Gabriel Read Free

strange new scent rode the breeze and rushed all around me, finally catching in the back of my throat. From zero to a thousand, the whole world slapped me in the face as the bubble burst.
    Without warning, peace erupted into chaos, and everything became audible at once. The sound of a bird chirping miles away stabbed my eardrums; the distant noise of the wind hitting tree trunks felt like tidal waves smacking me underneath them. And that step he took toward me—the sound of his shoe in the snow down underfoot—almost caused my eardrums to rupture as the ice crunched from his weight.
    I bolted upright, craning my neck toward the origin of the overwhelming scent. I regarded the shadowed stranger daring to look back at me, daring now to approach me. But my attention was drawn away from his dark eyes, to his elbow, where the smallest trace of blood was smeared against his pale skin and where I witnessed the final moments of a wound healing.
    A strange sensation flooded me as my teeth fractured into fangs and my top lip quivered. My skin crawled with an intensifying heat, rising from inside me. I wasn’t in control of what happened next. My legs swung off the large stone that I had been placed upon and found their way to the ground. I let out a low moan and my body attempted to stretch, but it wasn’t fully awake yet and I stumbled down to the snowy blanket beneath me. I clawed my way to my feet, getting ever closer to that scent, as my body propelled itself in the stranger’s direction. I came to an abrupt stop as strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist, turning me away from the stranger.
    I struggled against the restraint, but he whispered, “Lailah, no,” and the coolness of his breath skimmed my earlobe.
    I paused, and my red-hot skin simmered against him. My gums ached as my new fangs receded. My body weakened, but he held me tightly and eased me to the ground, cradling me in a protective embrace.
    â€œYou need to go.” His hurried voice cut through the jumbled noise invading my hearing.
    â€œBut…” The stranger’s footsteps moved closer from behind me, and I growled and dug my fingernails into the earth beneath the snow.
    â€œGo,” my protector said. “Now.”
    The stranger hesitated for only a moment before the wind whipped against my warm cheeks as he sped away through the clearing.
    My ears throbbed, and I covered them with my hands as I rocked back and forth, letting a scream escape from my lungs.
    â€œShhhhh,” my protector said, “it’s all right. I’m here, shhhhh.…” He cupped his hands over my own.
    A trickle of liquid seeped between our entwined fingers, and I knew my eardrums were bleeding.
    As the sun rose higher, the glow of twinkling stars moved around me. It was a sight I’d seen before. But, this time, the flashes of ice crystals came from my skin as well as his. His light wrapped itself around mine, and a sudden explosion of energy filled me. As the crystals from his skin and my own merged, our connection rekindled.
    He held me for what felt like an eternity, and I closed my eyes, allowing the sun’s rays to sink into my new skin. Finally, the noises dulled into a low hum, but I still didn’t feel right; I was dizzy.
    He helped me to my feet, and I hesitated, stumbling as I broke away from him. I sensed him following me, but I held my hand in the air, signaling for him to stay back. I stood, precariously balancing my weight, barefoot in the snow. I breathed in and out, forming a rhythm, taking my time. He waited patiently.
    â€œI may not remember you, but I never forgot you,” I whispered. “One shared light, split into two…”
    As though I was staring through a kaleidoscope, memories, thoughts, feelings all took new shape, each becoming more prominent than the last as it moved into focus.
    â€œStyclar-Plena,” I said. “The third dimension. Earth. Home—choice. I had a