EXCERPT
Heat
Level: PG13
I felt
feverish, and I couldn't move. I tried to open my eyes, but something heavy
weighed on my eyelids.
Although
I couldn't see or move, I heard voices around me. The first one was female, and
she had an English accent like Sheriff Gray. "She's still got a fever."
Then, I
heard a male voice. "What if she doesn't wake up?" He had the
same accent, but he wasn’t the sheriff.
At that
moment, I realized they were talking about me. "Don't worry...she will."
"It's
my fault. Dad’s going to bloody kill me."
"It's
not your fault. Stop saying that. She’ll be okay, and Dad will
understand."
"I
shouldn't have brought her here."
"You
did the right thing by bringing her here. I can take care of her."
There was
a momentary pause. "What if she finds out?"
"That's
for Dad to decide."
The
voices faded in and out. Sleep bore down on me, but the last words I heard from
the man stuck in my head. "I'll watch over her."
A
severely dry mouth and splitting headache interrupted my peaceful sleep. I
couldn’t hear the two voices, but I heard breathing in my left ear like someone
was sleeping next to me. I tried to open my eyes so that I could ask them for
water and medicine for my headache. The weight on my eyes was gone, so I tried
to open them, but they felt sticky this time. I struggled to peel them open,
blinking rapidly to loosen my eyelashes.
When I
finally opened my eyes, they felt swollen. The pain in my head spread
throughout my entire body. Dim light surrounded me in this strange room. I lay
on a bed and looked up at the ceiling. I tried to speak, but my throat was dry.
Only a quiet wheeze escaped. A low groan followed as my headache pounded
against my temples. I still felt hot and sweaty. Layers of blankets covered me,
and I wanted to yank them off. When I touched my abdomen, I wore nothing but my
bra and panties.
My eyes
darted around the unfamiliar room. On the wall, I noticed a shadow of something
next to me. What the hell is that? I turned my head and saw a candle in
the window, but what cast the shadow scared me to death. A large, white wolf
lay on the floor beside me. There was no mistaking it for a dog. The bed was
low to the floor, and its head was close to mine. I opened my mouth wide,
prepared to scream, but wheezes and weak gasps escaped, instead. I thrashed my
head against the pillow, as if the motions would turn up the volume in my
voice. Finally, a shriek pushed through my sandpaper throat. It was a
high-pitched squeal at first, but then, it burst forth and filled the room. I
sat up quickly. Aching pain tore through my body, and I heard my bones crack.
The wolf
awoke with a start. It jerked its head up, and glowing, yellow eyes blinked
until they settled on me. I shrank away from it, nearly falling off the bed,
screaming until I went hoarse and gasped for breath. The wolf stood on all
fours, its size definitely that of a Great Dane. Our gazes locked for a brief
moment before the animal ran out the room. I sat against the headboard,
clutching the blankets against my chest. I was alone and terrified. Within
seconds, tears trickled down my cheeks.
