TYPICALLY, on a normal day, Ananda woke up securely warm and cocooned in the down-filled blankets of her bed. The window over her bed had no blinds, only sheer curtains that fully allowed the rising sun to shine brightly, illuminating the room and waking her gradually. What she did not normally wake up to is her skin overwrought with sensitive nerves, itchiness demanding her attention, and skin feeling one degree away from boiling. Slitting her eyes open, Ananda could see moonlight seeping through a crack in curtains that absolutely did not belong to her, creating random shadow patterns on the wall that did nothing to calm the frantic beating of her heart. If not for the familiar arm stretched out around her waist, she would have jerked out of bed. As it was she simply gazed around while letting her mind catch up to the situation.
Shifting slightly, Ananda was unpleasantly surprised when a bolt of pain shot down her spine. “Ow ow, fuck ow! What the hell did you do to me?!”
“…Nothing that you didn’t ask for.”
The unexpected answer pushed a small huff of laughter between Ananda’s lips until her breath was coming out in wheezing gasps. She could feel herself beginning to panic and who could blame her? Her skin felt like it was on fire, she was in bed with a man she met barely a day ago and she was running from some unknown entity that broke into the house she shared with a best friend who she was afraid she’d either never see again or would only hear about on the news. All things considered, panicking was the tamest thing she could be doing at this point when compared to the alternatives such as running screaming into oncoming traffic.
Ananda considered calling her parents and then quickly pushed that thought from her mind. All she needed was for them to once again think that she was crazy when she explained about hearing other people’s voices and apparently finding someone who shared that same gift. Not to mention having to explain to them that she was currently shacked up with said person in a slightly sleazy hotel room after having explosive sex that left her catatonic for…
“How long have I been out?” Ananda would have been surprised by the breathy quality of her voice if she weren’t still trying to gain control of her body and regulate her breathing. The hand that had been resting on her stomach was now moving softly in a circle that, amazingly, was helping her regain her sense of calm. That musky, citrusy scent was back and curling softly about her, somehow cooling the heat that settled right underneath her skin. She could feel the aches from their previous bedroom activities diminishing until all she felt was a dull buzz. “God that’s like catnip or something…” Her voice trailed off into a satisfied gasp. The hand on her stomach paused for a moment but once again continued after she whimpered softly.