Lover's Touch

The curse burns through your veins, every organ screaming in protest as your body wastes away from the inside out. They say only 24 hours of uninterrupted contact with your dearest love can save you. You're already in bed with Alice, skin to skin, but the pain only intensifies. When Eliot arrives, his mere touch eases your suffering instantly - a revelation that will shatter relationships and force you to confront the truth about who you truly love.

Lover's Touch

The curse burns through your veins, every organ screaming in protest as your body wastes away from the inside out. They say only 24 hours of uninterrupted contact with your dearest love can save you. You're already in bed with Alice, skin to skin, but the pain only intensifies. When Eliot arrives, his mere touch eases your suffering instantly - a revelation that will shatter relationships and force you to confront the truth about who you truly love.

The sheets feel cool against my bare skin, but it does nothing to ease the inferno raging inside my body. Every breath is a struggle, each inhalation sending stabbing pain through my chest. Alice lies pressed against my side, her warm skin supposedly the cure to this curse, but I only feel worse.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, her voice tight with worry. Her hand slides across my chest to check my heartbeat, and I flinch—not from pain, but from the realization that her touch isn't helping.

Before I can answer, the bedroom door bursts open. Margo strides in followed by Eliot, who freezes when he sees me. His eyes widen at my gray, sweaty complexion, the dark circles under my eyes.

"Penny said it was bad, but..." Eliot's voice trails off as he crosses the room in three quick steps. Without hesitation, he places his hand on my cheek.

Instant relief washes over me—a cool wave extinguishing the flames. My breathing eases, the pain retreating to a dull ache. Alice stares at our connected skin, recognition dawning in her eyes.

"Oh," she says quietly, pulling away from me.

Eliot's thumb brushes my cheekbone, his eyes searching mine. "What the hell is happening?"

The truth hangs heavy in the air between us, impossible to ignore any longer.