The fever didn't stop.
It deepened.
It throbbed through my bones like a drumbeat, ancient and primal. Like something inside me had just cracked open and started to scream.
I stumbled forward. My fingers scraped the nearest stone pillar, trying to keep my balance. My body burned with heat, not entirely mine.
I barely heard Kieran's voice behind me. "Athena—"
"Don't." My voice was hoarse. "Don't touch me."
But I was lying.
I wanted him to touch me. Needed it like a breath.
My hands trembled as I pressed them to my belly. It was as if magic and heat had nested beneath my skin and were now clawing to be let out. My legs buckled slightly, and I collapsed against the pillar, panting.
"Something's wrong," I gasped.
He was beside me now. I could feel his presence, feel the panic in his magic as it crackled in the air.
"What is it? Tell me what's happening."
I looked up at him, eyes wild. "I don't know. But I think…" My voice broke. "I think I'm going into heat."
He flinched.
