Page 90 of Barely Breathing

He’s right. Each breath is harder than the last.

“Costin,” I whisper. I’m so tired. I just want torest. “No more. We can’t take them to the underground city.”

Costin’s arms tighten around me. “My home has ancient texts, healing magic. There has to be a cure. I’ll find it. I promise.”

This is not a promise he can keep. We both know he’s lying. I see it in his eyes when another convulsion wracks my body. The wolf magic burns hotter, reshaping me from the inside out. If I am to survive, there would be time before I fully change. But my other injuries are too severe.

My injured arm is useless against my stomach, the fingers broken. Paul’s ripped shirt seems to be the only thing keeping it together. I feel the shard of glass still imbedded in my leg. I grip Costin’s neck. “Promise me you won’t let me become a werewolf. I don’t want to be a monster. Promise me you’ll kill me before that happens.”

He adjusts me in his arms, holding me closer. My head rests on his shoulder.

“I can feel it.” My voice sounds strange to my own ears. “It’s eating my insides.”

“Keep walking forward,” Costin orders Paul. “I’ll come back for you.”

“No, wait—” Paul yells, his voice drifting away as Costin speeds me through the tunnels. I become dizzy and everything blurs. I shut my eyes, fading into unconsciousness.

When I open my eyes, I’m lying on the couch in Costin’s office. It’s sparse from missing decorations, but someone has cleaned the debris. Diana is sitting on the floor beside me, stroking my hair. “I remember you.”

Draakmar must have given her memories back. I wonder why the dragon would have done that. She’s better off not knowing.

Never mind. I sound like Costin.

“Are you hurt?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

“Draakmar is a friend.” I want to tell her more, maybe reassure her, and give her some motherly advice on how to survive. I’m drawn to touch the stone around her neck, its shape so familiar to my fingers. It’s been with me most of my life, and it feels strange not to have it. The amulet vibrates under my touch, softer than when I wore it, more like starlight than dragon fire.

“I know.” Diana rests her forehead down next to me. She doesn’t fight or question its power like I always did. She simply accepts it, the way children accept magic as natural.

“I’m so sorry, Diana, I never meant…” Darkness tries to take me.

“Dad!”

I open my eyes to see Costin helping Paul. He releases the man to slump next to the doorframe. Diana rushes to her father.

“I’m okay,” Paul mutters, sliding down the wall. His face is pale, and he looks like he might be sick. “That was...” He covers his mouth with his hand and shudders as if stopping himself from throwing up. “That was something else.”

Supernatural travel isn’t easy on mortals. I remember my first time, the disorientation and nausea. It hasn’t improved, though I know what to expect now. Diana seems to have handled it better.

“Dad?” She touches his face. “Are you okay?”

He manages a weak smile. “Just need a minute, sweetheart.”

Costin crosses the office in agitation. He glances at the door every few steps like he’s waiting for something. The room spins when I try to track his movement, so I close my eyes.

“Costin…” I reach for him. Instantly, he’s by my side. “Promise me…”

“Stop. Don’t ask that of me,” he denies.

“Promise me, Costin.” I need him to say the words. “Promise that you won’t let me become a monster. I don’t want to be a werewolf or come back as a ghost. I don’t want to be a creature of the night. Don’t try to change me into a vampire. Let me go.”

I’ve seen what monsters do. I don’t want that eternity.

Before he can answer, Astrid sweeps into the office. She’s holding her heels in one hand as if she ran to get here. Her perfect composure is cracked with worry. “I went to Thane’s sanctuary but found it abandoned. They moved the ritual site—” Her gaze finds me on the couch and her eyes widen. “What happened? Where did you go?”

“Tamara needs help,” he says.

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