As Jax placed his hand on Adelina's back, the first thing that registered was cold.
The fabric she wore was freezing. Not just cool. Freezing. Like touching ice.
The stone floor of the cell had leeched every bit of warmth from her body, leaving her like a corpse laid out in winter.
'No. No, she's not—'
He scrambled to the other side to see her face.
Movement. There was movement.
A smile broke across Jax's face, genuine relief flooding through him.
Then that smile twisted into pure, murderous rage.
She was trembling. Not just shivering. Her entire body was convulsing, violent tremors wracking through her like she was being electrocuted.
Her face twitched and spasmed, muscles contracting involuntarily. Sweat poured down her temples despite the cold, her skin flushed an unnatural red in some places and deathly pale in others.
It looked like the worst fever imaginable. Like her body was trying to tear itself apart from the inside.
Jax pressed his hand against her forehead.
