propelled me forward. I needed to go to him, hold him, and shelter him from the pain.
David cried out and spun toward us. Slightly bronzed, peachy membrane bubbled as it stretched over his cheeks and formed a human nose. Long lashes fluttered over eyes as blue as Earth’s sky on a clear summer day. I shook off the shock and raised my camera. Click .
But my lungs grew heavy. This was David … in agony. What kind of person takes pictures like that?
Our gazes met. Dread flooded through me, then pressure. But not pushing toward me. More like pulling in. Concealing. Hiding. I let my camera fall to my waist.
I shouldn’t be here . I needed to leave. Now.
I turned toward the door.
Wait. I couldn’t leave him. I’d never leave him. I struggled against the foreign strength pushing me toward the exit.
I blinked, and my mind cleared. My gaze shot back to David. “Nice try,” I whispered. “I’m not leaving you.”
“No!” David’s voice blasted through the walls. “Get her away. I can’t—” He fell forward, folding at the hips.
I slammed my fists against the glass, as if it would bring me closer. David grimaced, and my heart broke to pieces when Jared Linden’s face looked back at me: the features of an actor I’d never met, encasing the eyes of the guy I fell in love with in the woods.
His entire body convulsed. “Get her out!”
His eyes widened, and a lance cut into me—a burning hot poker that sliced through my chest and skinned me alive. I dropped my camera and screamed, clawing at the phantom creatures gnawing off my flesh.
Nematali grabbed me. “What’s wrong?”
Her words drowned beneath my shriek, ricocheting through my brain.
I flopped to the floor, rolling to stop the fire from eating through my clothing, but there were no flames to quench.
“Help me!”
My back arched, my body struggled to fight against the unseen invader ripping me apart from the inside out. I clawed at my face, but Nematali grabbed my hands.
“Make it stop!” Tears flooded my eyes.
Nematali’s blurry form glanced through the window, agape. Her gaze returned to me.
“Help me!” I barely recognized my voice for the rasp that came from my lips.
Nematali pulled something out of her pocket, and a flash of silver crossed my eyes. The pain dulled into a swirling torture of pins, whips, and chains assaulting me from all angles.
“This is your own doing,” Nematali whispered.
The room faded to black.
13
A male voice sputtered words I didn’t understand. Someone moved beside me.
“Jessica Natalie?” Nematali’s voice reverberated in my mind.
The scents of pine and waffles wrapped me up and gave me a hug. I blinked three times, and two people came into focus. Nematali and some purple dude.
The alien muttered something in Erescopian. He placed a rigid container next to me on the couch.
I blinked the sleepiness from my eyes. Was I home?
“I’m telling you, she felt his pain,” Nematali said.
“That is not possible.” The dude leaned down, nearly touching my nose.
“Of course it isn’t possible. That’s why I called for you.”
He took something out of his pack. “She’s human. No one would take such a risk.”
“No one ever said Tirran Coud wasn’t young and impulsive.”
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on?” I asked, sitting up.
“You have had a difficult afternoon.” Nematali tapped my shoulder.
Tremors of needles and knives ghosted across my skin. I shuddered. “What happened?”
“That is what we are trying to ascertain.” The dude held a pencil-sized silver cylinder close to my eyes.
I shrunk back. “And who are you?”
“There is no need to fear,” Nematali said. “This is my mate, Falen Nematali.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better because … ?”
Falen blinked his huge, turquoise eyes three times. “Because any other technician would deem you property of the state and cut you open to find out why you seem to have a mental
David cried out and spun toward us. Slightly bronzed, peachy membrane bubbled as it stretched over his cheeks and formed a human nose. Long lashes fluttered over eyes as blue as Earth’s sky on a clear summer day. I shook off the shock and raised my camera. Click .
But my lungs grew heavy. This was David … in agony. What kind of person takes pictures like that?
Our gazes met. Dread flooded through me, then pressure. But not pushing toward me. More like pulling in. Concealing. Hiding. I let my camera fall to my waist.
I shouldn’t be here . I needed to leave. Now.
I turned toward the door.
Wait. I couldn’t leave him. I’d never leave him. I struggled against the foreign strength pushing me toward the exit.
I blinked, and my mind cleared. My gaze shot back to David. “Nice try,” I whispered. “I’m not leaving you.”
“No!” David’s voice blasted through the walls. “Get her away. I can’t—” He fell forward, folding at the hips.
I slammed my fists against the glass, as if it would bring me closer. David grimaced, and my heart broke to pieces when Jared Linden’s face looked back at me: the features of an actor I’d never met, encasing the eyes of the guy I fell in love with in the woods.
His entire body convulsed. “Get her out!”
His eyes widened, and a lance cut into me—a burning hot poker that sliced through my chest and skinned me alive. I dropped my camera and screamed, clawing at the phantom creatures gnawing off my flesh.
Nematali grabbed me. “What’s wrong?”
Her words drowned beneath my shriek, ricocheting through my brain.
I flopped to the floor, rolling to stop the fire from eating through my clothing, but there were no flames to quench.
“Help me!”
My back arched, my body struggled to fight against the unseen invader ripping me apart from the inside out. I clawed at my face, but Nematali grabbed my hands.
“Make it stop!” Tears flooded my eyes.
Nematali’s blurry form glanced through the window, agape. Her gaze returned to me.
“Help me!” I barely recognized my voice for the rasp that came from my lips.
Nematali pulled something out of her pocket, and a flash of silver crossed my eyes. The pain dulled into a swirling torture of pins, whips, and chains assaulting me from all angles.
“This is your own doing,” Nematali whispered.
The room faded to black.
13
A male voice sputtered words I didn’t understand. Someone moved beside me.
“Jessica Natalie?” Nematali’s voice reverberated in my mind.
The scents of pine and waffles wrapped me up and gave me a hug. I blinked three times, and two people came into focus. Nematali and some purple dude.
The alien muttered something in Erescopian. He placed a rigid container next to me on the couch.
I blinked the sleepiness from my eyes. Was I home?
“I’m telling you, she felt his pain,” Nematali said.
“That is not possible.” The dude leaned down, nearly touching my nose.
“Of course it isn’t possible. That’s why I called for you.”
He took something out of his pack. “She’s human. No one would take such a risk.”
“No one ever said Tirran Coud wasn’t young and impulsive.”
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on?” I asked, sitting up.
“You have had a difficult afternoon.” Nematali tapped my shoulder.
Tremors of needles and knives ghosted across my skin. I shuddered. “What happened?”
“That is what we are trying to ascertain.” The dude held a pencil-sized silver cylinder close to my eyes.
I shrunk back. “And who are you?”
“There is no need to fear,” Nematali said. “This is my mate, Falen Nematali.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better because … ?”
Falen blinked his huge, turquoise eyes three times. “Because any other technician would deem you property of the state and cut you open to find out why you seem to have a mental
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