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Inhale, inhale.

Exhale, inhale.

A surge of redness flooded my vision, scraping my core with a blazing fire that choked me. Frantically, I clawed into the earth, desperate to grasp the sensation beneath my fingers.

"Eliah!"

The claws dabbled up my spine. Up my arms—

"Eliah, wake up!"

Wake up.

El-i-ahhh.

The velvety voice slithered over me, like spoiled blood melting on my tongue, coursing through me like thick tar, and binding my pulse to its command.

Pain erupted in my chest, thundering through my ears in a deafening clamor of frenzied fear. A jolting surge of electricity pulsed through me, coursing through every fiber of my being, convulsing me in a static of fear, darkness, and crimson hues.

Unable to breathe, a brilliant flash of light seared through me, dissolving the tar-like grip and flooding me with warmth and relief as golden hues washed over the blood.

My eyes snapped open, blinded by the sudden brightness. I shielded my face, hesitant to close my eyes again, while the full sensation of my body and senses flooded back to me. Sweat lined my back as panic set in, and I bolted upright, colliding with something solid.

"Eliah, stop!" Levon's deep voice flooded my ears, steadying my racing heart. He pulled me into an embrace, allowing me to hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "Eliah, you're safe. You're okay."

I gasped for air against his chest, forcing my eyes to stay open…to see, but struggled to focus on anything but the overwhelming brightness. I felt his arms shift, lifting me into the air.

It all felt too real, too overwhelming.

Eliah.

The claws, the darkness of my dream. Whatever it was—it knew me.

13

Ablinding headache continued to pulse at the base of my skull, but I pushed it aside as a healer examined every inch of my body, testing my patience.

"Levon, truly, I'm fine," I spat out, irritation coating my words. I watched him pace back and forth while the healer finished an unsuccessful diagnosis, merely guessing at the cause of my convulsions. I rolled my eyes dramatically. "I'm fine!"

I stood up, spun around, and began waving my arms, trying to convey my truthfulness and dismissing whatever had just occurred. But deep down, I couldn't shake off the fear and confusion that gripped me.

Earlier on the lawn, as I had gradually regained my senses, I found myself lying there, frozen in a haze of fear and confusion, unable to articulate the strange sensations coursing through me. It felt as if my very being was under attack and if something or someone was intimately aware of my thoughts and feelings.

The underlying feeling of being watched, of something knowing me deeply and thoroughly, sent chills down my spine. I couldn't shake the eerie sense that I was no longer alone inmy own mind, and the fear of the unknown gripped me tightly, making it hard to breathe. But the feeling intensified, churning my stomach until I retched last night's dinner over Levon's black boots. His eyes were the only thing that helped pull me out and return me to whatever reality I was in.

"Keep an eye on her," the healer cautioned, eyeing Levon with a knowing look. His balding head spotted with sun-induced freckles creased. "If another episode happens, you might want to reconsider—" he hesitated, his gaze shifting to me through his spectacles.

I narrowed my eyes at both of them, feeling a surge of anger.

"Thank you, Chayler," Levon acknowledged quickly but sternly, as if he knew the healer on a personal level, as he began escorting the man out.

I watched them through the glass window as they exchanged a few more words before Levon returned. Confusion and frustration clouded his face, dimming the brightness of his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he snapped, running his hand through his hair, concern etched in his eyes.

"Tell you what?" I shot back, my patience thinning.

"About these…episodes."