat tightened. Cassie hesitated. "Maybe. If you're willing to tell me what happened last night."
"Then I'll make breakfast," he said, getting up.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. The contact sent a tingling wave down her spine. Then he pressed his forehead against hers, and goosebumps erupted along her skin. She didn't know what to make of that since he'd never done anything like that before.
Then he turned and walked away.
The door had barely clicked shut when she heard it.
We're not eating pancakes. We need blood.
Cassie froze.
"…What?" she whispered, heart racing. Her gaze flicked toward the door, then the room, suddenly unsure of what was going on.
Yes. Blood. We just woke up and we're starving. The alluring voice insisted.
Her mouth went dry. "We?"
It took Cassie a moment to realize the voices weren't coming from outside the room.
They were inside her head.
They were hers.
How long had they been there?
Had she finally lost her last grip on sanity?
Yes. We.
Her voice trembled. "How many of you are in there?"
Seven of us. Including you.
"Oh my God." Her breathing quickened. "Am I possessed?!"
Siren, you're scaring her. The husky voice cut ingently.
She asked, Lune. We need to feed. Siren said impatiently.
Cassie shot to her feet and began pacing, pressing her fingers to her temples.
"Nope. Nope. This is a dream. I'm just asleep. Probably hallucinating from a bad bottle of non-alcoholic wine." Her laugh was brittle. "Yeah. This is fine."
The voices didn't respond, but the hunger remained, growing stronger with every second. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift. Cassie reached out for the chair beside her bed just in time, collapsing into it. Beads of sweat broke out across her skin, her breathing deepened, and her body shuddered.
The smell of pancakes drifted under the door and Cassie gagged.
You'll never be able to eat like that again. Not until we feed. Siren's voice grew more persistent.
Cassie pressed her head against the back of the chair, breathing hard.
"Why…why can't I hear the rest of you? Who are you?"
Only Lune and I are awake. The others are still sleeping. We'll talk after we feed.
Cassie doubled over as another sharp wave of hunger tore through her.
The longer you wait, the worse it'll get. It's time to go.
Her body moved on its own. She stepped to the window and pushed it all the way up. Cold air rushed in.
They were six floors up.
Her eyes widened. "And you want me to climb out of here? Why not…go through the door?"
Siren's voice was sharp as she spoke. Kai will stop you. And we can't drink from him unless he allows it. Are you ready to tell him about us?
Cassie's voice was barely a whisper. "No…"
You don't have to do anything, Lune said, reassuring. We won't let anything happen to you.
Cassie swallowed and nodded slowly, though her legs trembled. She climbed up onto the window sill, the wind tousling her hair, stinging her eyes.
The last thing she remembered was the rush of wind on her face…
Lune whispering…Trust us.
And then…
Black.