Page 105 of Bite Me

“I was summoned for a secret crisis.”

Zant is Parker’s best friend, so since Parker has integrated into our family, naturally, Zant has too. He’ll tell Parker about this, but if I ask, he’ll wait. I don’t think Parker minds, either, because he doesn’t have time for every crisis in our lives, though he wants us to be safe in a world that’s out for our blood constantly.

My head pounds with every step he takes toward me. He places a hand on my head. “Yeah, you’re burning up, and you smell . . . strange. Very strange.”

He crinkles his nose as if my scent is actually repulsive.

“I’m not going to the doctor. Especially not now.”

“Yeah, I saw the forum article on my way here.”

“How bad is it? Is everyone talking about it?”

“Um, I wouldn’t say everyone.”

“I can’t go. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Zant and my sister exchange glances.

“Have you and Dacre been spending a lot of time together?”

“I mean . . . Yes, of course, we’re both in the culinary club.”

“No, closer than that. Anything . . . skin-to-skin? You don’t have to tell me details, but if you and Dacre really are scent-matches, you might be having a heat-like reaction. It’s different from what female Weres get, a lot less intense, but it would explain your scent. You smell unpleasant to other vampires, but likely smell irresistible to Dacre.”

When I sit up, I have to grip the nightstand to steady myself.

“Emma, you really do need to see the doctor. They should be able to give you something. Also, they can explain it way better than I can.”

“But . . . I’m going to be ambushed the moment I set foot outside. I bet it was Luther or Verity. One of them found out, and . . .”

“Do you want me to take you to Dacre? He was looking for you. Quite frantically, I might add. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him I knew where you were.”

“No, please. If I have to go, will you . . . walk with us?” I grab my sister’s hand because the thought of walking with this pain is daunting.

They’re gonna have to drag me.

“You got it.”

“Your suspicions are correct.” The doctor’s gray, wiry hair peeks out from her bun as she scooches her rolling chair next to me. “You are experiencing a rare condition caused by being in proximity to a scent-match. I’m afraid it’s a little too late to give you any treatment for it, but I can give you something for the future that will suppress it, and I can send you home with some medicinals that will ease your pain and lower your fever.”

I try to blink past the blinding light that’s shining in my face since she checked my throat. The smell of the room adds to my nausea. I spent so many days visiting the clinic with my mother when she donated that I can’t help but associate antiseptics with the sickening anxiety I’d get watching her donate.

“This is a shock to you.”

“A little. I . . . don’t know much about this stuff. I’m from Groveshire, where it’s mostly humans rejecting modern magical medicine at every turn.”

She nods, placing her hands in her lap. “What do you want to know?”

“Why is this happening to me, and how do I make it stop?”

“Scent-matches are statistically rare. Generally, your condition is thought to affect less than 1 percent of the population because it’s uncommon to find matches in pheromones. Though we think that number might be a little higher, considering some may have a match but never meet them in their lifetime. It looks like you’ve found yours, though, since you’re experiencing fevour pains. They can be alleviated through fevour-suppressing potions, but they must be administered before it begins, or symptoms will only be alleviated by male ejaculation or a few days’ time.”

So sex, specifically sex with Dacre, is the only way to feel better. It’s like a cold, where sex is my only medicine. Mortified doesn’t even cover it.

I sit back in my chair. “Oh.”

It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with him. I’ve thought about it, but I don’t want this to be the reason he chooses to do that with me. Plus, there’s a much more pressing issue. Dacre has a very beautiful almost fiancée. I don’t want to complicate our feelings with sex, because casual isn’t something I think is possible with him.