5. Cameron

Chapter 5

Cameron

It was getting late. The light around the curtains grew increasingly brighter, and I knew I should get up, but I just… couldn’t.

I barely remembered how I got home last night, just Phobos and his usual stream of nonstop chatter, so he must’ve driven me back. I’d slept like the dead, with no memory of waking or dreaming for the past 12 hours, but I was still entirely drained. My limbs were too heavy, and even opening my eyelids was a struggle. What the fuck was wrong with me? Even when I’d saved the world from Nefarious, after literally coming back from the dead, I’d just been a little sleepy the next day. Now I felt like I’d been hit by a ten-ton semi-truck. I felt hungover, even though I hadn’t had a drop to drink.

It had to have something to do with the new skills I’d somehow acquired. I’d always felt an affinity for the elements, being able to manipulate them a little, but nothing like this. Creating fire and ice from the air! That would’ve been handy to have ten years ago .

Fighting Nefarious, it hadn’t been a fair fight, not on the surface anyway. He was a grown man, and I was nothing but a child, just 14 years old. It wouldn’t have been considered a fair fight if it had been about physical strength. But in the end, it had been my power against his, and as he choked the life from my body, I’d simply entwined our souls and dragged him down with me. It had been a sick game of chicken, trying to see who could outlast the other. In the end, we both died… and only one of us came back. But maybe I didn’t come back unchanged. Had I somehow brought something back with me? Was that it?

And maybe now the underworld wanted me back—because I sure felt like I was dying.

I finally forced my limbs to move, and when I sat up, the room spun around me like I was on a rollercoaster. I groaned, resting my feet flat on the floor while I waited to regain my bearings. This was bad. Maybe I needed to see a doctor.

As I sat there, I began to parse through the memories from last night’s charity gala. The edges of my memory felt foggy, almost like I was watching it happen from the outside. Had I really battled with a god on the front lawn of city hall? And not just any god but Phobos’s hot evil brother. He’d really painted quite the picture, with his dark hair, violet eyes, and the way he’d filled out that tux, but then he’d revealed that he was the one behind all those kidnappings! Why were the bad guys always so good-looking? Probably to be a temptation for the good guys, to test their virtue or something. Well, when I’d first laid eyes on him, I hadn’t been feeling particularly virtuous.

I sighed. More likely, it was all just a dream. Maybe I didn’t have any new powers at all .

I stared down at my palms, and even before I could form a thought, they began to tingle and steam. “Shit.” I quickly shook my hands out, dispelling the building frost. So much for the dream theory.

Glancing at myself in the mirror, I didn’t look any different. There was nothing visibly wrong with me. My eyes looked clear, my skin rosy with sleep. It seemed impossible that everything I was feeling on the inside was just… invisible.

One slow, cautious step at a time, with a hand braced on the wall in case I fell, I made my way to the kitchen. I would grab a quick snack then head to the doctor’s office, though I had no clue what kind of lies I would have to tell them.

As I stepped into the kitchen, I bit back a groan when I saw Phobos, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, stirring something on the stove, the counter covered in dirty dishes, evidence of his cooking. “Morning, sunshine!” he sing-songed. “Hope you’re hungry, I made cinnamon-bun oatmeal.”

He spun around, brandishing his wooden spoon at me, but his smile slipped. “Oof, you look rough.”

“Uh, yeah, I didn’t sleep very well. I’m pretty sore after the battle.” That was a lie. I was more numb than anything.

Phobos nodded in understanding. “Mm, yes, that makes sense. Well, eat up, and we’ll have you on the mend in no time. I can’t be without my sidekick.”

As I mindlessly shoveled food into my mouth without even tasting it, I listened to Phobos give a rundown of what he’d picked up from the various news outlets. “Valleywood Entertainment is going on about how it was all a publicity stunt for an upcoming movie. The Mischief Daily is actually the closest in speculating that it was more than it appeared, but they’re just a gossip rag. Nobody takes them seriously. ”

I paused, my spoon halfway to my mouth. “And what about that statue I damaged. Will I have to pay for it?” They wouldn’t arrest me, surely.

Phobos flapped a hand in the air, like he was shooing away a pesky fly. “Don’t worry about it. Azazel had that hideous thing installed in front of city hall as a joke. Loki is glad to be rid of the thing. No harm, no foul.” There had actually been quite a bit of harm, I thought. “Besides, Azazel mentioned how he thought he could pitch this as a film idea at Valleywood Studios.”

My bowl was still half full when I pushed it away. I just wasn’t hungry, not with the ringing in my ears getting louder. I leaned heavily on the table and forced myself to stand.

“So, what are we doing today?” Phobos asked. He was in full-on golden retriever mode; I could almost see his tail wagging. “We could drive through the rougher neighborhoods, listening to my police scanner, see what we can drum up. I’ll even buy you ice cream.”

