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We wentto sleep that night curled together. I rolled onto my side and Raina wedged herself against me until we were basically spooning. When I closed my eyes and inhaled, though, I smelled nothing.
I had no idea what she smelled like, if her hair was soft or ticklish, if her feet were warm or cold, but that only made me crave her more. I wanted to discover all the answers.
“Good night,” she sighed, snuggling closer, and I smiled, honored that she was here.
“’Night.”
I didn’t think I’d fall asleep so easily after that. So much was happening. I’d started a new semester that was geared almost completely toward my pre-med courses; next year’s football season was looming closer; Connor Resson seemed to be on a mission to get me a bad rep; my parents were intent on kicking me out of the house; Keene had just learned his mom was a ghost; Parker was beginning to worry me with his drinking; and Raina?—
It seemed more imperative than ever that shenotdie.
She just couldn’t.
I needed her to wake up from that coma.
But all my worries couldn’t seem to hold up against the solid presence of her against me, and I fell into a deep, content sleep despite everything.
Except a nudge woke me in the dead of the night.
At first, I thought it was Little crawling into bed with me, and I didn’t think much of it. Until the whimper of pain that followed.
“Little?” I murmured, rousing to check on her.
She didn’t answer.
Reaching out, I flipped on my night lamp.
My sister was nowhere in the room.
Next to me, Raina made another sound of distress and thrashed in her sleep. When her arm bumped against mine, I actually felt warmth. Not just mere pressure.
Confused, I reached for her, almost expecting to grasp hold of her arm. But my fingers went through her skin as usual.
Okay, so she was still Spirit Girl. Then why could I feel heat?
“Raina?” I said, sitting up fully.
She kept sleeping.
“Raina!” I tried a little more loudly. “Darlin’, you need to wake up for me, okay?”
She made a protesting sound.
So I became firmer. “Raina, open your eyes.”
Her lashes fluttered.
“That’s it, beautiful. Wake up for me now.”
She blinked a few times and then frowned at me. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s what I was going to askyou,” I told her with an amused smile as I reached for her hair without thinking. But my fingers only touched air. “Are you okay?”
She whimpered out a sound that told me she didn’t like being woken in the middle of the night, and she started to roll away from me. “Yeah? Why?”
“You made a sound in your sleep,” I explained. “It sounded like you were in pain.”
