Shadow Breeds

Chapter 17

Ashe

I woke up in a cold sweat again. According to the clock it was just past three, so I pushed myself up to sit and slightly startled myself further when my fingers touched August's arm. I surprisingly still wasn't used to sleeping with another person in the same bed. I checked his face and then watched his chest rise and fall momentarily before deciding that he was still asleep.

Suddenly, a twisted feeling in my stomach started up and I ran to the bathroom, vomiting the second my knees hit the floor in front of the toilet. It felt like it had gone on forever. Once I finished, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on catching my breath. When I opened them again, I gasped and leaned back over the toilet to get a better look.

I had thrown up blood, a lot of it. I'm pretty sure that's all that came out. I felt my anxiety spike and I scooted away from the toilet, trying to think of what to do next. My head felt heavy and dizzy so I rested it in my hands, with my knees supporting my arms.

A faint knock sounded by the door and I peeked up to see Magna with, as usual, a cup of tea. I shook my head and motioned her away from the bathroom. She stepped into the room anyways and with a glance at the contents of the toilet, pursed her lips. "Today's the day, although it's quite early to be experiencing any symptoms," she tapped her chin as if in thought.

After a moment her eyes darted to mine and she froze, her expression slowly morphing into one of awe. I scrunched my face in concerned confusion, she parted her lips as if to say something but, nothing came out.

I lifted my brows at her, silently pressing for an explanation. Instead, Magna simply turned and walked out. 'What the hell,' I thought to myself but quickly shook it off. Even if it was important, I still wasn't sure I trusted her to tell me what I needed to know. I'd wait and ask August.

"Hey," as soft at it was, I still jumped in surprise when August's tired voice came from the doorway. Speak of the devil I guess. I let out a small groan and pointed at the toilet, "can you explain?"

He gave it a short glance before sitting in the floor next to me, "uh, well it's not supposed to happen this early in the day but, step one is the toxin flush. Anything that doesn't aid in your immortal health will be purged from your body, it usually takes a few hours." I just nodded.

'Great, another few hours of what just happened and I might die,' I thought to myself. "You won't die from losing whatever is forced out but, you are going to need to drink blood when the first step is finished," he said hesitantly while fiddling with his thumbs. "Please tell me that's the worst of it," I said, already knowing that it probably wouldn't be.

I had been briefed on what to expect, but even so, I knew you had to experience something first hand in order to truly understand it. Everyone experiences everything differently, I groaned. He sighed and went to wrap an arm around my shoulders but before he could, I felt myself lean towards the toilet as more chunky blood exploded from my throat. "Don't touch me right now, it's too hot in here," I gasped out once I could speak again.

I heard the sound of the bathroom window opening and a gust of cool wind brushed over me. It didn't come with the relief I expected, instead it sent me into another vomiting frenzy as my body felt like it had been dipped into an ice bath. The chill bumps that sprinkled my skin were almost painful, "holy fuck, shut the window," I managed to get out through chattering teeth.