Page 86 of Solivagant

It was the bite. It had to have been. It was… changing me. Into whatever he was. He’d infected me.

Why?

My tongue pressed against my teeth to find them loose. My breathing was short. My skin was clammy as I reached into my mouth, touching one of my lower canines. It was loose. A slight tug was all it took for it to slip free. My tongue pressed into the bloodied void it left behind to find another sharp point beneath the surface.

The blood seeping from my gum was joined with blood ripped from my stomach as I hurled again.

I was changing. Into something other. Something that weren’t me.

I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

Pressure increased over my forehead. The skin was starting to split. It built and built.

I groaned. I thrashed against the sleeping bag, damp with blood and sweat, as if I could escape my own head.

Tusks reached for me. I tried to shove him away but I weren’t strong enough. I was so fucking weak.

He held me tight, preventing me from moving. His long tongue emerged to lick over the skin. It hurt worse. I sobbed. I tried to thrash against him, but I lacked the strength.

I heard a slick pop and with it came the worst pain I’d ever experienced mixed with immediate relief. Blood trickled down my temple, collected by his tongue.

I was so tired.

My eyes were so heavy.

The pain was easing with every lap of his tongue. But I still felt so cold. So weak.

I was mad at him. I didn’t know why he’d done this to me. But if I were dying, if it were killing me, as I strongly suspected it was, I didn’t want to die angry with him.

I reached up, taking hold of one of his horns in a weak grip as I stopped him from licking me and forced him to meet my gaze. I knew I only succeeded because he let me.

There was so much worry in his eyes. So much fear.

I swallowed. “You… listen to me. Okay? If…” I groaned. “If this… if this don’t go so well…” More blood filled my mouth, and I swallowed it back down. “Don’t put me there. Don’t keep me. This body… I won’t be there. Okay?” My eyes burned. “I won’t. You gotta… you gotta put me in the ground. You gotta let me go. You can’t… can’t stay here like this. You can’t… be waiting for me. Not again. You have to keep going. Okay?”

His eyes filled with gold.

Even his tears were beautiful.

Shadows danced around the edges of my vision.

My lips trembled. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to leave him here alone again.

“You’ve loved me… longer than I can remember. I didn’t know it were even possible to be loved like that. So thank you… for loving me. But please… let me go, Tusks. Don’t wait for me anymore.”

He whined. Gold fell from him to me. “You take my flower. Okay? You take it. And you use it. And… I’ll be with you that way.” My hand lowered from his face to his chest. “I’ll be here.”

It didn’t hurt anymore. My hand fell to my stomach. I no longer had the strength to lift it.

“I… forgive you.” No matter why he did it, I knew he never wanted this. “I love you. So please…” I couldn’t see. “Don’t wait anymore.”

Fingertips brushed through my hair, tucking it gently behind my ear. It was nice. I felt so loved. And that were all I ever truly wanted.

44

KHORLI

The transformation worked. At least physically. Jo was no longer human, he was other. He had beautiful horns and a tail. It had hurt him so badly to change. I’d healed the skin around his horns just like I’d healed the skin around his tail. The hurting was over now. As his consciousness had faded his features had looked so peaceful.