ALEXANDER
I don’t know how long I had been asleep when the heat started to press against me. At first, it slipped into my dreams...like flames licking at my skin, fire curling around me. But when I startled awake, my breath heavy and sharp, I realized it wasn’t a dream at all.
The fire was real.
Faye.
She was lying beside me, her body twisting slightly under the sheets, her skin burning so hot it seared even through the damp cloth of her nightwear. I touched her arm and it was as though I’d pressed my hand to molten steel. She was shivering—violent, uncontrolled tremors that made her lips part with tiny, broken sounds.
“Faye.” My voice cut low. I shook her gently, but her eyes didn’t open. “Faye, wake up.”
No response.
I cursed under my breath and pushed off the bed. My instincts s
