Chapter 41: Marinah

Pain slides beneath my skin, muscles tear, bones break. I writhe in madness fighting against the straps holding me down. Rage floods my veins, a killing rage that needs... needs.... The red haze pushes away all other colors, clarifying the distinct lines of each object around me, bringing them into focus like never before. I lift my head, turning the six-inch snout that's now part of me left and then right as I sniff the air and read the scent of everything and everyone in the room.

"Take my hand, Marinah. Concentrate on my voice."

His words are too loud and I bring my hands up to my ears and then shy away from the claws that almost take off my face. My body is no longer my own and something foreign has invaded, taking me along for a ride of terror.

The words float into my clouded brain again, "You're okay. Breathe."

I try to push his voice away, but I know that voice and I clasp onto it, holding it in a small part of my brain, the part that wants reason to return.

"Concentrate, M