Page 249 of Midnights
I stumble back, shaking my head. “Please, I'm not who you think I am! I don’t know what’s happening, but I'm not—” The words pour out, and it feels like a dam breaking.
He steps closer, and his voice is so calm despite the storm raging around us. I can feel everything—the thunder, the wind ripping through the trees—but at the same time, it's like the storm is under my skin too.
“Raven, sweetheart,listen to me.”
His hands find mine, and I feel him squeeze.
“We’ll figure this out, but I need you to breathe.”
I shake my head, trying to pull away, but his hands hold me in place. The air crackles, pressing against my skin like a vice.
Crack.
A nearby tree splinters apart as the blinding flash carves a stark white streak into the darkness. The deafening roar of thunder slams through my chest like a battering ram, and the force of it vibrates in my bones.
A strangled gasp tears from my throat as the storm shakes the ground.
“I can’t,” I whisper.
I canfeelthe storm inside me. Burning and freezing at the same time invading every nerve. It feels like an unrelenting force clawing to beunleashed. My hands tremble violently, but all I hear is the loud, endless ringing in my ears.
The wind screams through the trees, and you can hear the branches snapping like brittle bones. Leaves spiral through the sky, caught in the violent current, and I can feel the ground pulse under my feet.
I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel it climbing higher with every frantic beat of my heart.
“Raven.”
Cam’s voice slices through the storm. Louder this time.
His hands move to my face, gripping my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.
“If you don’t calm down, you’ll burn yourself out.” His thumbs press against my jaw, anchoring me. “And that isnotgood. Do you hear me?”
The sky splits open, unleashing a torrential downpour.
Rain comes down in sheets, soaking us instantly. It slams against my skin, cold and punishing, but the storm inside me doesn’t care. It rages, clawing for control. The world is unraveling, and I can’t stop it.
Somewhere deep inside me I feel something stir. And the only sound I hear is a whisper.
Fight.
A choked sob escapes my lips, but the sound is swallowed by the roaring wind. My chest tightens, squeezing until I can’t breathe.
I start to feel a strange warmth spread through me, but it doesn't feel like it usually does. It feels foreign, but calming. I can feel it radiating through my body, grabbing hold of my limbs, and pooling in my fingertips.
Cam’s grip tightens and I can feel something warm trailing down my face. My stomach drops and I force my eyes open, blinking through the rain. I can taste the blood as it mixes with the rain.
He catches my wrist mid-air and the sight of him startles me. His eyes are glowing and a faint pulse of light flickers in their depths. It's beautiful and yet, unnatural. I feel like I can't breathe.
For the first time, Cam feels like a stranger.
“I’m so sorry, Raven.”
His grip tightens but his voice stays calm. The power radiating off him intensifies and all I hear through the ringing in my ears is, “... safe.”
The words barely register before something settles over me, drowning me in a tide of unnatural stillness.
No.
