Free Rex Aftermath (Elei's Chronicles) by Chrystalla Thoma

heart pounded, his teeth grated together. He needed to get out. Grabbing the side of the couch, he lurched to his feet. The voices rose, loud but indistinct. He had to get out right now. Freaking out on the gang leaders twice in a day wouldn’t be good.
    He thought he heard his name but he staggered toward the door and kept going, a ghost pain in his side where Pelia had injected him with the Rex capsule. Pushing doors, more doors, he kept moving until cold air hit him in the face and he drew a shuddering breath.
    Holy gods.
    Rex roared, demanding he act, shoot, hit, run. His legs shook and sourness rose in his throat.
    Just a memory . He forced air into his lungs. Just a memory, Rex, hear that?
    He heard steps and glanced up. Thought he saw Alendra at the door of the building, all golden reflections, but when he blinked she wasn’t there.
    He rubbed a hand over his eyes. The dreams. They filtered into his waking life, mixed with the memories, merged with the suddenness of Tau’s appearance, and completely screwed him over.
    His legs buckled and he leaned against the uneven wall to steady himself.
    Ow dammit. Fire flared in his back, squeezing the breath from his lungs. He slid down the wall, fighting dizziness.
    What a crappy night.
    Two sets of steps sounded in the alley and backlit figures hurried toward him. Shit, he’d scared someone again. He struggled to stand when he recognized Kalaes and Zoe. Not Alendra — yeah, that had been a hallucination.
    He inched up the wall, a hand braced on the colorful graffiti.
    “What’s wrong?” Kalaes hissed, striding toward him. “Are you okay?”
    “He’s shaking,” Zoe said, putting a hand to Elei’s cheek. Her palm was burning hot. “Damn, you’re freezing, poosker . Are you sick?”
    “I’m okay,” Elei said, but all he wanted was to slide back down and let the dark swallow him.
    “I think all the running today caught up with him,” Kalaes said and pulled him off the wall, making him groan as bruised muscles pulled across his back. “Oh,” Kalaes said, “shit.”
    “What?” Zoe’s voice was strangely distant. “We’ll find him a bed roll. Come on.”
    “It’s the adrenaline spikes. You kinda drop like a rock afterward.” Kalaes hauled Elei back into the building.
    Through the static in his mind, Elei realized they were crossing the hall where everyone sat. It should’ve been damn mortifying, but by now he was shaking too hard to care.
    His teeth chattered. Had he been that long outside? He’d lost track of time. He straightened and tugged his arm, but Kalaes didn’t let go. Glancing about, he tried to see the two faces again, the boy and the girl with the black teeth, but couldn’t. Had they been real?
    He was dragged into a small room that smelled of mold and then pushed down on a stained mattress. Kalaes passed him a blanket and sank next to him. “I’ve got this,” he said to someone — Zoe, probably.
    Elei took a shuddering breath.
    “All right, fe, what happened back there?” Kalaes demanded. “Why did’ya run out like that?”
    The door creaked and Elei thought he saw golden eyes peeking in. Gone again. More hallucinations. He should take the medicine to suppress Rex; the parasite was getting out of control.
    Of course, now that he remembered, the medicine had been in the apartment. All gone. He shivered and gathered the blanket around him. He wished Cat was there. He wished...
    “Elei?” Kalaes’ concerned face swam back into view. “Talk to me.”
    “It’s nothing. Just... memories.”
    Kalaes nodded, as if he understood. Maybe he did. “What doesn’t kill you, screws with your head,” he said sagely.
    Couldn’t argue with that one.
    Kalaes sighed. “Fine, don’t tell me. Take off your jacket. I want to check your back.” When Elei hesitated, he leaned forward, brows drawn together. “You don’t want Ale to see the snakeskin. I get that. But something knocked you out cold and left you all shaky, and I want to see for