Page 17 of Lamb

The voices screeched louder and louder, a ringing bouncing through my skull.

You’ve killed a person. You cold-blooded mur—

Heat burned against my arm, and I screeched.

“LET ME GO!”My body threw itself back with what little power it could, twisting away from the scalding touch.

The concrete hit the back of my head before I knew what was happening. A misty white light filled my vision, and the dark sky swam above my head.

“Ash,” a distant, distorted voice murmured. Two hands wrapped around my face, their touch like a stinging burn. “Ash, calm down.”

“Get off me,” I growled weakly.

“Look at me.”

My vision refused to focus, but I saw the light cut away and a dark shadow loomed over my head. Hands pulled me upright, and the dark sky vanished, a wavering face filling my vision.

“Look at me.”

“I know who you are,” I hissed, wanting to push him away, the brown of his eyes reaching through my blurred vision. “Let me go.”

Bile rose again, the acid burning my throat. I gagged, and Lamb tilted me forwards, a hand pressed against the centre of my back. I coughed and retched, but nothing came.

“You’re in withdrawal.” Lamb’s voice was firm. His hand pressed against my forehead, and my sensitive skin screeched.

“Stop”—I took a deep breath—“touching me.”

“You have a fever.”

“No shit …” I breathed again, trying to calm the flips in my belly. “Sherlock.”

I swear I heard him laugh.

“Now let me go.”

“You’re in no state to be alone,” Lamb said, and one arm wrapped around my back whilst another slid beneath my knees.

“I am in no legal state to be kidnapped either.” My stomach roiled and, against better judgement, I clung to the arm holding me up as my stomach lurched and a dry heave choked through my throat.

“It’s not kidnapping.” Lamb chuckled, jostling me against his body. “I’m rescuing you.”

“I am not a damsel”—I paused, nausea rolling through me—“in distress.”

“No”—Lamb’s fingers pulled back my hair, careful not to touch my skin—“you’re not.”

The sight of concrete was growing tiresome as I threatened to spew all over it for the umpteenth time. I had no strength to look up, but I knew the face he would be making. Something about how he spoke was like he disagreed with his own words on some level, but the energy I had left to fight was sapping further away from me.

I didn’t want to be rescued, or kidnapped, or whatever else he wanted to call it. I just wanted to be left alone. If I became roadkill or starved in a ditch, that was fine.

But just like any other time, I had no strength to make that choice.

My eyelids grew heavy, and the beat of Lamb’s breaths rocking with my body began to croon the darkness in. My throbbing head grew heavier until I could no longer hold it up. Lamb’s arm braced against me, and his hand soothed over my back.

“I don’t want to go back,” I murmured so low and quiet that I doubted he had even heard.

The sound of a second engine grew in the distance, but I was already sinking, knowing where I would wake up and who would be by my side.

Escape was futile.

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