Page 5 of Riot of Autumn

Pain stabs in my stomach. My bones ache like someone has each and every single one of them in a vise and is trying to snap them into a different shape. I’m losing control of my body. My fear and panic make everything worse.

“Ezra,” Ruby says my name louder, her other hand coming up to cradle my cheek.

“Ruby,” I groan out her name, unable to get anything else out as I fall to my knees.

Ruby cries out, following me down to the floor. My hand is still wrapped around hers. I can’t let go of it. It’s a lifeline I need in order to keep from losing myself.

“What’s wrong? I swear I didn’t poison the sandwich. Where does it hurt? Did one of those bastards curse you?”

I open my mouth to answer her, but all that comes out is a groan. Fuck. Everything hurts. My body is on fire. And I know exactly why it’s happening.

I’m shaking, trying to hold on, not wanting the magic to take over. My grip on Ruby’s wrist loosens, and her arms slide around me. She hugs me tight to her body like she can hold off the spasms wracking me by willpower alone.

The sweet scent of citrus and berries fills my lungs. I bury my face in Ruby’s neck, inhaling another hit of her. It’s like my own personal drug. Or maybe that’s just Ruby. Her presence makes something inside of me click into its proper place.

“Ezra,” Ruby’s voice is shaky, quiet, so unlike her normal confident tone. “What’s happening?”

I focus on the smell of her, the way her hands smooth up and down my back. My arms hang limply at my sides, but after a few more deep breaths, I slide them around her body. I hold on to her like she’s the anchor to my humanity.

“I’m okay,” I finally grit out, the pain all but subsided by now.

Ruby pulls back to look at me. “You’re not okay. What was that?”

I meet her gaze, finding worried green eyes searching my face. I should tell her. It’s stupid not to, but I know how much Ruby doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Axis. And to reveal why this is happening? Because her touch, being near her, makes the magic inside me go crazy. Fuck, how the hell can I explain that?

Knowing Ruby, she’d stomp away from me, thinking I’m blaming her. There would be another fight, and I can’t handle that right now. Not while I’m wrapped in her arms and drowning in her scent. So, I take the coward’s way out.

“Low blood sugar.” I peel her hands off my neck, hating myself as I do.

Ruby rears back and then scowls at me. “You just ate a huge sandwich.”

Shit, I can’t even think straight.

“Can we just go to sleep? I’m exhausted.”

Ruby shoves at my shoulder as she stands. I nearly fall over when I catch a glimpse of the entire side of her breast and then the rounded curve of her ass in the smallest shorts I’ve ever seen. The heat in my chest swirls again, and I take a deep breath to calm it back down.

“Whatever. If you insist on staying, you know where the blankets are.”

Ruby stalks out of the kitchen. The slam of her bedroom door tells me we’re done for the night. I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed. Ruby doesn’t like change. A lot of shit has happened over the last year, altering our lives and the relationships around us. Maybe I’m a coward for being afraid of how Ruby will react to one more revelation, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.

3

EZRA

The buzzing of a phone wakes me up the next morning. Despite losing all my clothes last night, I managed to find my phone in the clearing. Thank fuck. I really don’t want the hassle of getting a new one set up.

“Fuck off,” Ruby shouts from her bedroom.

I already know she’s talking to her phone, which I hear buzzing in her room as well. Screw this supersonic hearing. I heard Ruby shifting around in her bed last night for a good twenty minutes before exhaustion claimed her. The image of her in those tiny shorts, legs tangled in her sheets, taunted me until I considered jacking off just to calm the fuck down. Christ, just the memory of the outfit is giving me a hard on.

I swipe my phone off the table to see why both of our message alerts are going off.

“Shit,” I hiss when I see multiple texts from Rhys. He’s sent them out to the group, which explains why Ruby’s phone’s been going off, too.

Rhys: 911 We’ve got a problem. We need to meet.

Ezra: I need a shower and my own clothes. Everyone come over to my place in two hours. We’ll talk about whatever is going on then.

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