Chapter 75: Waking Pain

Pain. Searing pain. Her head ached, her throat was sore, and even her legs felt bruised. Was she still dreaming, or was her entire body really in this much agony?

Slowly, Claire opened her eyes, trying to raise her arms, but the soreness was intense. The sensation was so raw, it felt like she'd been run over, with every bone in her body aching from head to toe.

What happened to me? she thought. Was it a severe flu? No, even a high fever wouldn't leave her body feeling so bruised. It was like she'd been crushed under a heavy weight, grinding her bones to dust.

Struggling to sit up, the blanket slipped off her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her own bare skin, crisscrossed with faint, reddish marks that spread all the way to her ankles.

She froze, stunned, unable to process what she was seeing.

"Why are you sitting there in a daze?" a familiar, lazy voice asked from beside her.

Turning, Claire saw Lucas lying next to her, his dark eyes glinting with an almost predatory gleam.

Oh no! she thought, panic flooding her body. She could barely move, yet the urge to flee was overwhelming.

"Are you feeling sore?" he asked, his tone almost mocking as his large hand gently traced the soft curve of her back.

One second… two seconds… three—

"Ah! Lucas, what are you doing?" Claire yelped, pulling the blanket over herself, her face turning bright red.

"Did I do something?" he replied, feigning innocence, and casually pulled the blanket down, revealing her flustered face. "Are you trying to avoid something?"

"Avoid what?" she stammered, wide-eyed and confused.

"Don't you think things seem a bit… unusual?" He tilted his head, gazing at her with an amused smirk. "Like how sore you are right now?"

"My body? Yes, it hurts." She answered honestly, wondering where he was going with this.

"My body hurts, too," he said nonchalantly, a smirk playing on his lips. "It feels like I was put through a marathon." He could tell that whatever concoction she'd accidentally taken had drained every ounce of his stamina as well.

"Wait, you're sore, too?" she asked, frowning as if pain could somehow be contagious.

Lucas blinked, realizing her memory seemed foggy. "You don't remember last night at all, do you?"

"No, I just remember this awful headache, like a monk beating a drum in my skull."

Lucas let out a sigh, lying back and turning his face away, trying to keep his frustration at bay.

"Doesn't it strike you as odd that you're… well, not dressed?" He arched a brow at her.

She frowned, then gave a small nod. "Yes… very odd. But… how could I not remember?" She looked at him, her confusion deepening. "Do you know why?"

"You undressed yourself," he stated matter-of-factly, watching her reaction with a glint of amusement.

She gasped, her face turning beet red as she let out a small "oh" and pulled the covers up again.

"Remember what you had for dinner last night?" Lucas asked, trying to jog her memory. Seeing her blank expression, he continued, "How about when Shauna took you to that herbal shop?" Her eyes widened, interrupting him.

"You mean that herbal store? I remember Shauna told me to get some… antler root, seahorse, ginseng… and a little packet of white powder…" Her eyes grew round as she pieced it together, covering her mouth with her hands as memories from the night before came rushing back.

"Antler root, seahorse, ginseng, and a white powder?" Lucas's dark eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flickering in them. "These weren't exactly for 'cooling,' were they?" he asked, his tone sharp. "I assume Shauna gave you all these… invigorating tonics? Did she have any other bright ideas?"

"Huh? No! Shauna wasn't trying to hurt you, really, she was just… helping…" Claire stammered, her words trailing off as she buried her head under the blanket, letting out a muffled scream.

Lucas barely flinched at her outburst, raising an eyebrow in mild amusement.

"I'm just… relieved," Claire mumbled from under the blanket, her voice trembling. The sight of the red marks on her skin had jolted her fully awake.

"Is that worth getting so excited about?" he asked coldly, misinterpreting her joy as relief about his "recovery."

"Yes! Shauna's advice was amazing! The effects were—"

"It had nothing to do with her advice," he interjected, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm fine because I was never… 'sick.'"

"But the medicine did work for you, didn't it?" Claire pouted.

"You don't remember drinking the concoction yourself, do you?" he shot back, reminding her that he'd had no choice but to intervene when she'd inadvertently consumed the potent mixture herself.

He didn't regret it, though; he'd just never expected her to be so… challenging.

"But you did drink the tonic, and the ginseng, and…" she trailed off, her brows knitting.

"Oh, so that 'tonic' wasn't what you thought it was, was it?" He smirked.

"Wait—are you still upset about that?" she asked in a small voice.

"Stop stalling and get up. We've got a wedding to be best man and maid of honor at today." Lucas smirked as he stood up, silently wondering if his aching body would hold up for the rest of the day.