Page 8 of Curses & Kitsune

How did I get here? I was on the train, and then my mind is just blank.

“You were on the train when you passed out. A passenger called for help.” Raiden runs a cool, damp cloth over my overheated forehead. A sigh of relief escapes me. The cool cloth feels so good. Raiden’s brow pinches, lips drawing into a thin line. “Told you to stay home. Why didn’t you just listen to me?”

I hate that I made him worry. “Sorry, baby.” I try to reach out, but my arm is too heavy. Sighing like I’m the most exhausting person, Raiden threads our fingers together.

“Just promise me you’ll take it easy.”

But I need to be useful. If I’m not, what good am I? He’ll leave me. Just like my ex-boyfriend. Just like my parents. Tears sting my eyes. I caused him so much trouble today, made him worry about me. Fuck. I’m such a burden.

“Hey. It’s okay.” His soft lips caress my forehead. “Just rest. If you’re better in the morning, the doc will let you go home.”

Closing my eyes, I try to savor his gentle kisses and soft reassurances, but guilt and shame burn me up on the inside. The doctor comes in to check up on me, providing some distraction. She insists I stay overnight so they can monitor me but believes I’ll be well enough to leave in the morning.

“You have a fever,” she tells me. “But you have no other symptoms of a flu or a cold. It seems to me like a reaction to intense stress. Try and take it easy.”

Intense stress, huh? Yeah, being possessed by a bloodthirsty kitsune who demands I chew off people’s freaking fingers will do that to a guy.

“Visiting hours are almost over—”

“I’m staying,” Raiden says, glaring at her like he’s daring her to try and stop him. She doesn’t.

Ren leaves us alone for the night, and even though there’s a sofa, Raiden pulls up a chair beside my bed. He’ll wake up sore. When he hands me a plastic cup of water, I say, “You should sleep on the sofa.”

“Just drink.” Raiden takes the cup from me and holds it to my lips.

I’m capable of at least drinking on my own, but I have to admit, I like it when Raiden fusses over me. When I was sick as a kid, my father always acted like I was doing it on purpose and reprimanded my mother for trying to coddle me. So having him here looking after me… it heals some part of me that was hurt when I was a kid. The lump in my throat makes it difficult to swallow the water.

“You okay?” Raiden asks.

The edges of my lips rise despite the emotion clogging my throat. “Yeah. Just happy you’re here.”

A pleased sound rumbles up from Raiden’s chest. Leaning over, he touches his mouth to mine. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

I’m sure that’s not true, but it’s nice to hear it. My eyes grow heavy as he kisses me slow and sweet until my limbs are soft and relaxed. He switches off the light and holds my hand in the dark. In the morning, I’ll tell him about the weird stuff that happened on the train. Right now, I just want to sleep and hope I’ll feel better in the morning.

“Thank you,” I whisper, and his fingers tighten around mine.

“Told you I’d always take care of you, didn’t I?”

My heart flutters as I close my eyes and slip into sleep.

A fire burns within the pit of my stomach. Sweat soaks through the hospital gown and dampens the sheets. Hunger, like nothing I’ve ever felt, eats away at me. Got to eat something. No. Not just anything. A sweet aroma tugs at my nose, making saliva flood my mouth.

Raiden snores in the chair beside my bed. Over his shoulder, Tamano materializes by the door. “On your feet, human. We feed. Now.”

My legs jerk, kicking off the blankets, but I’m not moving them. I can’t speak, can’t fight back. My instincts snarl, feed, must feed, and all I can do is shove open the door and follow that sweet, delicious scent. The hall is empty, and the silence makes the slap of my bare feet seem especially loud and grating.

Fear clutches my heart. She’s going to make me feed on someone. We’re in a hospital, so there are so many vulnerable people around. I’m a prisoner in my own body. There’s no way to stop her. Except…

“Raiden, I need you. Wake up!” I call out to him through our bond.

Behind a door at the end of the hall, a heart thumps slow and feebly. My claws scrape against metal as I turn the knob. The room within is dark, but my eyes adjust in seconds. A woman lies in bed, her thinning hair clinging to her scalp, frail hands limp upon the sheets. An oxygen mask keeps her alive. She’s old, sick, and weak.

“The perfect prey,” I whisper in a voice that’s both mine and Tamano’s. “Go on, human. Break her wrinkled flesh. Drink her dry.”

It’s like I’m a prisoner, watching through the cell doors that are my eyes. I scream inside for her to stop this, beg her not to harm this poor old woman who’s surely someone’s beloved relative. Against my will, my feet take one step and then another. The old woman sleeps below me, unaware these moments might be her last alive.

Her pulse flutters in her neck, as sweet as the wings of a captured butterfly. My fangs sharpen to points, and a snarl chokes me. Her sacrifice will make me strong. I’ll protect my pack, my mate, and he’ll never throw me aside!

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