I hesitated. “That sounds… nice, but—”

He cut me off, his smile growing a bit strained at the edges. “Nah, you’re busy. I get it.”

“Next time,” I said kindly. I hated disappointing my new friend.

Phobos nodded and collected my bowl, putting it in the sink for me. “Sure. Next time.”

I hoped that whatever the doctor said, there would be a next time.

I chose a small clinic downtown, somewhere I wouldn’t be recognized, wearing my fake glasses as a disguise just in case. Considering I didn’t know what was wrong yet, I didn’t want this getting back to Phobos. What if he fired me? I really liked the job stability. I would fill him in later if he needed to know.

The clinic was on the corner of a four-story brick building, its facade stained with decades of car exhaust. They accepted walk-ins and cash payments, which fit my needs perfectly. The waiting room had rows of chairs with cracked vinyl seats, repaired with duct tape, and only a handful of other patients, none of which made eye contact with me. Everyone sat in total silence, only broken by the occasional cough or sniffle. I only had to wait 20 minutes or so before I was called back.

Someone knocked on the door, and a gruff older alpha in a white coat walked in. He had bushy gray eyebrows that looked like seagulls that were trying to fly off with his face. “I’m Dr. Adler. What seems to be the problem?”

He still hadn’t even looked at me as he plopped himself down in the squeaky chair in front of his computer and plucked his glasses up from where they hung on a string around his neck.

“Um, yeah, I’ve been having a lot of headaches, some dizzy spells. Burning and tingling in my hands and arms. Loss of balance.”

“Mm-hm,” he murmured, typing something in his notes.

I decided to take that sound as encouragement to continue. “And, uh, my body is changing in ways I can’t explain, but it feels like something is really wrong. I feel… disconnected from reality.”

“Yes, I see.” He did? I wish he would share what he saw with me, but he was still typing. Was he even listening? “How old are you?”

“I’m 24.” I tucked my hands between my legs to keep them from shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or my rapidly declining health.

Dr. Adler finished with his typing and spun his chair to face me, lowering his glasses just far enough down his nose to look over the rims at me. His eyes were a cloudy gray, those bushy brows encroaching on his vision when he frowned. “It sounds very much like you have a hormone imbalance. It’s very common in young omegas around your age. Is it near your ovulation?”

“I—what?” I blinked dumbly at him. Was he being serious? “You think this is hormones.”

He nodded while reaching into the front pocket of his coat and pulling out a prescription pad. “Yes, I know it might seem unlikely, but the endocrine system is responsible for an astounding number of symptoms. One hormone falls out of balance, and then they topple like dominos. Let’s get you on some suppressants. That should clear it right up.”

Now my frown shifted to a scowl. “I’m already taking suppressants.” I’d clearly listed it on the intake form when I first came in, though it was pretty obvious he hadn’t even looked at it.

“Ah! I knew it! That’s obviously the culprit right there. I think it would be best if we took you off the suppressants for now, and we’ll switch to another form of birth control. How’s that sound?”

It sounded suspiciously like he was trying to make my symptoms match his diagnosis.

The doctor slipped the script pad back in his pocket, removed his glasses, and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his rotund belly, internally congratulating himself on a job well done, another patient cured. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No. I think that’s—”

“Wonderful. You have a great day, and come back in three months if your symptoms haven’t improved.” He was up and out of his chair, already on his way out the door, on to his next patient, the tail of his coat flapping behind him much like Phobos’s cape .

I left the clinic feeling shaky and uncertain. Was it really as simple as my suppressants messing with my hormones? I’d been on them for five years, starting from back when I’d started dating Scott Strilek. We’d gotten pretty serious… or so I thought. Until I found out he was secretly a big Chosen One groupie who ran a fan site, and he’d been posting pictures and videos of us together online, selling some very private images. Talk about betrayal. I’d packed my things that very afternoon and high-tailed it to Valleywood. The change in scenery was exactly what I needed.

What I didn’t need was to get sick.

Well, there was no harm in trying to go off the pills. It wasn’t like I was even seeing anyone right now. If it made things better, then great. And if things got worse, well… I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

I just wished it was a quick fix. The hormones from the pills would likely take a while to work their way out of my system. How was I supposed to do my job when I felt like this? Even just driving home, I kept thinking about how dangerous it was, that I could too easily just fall asleep behind the wheel and coast into oncoming traffic.

Luckily, I made it back to the mansion and quietly made my way upstairs, hoping to avoid a conversation with Phobos. Fortunately, he seemed to be out somewhere, probably saving a senior or a kitten—or a senior kitten—so I crawled back into bed with a sigh. Even behind my closed eyelids, I could feel the room spinning around me like a whirlpool of stars.

And I fell into a dreamless sleep.