Again, I heard Bo’s voice and the warmth at my cheek became an annoying tap. I reached up to brush at my face and I felt something there. It was a hand.
A terrified scream gurgled in my burning throat as I flailed my arms, slapping at the air around me, at whatever was touching me.
“Ridley,” I heard Bo say. I stopped moving, reaching out for his voice and holding on tight.
“Bo?” I managed, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.
“I’m here,” he whispered.
“Where? Where are you?” I squinted into the darkness, searching desperately for his face in the tiny circle that was the mouth of the hole, far above me.
“Right here, Ridley.”
I felt the hand at my cheek again. When I reached out, I could feel Bo’s fingers, his wrist, his arm. But still, I saw nothing.
“It’s ok. You’re ok,” he said softly, his voice right at my ear.
I reached out with my other hand and I could feel Bo’s chest in front of me, where he leaned in to speak to me.
“Bo, I can’t see you.” I felt an irrational fear tremble in my gut.
“Open your eyes, baby.”
“They’re open.”
“No, they’re not, Ridley. Just open your eyes.”
“I’m trying. I can’t see you.”
My voice quivered with emotion, my chin drawing up, tears wetting my lashes.
“Come to me, Ridley. Wherever you’re at, come back here to me.”
Bo’s lips brushed mine and a calm stole over me.
“Bo, what’s happening?”
“You’re turning too fast, baby. You’re hallucinating. You need to wake up.”
“Turning? What?”
The dirt walls finally fell, giving way to reality as it rushed in. My lids fluttered against the bright, white light that blinded me. Holding my hand up to shield my face, I squinted. A sob clogged my throat when I was able to make out the glorious sight of Bo hovering over me.
He pulled me up into his arms and buried his face in my neck. I inhaled, the odor of damp earth replaced by Bo’s fresh, tangy scent.
Gingerly, I opened my eyes wider. The ceiling of Sebastian’s den hung above me, the same one I’d awakened to the night I’d lost time. Bo’s hair tickled my cheek and I could hear the steady thump of his heart.
A gushing, flowing sound interrupted my cataloging of my surroundings. It seemed to be punctuated by Bo’s heartbeat. I listened more closely, but couldn’t identify it as something familiar, as something I’d heard before. And then Bo’s words came back to me, words he’d just spoken.
You’re turning too fast, baby.
The pain in my chest worsened, nearly stealing my breath, and the swishing noise grew louder and louder. My throat seemed to seize around a knot of dry dust lodged there and I leaned back to look at Bo. Something was wrong.
I pushed at Bo’s shoulders and he obliged by pulling away from me. My fingers were still twisted in his hair, which meant that my arms were stretched out in front of me. Only they weren’t. I fisted my hands, feeling the undeniable tickle of Bo’s hair against my palms. That’s when it all hit home.
My arms were invisible. I was invisible. Because I was turning into a vampire.