Bitten

Chapter 24- Visions

"You've been marked by the dead."

Declans words echoed in my ears, rattling around like nonsensical babble.

And yet, it made perfect since.

I did die. I did make a deal with a dead woman to come back.

Rose said there would be consequences. But what does being marked by the dead mean?

"You said Adrian's father had this mark?"

Declan nodded, visibly swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Its been a long time since I've seen the photo, but it was on the back of his hand. The Blood Moon pack used to say that their alpha died and came back in a fight against Gerard when he was much younger. When he came back, the pack said he had obtained the ability to communicate with the dead. They would show him visions of the future, and they drove him to eventual madness. That mark killed him."

Declan pointed to the mark on my neck, his hands shaking.

My stomach dropped about a thousand feet, and I felt my throat seize shut.

"These Mark's are extremely rare." Declan said. "The dead dont tend to choose favorites. Yet they chose you."

Instead of surprise, Declans voice was filled with sadness, as if this mark on my neck was a sure sign of my demise.

"I'm not like Adrian. He is blood, and that's it. I will not be like him or his father."

Declan nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, Claire. Just know this means things will be different for you than they are for me. You will be able to see things I cant. Everything you see, I want you to tell me, no matter what it is. Understand?"

There was a hint of distrust in my voice that made my heart ache.

Does Declan not trust me?

None the less, I nodded my head.

"Whatever I see, I'll tell you. Can I take a shower now?" I tried my best to hide the hurt in my voice, but by Declans sudden change in expression, I had failed.

"You know where to find me if you need me." He responded, turning on his heels and leaving out the bathroom door.

A part of me felt guilty for brushing him off, but another part of me needed to be alone, and at the moment, that was the part of me that had won.
***

It was nearly 4 in the morning before I managed to find the time to sleep. The hours had somehow passed by quickly during my shift, and it left my body weak.

By the time I finished my shower, my muscles began to ache.

I shuffled out of the bathroom and down the hallway, peering into the guest bedroom nearby as I passed.

Adrian was still out cold, his soft snores echoing off the wooden walls and reverberating in my ears. The sound came out so mealodous, I nearly forgot about everything bad he's done.

Seeing him asleep and wounded like this, he seemed so vulnerable.

And yet, there was the matter of his pack.

I shuttered at the thought of his rogue pack, and how unruly they must be without him.

I continued down the hallway, praying for Adrian's speedy recovery.