"Sacrifices?" Rowan asks swallowing down the last of her soup. "You've got to be joking."
"Unfortunately no." Isaac says splitting his last crab cheese wonton with her.
"Well life's never been easy."
"Our life's never been easy." He corrects her. She concedes with a tilt of her head.
"So where are the McCall's?"
"Melissa works until eight and I don't know where Scott is." As if on cue Scott walks through the door.
"Ask and you shall receive." Rowan says to Isaac with a wink.
"Hey." Scott says when he comes into the kitchen. "Ooh Chinese." Scott says longingly. Isaac hands him an eggroll and blushes when Scott smiles at him. A sharp pain goes through Rowan's chest. It feels like he chest has been cracked in half and burning ice water is being poured down her throat to fill it the void. She makes a small whimpering noise and starts choking. Inhaling is painful and cold like after you've had too strong a mint.
"Ro, are you okay?" Isaac asks putting a hand on her back and Rowan can bear to take a breath.
"Yeah." She says still coughing lightly. She puts a hand on her chest forces herself to breathe again. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was weird." She tries to smile. Both Scott and Isaac don't look convinced and they exchange a look. The cold in Rowan roars again and she rocks forward in pain.
"You are not okay." Scott says coming closer and putting a hesitant hand on her forehead. "You're really cold. And pale and you're shaking."
"Can werewolves get sick?" Isaac asks.
"I don't know." Rowan reaches out for Isaac and he takes her hand.
"Take me home?" He nods and then gets up.
"You should take her to see Derek or Deaton." Scott protests.
"She's going to the loft." Isaac explains. It warms her that he knows her enough to know that the loft is pretty much her home, however temporary. Actually it literally warms her, just for a second but it eased her pain for just a moment. She gets up a little unsteady but other wise fine. She's really cold again though. She starts shivering in the car and Isaac gives her his Beacon Hills High hoodie.
Derek is sitting on the couch reading when they arrive. He drops his book and walks over to Rowan when he sees the states she's in.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. We were eating at Scotts and then all of a sudden she got clammy and pale and she looks like she's in pain even though she says she's fine. Do werewolves get sick?"
"No." Derek says but it's soft and uncertain. He sits Rowan on the couch and squats to look at her. He changes his eyes and looks her over. "How do you feel?"
"Cold." She whimpers. Isaac grabs up the blanket draped over the edge of the couch and eases it around Rowan's shoulders. Derek's jaw has tightened and he looks distressed.
"Isaac can you stay at Scott's tonight?" Isaac opens his mouth to protest but he catches Rowan wide eyes and he nods. He drops a kiss on her forehead.
"Call if you need me. Take good care of her." He says to Derek before leaving. Derek waits until he's out of hearing range and then turns to Ro.
"I didn't think you would commit to the bond like this." He says sullenly, as if all of this is his fault.
"This is about him being my mate?" Derek nods.
"Mated pairs have extra abilities sometimes. It's more common when both people are werewolves too, but usually it requires a complete bond. With the total bond comes a great price though. The bond is impossible to break between the people with whom it was made. You feel sick because Isaac hasn't returned the bond but you've already cemented it on your side."
"How can we have the abilities if we haven't completed the bond?"
"What have you done?"
"I called him. That's how he found the bank."
"What?"
"I called him with my mind. And then when he came I talked to him in his head. It was brief but still…"
"It must have been duress. You reached through the connection you two have. It's not a completed bond but it was something."
"How do I make it stop?" Derek shakes his head and lets her curl up to his chest in despair.
"I'm so sorry." A new pang of the frigid knife flared. Rowan moans and wraps her hands around her torso.
"Come on. You need to rest." He helps her upstairs and puts her in her room. She crawls under the sheets and groans.
"It's coooold." Derek smiles softly and crawls in behind her and stays until the bed is warm. He pauses at the door with his hand hovering over the light switch and watches her putter softly into Isaac's maroon hoodie. He hopes she gets through this.
Rowan wakes up screaming. She screams and then she's sobbing and she can't breathe. Derek and Cora burst into her room and find her breaking down in her bed. The pain is spreading and it's consuming her. She sucks in short breaths and she feels like she's suffocating. The change is coming over her and her claws are poking holes in the sheets. Her fangs are making it harder to breathe and when she winces at the pain they cut into her lips and the taste of her blood makes her gag. When her eyes shift it hurts. It hurts so badly and she throws her head back and screeches high and long and loud it progresses into a pained and lonely roar. When it's over she feels empty and the two Hales are whining sadly as they watch her. There's still a dull throbbing behind her eyes and the stream of tears shows no sign of stopping.
Cora gasps when she looks up and Derek's expression is pained. They look at their friend complete undone and half shifted. Her eyes are still mostly gold but they are now rimmed in shining silver around the outside of her pupils. They slowly move forward and crawl onto the bed. Derek pulls her to lie on him and strokes her hair and Cora presses to her other side holding her hand and burying her face in Rowan's stomach.
Their reactions make her feel like a dead girl walking.
A/N: Where'd all my Reviewers go? I miss you all.