** Ryder’s POV **
I wake up with a jolt. The weather forecast said there may be some light rain, but this sounds torrential. Paige sleeps peacefully tucked against my side, completely unbothered by the rain that pounds the tent. I can hear her soft breathing and the steady beat of her heart in her chest.
Wait... how can I hear her heart?
A shooting pain travels up my spine. It’s like nothing I have ever felt before. It’s intense and causes a fine sheen of sweat to cover my skin. Did I sleep with a stone digging into my spine?
I gently shift Paige, not wanting to wake her, but I need to move, to stretch out my spine because this pain is getting unbearable. I unzip the door slowly and crawl from the tent with a barely contained whimper, grabbing my bundle of clothes and my boots.
The pa
