Page 77 of Molt

Pain explodes through him and he screams then his knees buckle.

“August!” I catch him.

Something tears inside his chest.

I can hear it. Feel it. Then something changes inside mine. A second heartbeat.

I freeze.

No.

Thump.

Thump.

My own heart.

Then underneath it…thump.

Slower. Deeper.

His.

“Oh my God.” I press my hand against my chest.

August does the same to his as his face turns white. “Lenora.”

“I can feel you.”

His heartbeat inside me.

Two rhythms.

Two people.

One body slowly becoming something else.

“No.” My voice breaks. “No, no, no.”

His heartbeat weakens beneath his palm.

Mine grows louder.

The truth settles between us.

My love accelerates it too.

The cycle isn’t feeding on August alone.

It’s feeding on us.

Glass crunches across the room. We both turn. No one is there. But the wall above the broken jars is wet.

Black letters bleed through the paint.

I grip August’s hand.

NOW YOU REMEMBER WHY I MADE YOU FORGET.