With my hands on Ness, I could tell that she was real. She was whole.
I had no idea what had happened earlier. While searching for her, the bond between us had snapped. It’d recoiled like a rubber band stretched too tight. I’d had no time to process the recoil earlier, but now I could feel a soft ache near my heart that worried me.
While she slept, I kept one hand on her. My beast would not let me far from my mate. Now that I’d found her, I could not imagine losing her. Fate had given me one small gift, and I would cherish her for as long as I could.
What she’d said scared me. The thought of her dying at Alvin’s hands roused my beast and made it snarl. Possessive, the beast dug its claws into me. My own fingers curled with need. I had to hold onto her. If she slipped through my fingers, then the sickness would take ahold of me.
I didn’t want to succumb to Treasure Sickness the way my father had. Greed and paranoia had twisted my father’s mind until he could not tell friend from foe. I feared that I would inherit it if I led this pack here in the heart of New York. My beast had already claimed the territory as his own. I came close to losing control earlier.
If I stayed here, then there was a chance that I could lose myself. Yet, the idea of leaving turned my stomach. My heart clenched with fear. I pulled Ness closer to my chest and listened to the soft murmur of her breath as she slept.
Leaving wasn’t a choice anymore. That meant I needed to be vigilant. I would ask Ness to help me look out for the symptoms of the sickness, but she had enough on her plate already. I couldn’t ask that of her when she was struggling with everything else.
She wriggled in my arms. The movement pulled me out of my thoughts. I watched her toss her head restlessly. Comforting whispers already on my lips, I reached to smooth her hair back. Ness jerked away from me, though.
I paused, confused. Ness went rigid in my arms. My heart stuttered as she lurched out of my embrace and landed on the floor.
“What are you doing?” I cried out, reaching for her.
She slithered the rest of the way off the bed and twisted to face me. Her lips curled, but her eyes remained half-lidded, as though she were still asleep. A feral snarl left her lips before she stepped onto the bed and walked across it. I rolled off the mattress and chased after her as she staggered through the apartment.
When Ness reached for the front door, I leapt ahead of her to block her path.
“You are naked,” I warned her.
Ness had spent plenty of nights here. This was the first time we’d shared the same bed, so I’d figured I would discover new things about my mate. I’d assumed I would find out that she snored. Maybe she might even fart in her sleep.
I never expected her to start sleepwalking. Wouldn’t she have mentioned this? Hell, her father could have brought it up.
Ness lifted her chin and glared at me. That was when I noticed the ring of red light deep within her dark eyes. This wasn’t natural.
I recalled the state of the room I’d found Ness in earlier. Alvin had sequestered her in an abandoned building. When I’d found her, there’d been a ring of candles around her. The sigils painted on the floor had been smudged by her body. There was still paint on the coat she’d been wearing.
I hadn’t given it much thought then. I’d been more worried about Ness than what was going on around her. Now, I regretted not paying more attention.
I took Ness by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. Her lips curled back right before she struck. She raked her nails down my chest. Sharp claws tore through my shirt, narrowly missing my skin.
“Ness!” I ducked to the side, away from her.
She spun on me, claws still extended. The red ring in her irises flashed bright. Shaking her awake wouldn’t do anything. I would have to hold her down until this passed.
My throat tightened. There was no way to know if this would pass. Alvin’s ritual could have been permanent. I knew nothing; I could only make this up and hope for the best as I went along.
My beast roared to be let out. I couldn’t let him out without destroying the house, and I couldn’t afford that. Instead, I lunged for Ness. She lashed out with her claws, dragging them through my skin this time. Though I hissed in pain, I still wrapped my arms around her.
She slid out of my grasp, her knees hitting the floor with a heavy thud. I reached to help her up without thinking, but she sprang back to her feet and lunged for a nearby lamp. I snatched the lamp out of the air, but she was quick.
Ness grabbed a decorative vase off the side table and threw it right behind the lamp. It hit my shoulder and shattered, raining glass across the floor. Barefoot, I had to carefully step around the glass. If I didn’t corner Ness, she might step into it, too.
Like an animal, she backed up. Instead of going around the side table, she stepped on top of it and backed onto the couch. The soft cushion threw her off balance. I lunged and caught her so that her arms would be pinned to her side.
I fumbled between the couch and the coffee table. The furniture screeched against the hard floor when I kicked it out of the way so I could drop.
Ness thrashed wildly in my lap. The sounds she made were feral, almost inhuman. My heart threatened to shatter as I sank to my knees with her. She still bucked. Twice, she slammed her head against my collarbone. I had to cup the back of her head and hold her to my chest to keep her from hurting herself.
I could take a few blows. Cuts and scrapes, bruises and broken bones all meant nothing to me when Ness’s safety was at risk. I ran my hand down her cheek and tried to hold back the quiver in my voice.
“Come back to me, Ness. I need you.”