Lila awoke with a start, a sharp breath tearing through her lungs. Her entire body tingled, as if something beneath her skin was shifting. She pressed a hand to her stomach, her heart pounding. The baby.
Something was happening.
The air around her felt charged, heavy with an unseen force. The room was dark, but she could see everything—each fine thread in the sheets, the dust motes suspended in the air. The rhythmic thudding of a heartbeat that wasn't her own pulsed in her ears, deep and steady.
She gasped and sat up, nearly toppling off the bed. Her balance felt… off, her limbs lighter, yet weighted with something unfamiliar. A deep hunger clawed at her stomach, a need so primal it nearly overpowered her.
This isn't normal.
