Page 71 of Shifters' Fated Summer
“Good morning, Summer.”
Forcing a smile, I echoed her, “Morning, Lana. Have a good run?”
“Oh yes, I’m trying to get a feel for the territory. Have you ever explored those waterfalls on the far side of the lake?”
My teeth ground together. “No, can’t say that I have.”
“You haven’t even hiked around the lake, have you?” she said, her polite words turning into a sneer.
Ugh, this woman was wildly unlikable.
“It’s only been a couple of weeks, and we’ve been busy prepping for the mission and with other things.” I arched my eyebrows, daring her to ask.
“Hmm, yeah I guess you’ve been screwing someone other than your fated mate. My cousin’s always been...” She tilted her head, pressing a finger into her cheek like she was deep in thought.
“Don’t finish that sentence,” I warned, my patience running thin. “It’s none of your business.”
“Hey, I get it, if he wasn’t my cousin…” she drawled. “But you can’t exactly stonewall Cade while you’re fucking Luca.”
“That’s not what’s happening!”
A growl rumbled from my chest. My blood heated, and rage clouded my vision. I got to my feet unsteadily, facing Lana with my shoulders squared.
“It’s what it looks like to me. You’re screwing your fated mate’s mate. Kinda twisted.” She shrugged, her ponytail swinging.
Sweat broke out over my forehead and my stomach clenched. This was more than rage. Something was wrong. Maybe my breakfast was bad?
A flush climbed up my neck, stinging my cheeks, and down my arms until the inside of my elbows and wrist stung too.
“I don’t feel good,” I mumbled, swaying.
Lana’s sneer turned to a scowl and she stepped back a pace. I gripped the arm of my chair and pivoted, thinking a cold shower and staying near the toilet was my best bet.
This felt like detoxing off vampire venom, but worse. Less nausea and more fever.
Cade stood in the doorway, watching our exchange. His eyes locked on me, but I was too consumed with this sudden sickness to sense his emotions.
My skin was on fire. The muscles in my arms and legs hurt, and my stomach cramped so badly I doubled over. I wasn’t going to make it into the bathroom. I needed reliefnow. Something cool to take away the inferno consuming me.
Shoving past Lana, I stumbled forward, nearly falling as I descended the couple of steps from the deck to the dock.
The glittering lake stretched out before me. I’d never been in the lake but it had to be cool.
I was starting to suspect it had never been a warm morning, and I had been feverish since I woke up.
The expanse of blue and silver looked so appealing. It would wash away this horrid feeling and extinguish the fire that was killing me from the inside out.
I couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t reason. I just needed relief. A few more steps, each one agony, and I fell. My arms windmilled, my muscles taut with pain, as I toppled into the water.
It splashed as I hit the surface, and the noise of it was swallowed up by the icy water rushing into my ears. It enveloped me, cooling that burn exquisitely.
For a suspended moment, I floated, the sudden relief choking me. My muscles still ached, and my stomach was cramping horribly, but the awful burn had been cooled.
But then my body began to sink, drifting downward. With my muscles already pained, it was difficult to move my arms and legs, and my first attempt at swimming failed miserably.
I’d never had swimming lessons, a fact that had escaped me until this moment. Shit.
The water swirled around me, stirred up like something else was here. I peeled my eyes open, but there was nothing but bubbles and shadowy water, until hands seized me.
