Debbie
I held River as he shook in my arms. The heat coming off him was intense, radiating from his pores in waves that made the air between us begin to shimmer.
It felt like standing next to a bonfire on a windless night. I could hear his heart thumping like a drum against his ribs. I looked into his eyes. They were glowing a bright, electric yellow, the pupils blown wide until the gold swallowed the iris whole. It was beautiful but scary, like staring into the eyes of an animal who had forgotten how to be tame.
"River," I whispered, my voice shaking, "Will it make you feel better? If we... if we do this?"
He didn't speak. He just nodded slowly. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth might break, the corded muscles in his neck standing out like steel cables. He was fighting
