ZOEY
Hunger burns through me—mercilessand endless—turning every vein into molten wire. My limbs are lead, my body’s on fire, and my throat feels like it’s being scraped out from the inside.
But through the agony, something anchors me. Cool hands and unyielding arms. The scent of frost and blood. Fingers threading through my hair, brushing down my cheek like he’s memorizing every curve. A touch that doesn’t just soothe—it claims.
Because it’shis.
“Zoey,” Aerix murmurs, his thumb brushing along my jawline. His voice is different now—deeper, warmer, and layered with textures I’ve never known were there. “Can you hear me?”
My eyes flutter open, and there he is leaning over me, those midnight wings stretched protectively around us, sheltering me from the world. And his eyes… they’vechanged.There are tiny flecks of silver in the midnight depths I’ve gotten to know so well over the past few weeks. But they’re still his, and the concern in them is unmistakable, his brow furrowed as he watches me.
“I’m here.” He moves closer to me, tightening his hold as if afraid I’ll slip away. “I’ve got you. And I’m not letting go. Ever.”
“Your eyes are different.” The words tumble out of me, burning as they escape my throat.
He pauses, surprised, but a small smile curves the corner of his mouth. “Not different,” he says, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “You’re just seeing clearly for the first time.”
“Clearly?” I ask, confusion clouding my brain.
He nods slowly, his gaze intense, never wavering from mine. “Supernatural sight. You’re a vampire now, Zoey. Your vision is sharper, along with all your other senses. You can detect intricacies that humans can’t.”
As he speaks, I try to glance around the room to center myself, but everything is too much. Too sharp, and too bright. The candlelight stabs at my eyes like daggers. A droplet of water hits the windowpane, echoing like thunder through my skull. I can hear Aerix’s heartbeat, rapid and anxious beneath his composed exterior, a steady thrum filling my ears, as intimate as if it were my own. And then, beyond it, adding to the music that’s unmistakablyhim,is the whisper of wind through his feathers.
Separately, it’s beautiful.
Together… my senses areflooded.
Panic rises in my chest, and before I realize what’s happening, the air in the room shifts, swirling with a life of its own. The sheets twist in my clenched fingers, and wind gusts around us, knocking books from shelves and rattling the candle holders.
Through it all, I realize—this wind is coming fromme.
“Zoey.” Aerix’s grip tightens around me, anchoring me against his chest. “You need to breathe. Listen to my voice. My heart. You’re going to be okay. Just focus on me.”
His words cut through the storm raging around us, and I close my eyes, leaning into him, desperate for calm. Pressing my cheek to his chest, I grip his shirt like I might unravel without it.
Just like he promised, his heartbeat steadies me. Anchors me. It’s the only thing that feels real.
I match his breathing, listening to the rhythm of his heart as the wind begins to quiet. And when I open my eyes again, his concerned gaze is fixed on mine, like I’m the only thing that matters in the entire world.
“That’s it,” he murmurs, pressing his lips against my temple. “I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”
“I know.” I swallow down the burning pain in my throat, relieved when it helps a little. “I’m just…”
The words catch in my chest. Because I feel… well, that’s the scary part. Beyond the heightened senses, I don’t knowwhatI feel.
“It’ll get easier,” he promises. “You’re overwhelmed because you’re newly turned. But it’ll settle. You’re going to be okay. I’m going to make sureyou’re okay.”
The way he keeps repeating it—you’re going to be okay—makes me wonder if he’s trying to convince himself along with me. It’s almost like he needs to ground himself in me as much as I do in him.
“What happened?” I ask, the hunger clawing at my throat again as I speak. I feel like I should remember, but everything’s so hazy, like I’m only halfway out of a dream. And as much as I try to think back, it’s like my mind is trapped in a disorienting fog. It reminds me of when I was ten years old and waking up from anesthesia after getting my tonsils out, putting together the pieces of where I was and what was happening.
Aerix’s expression softens with understanding. “Tell me what you remember. I’ll fill in the rest.”
I pause, sorting through what I can.
“Presque Isle.” I focus on the cool comfort of his body beside mine, steadying my breathing as I piece together what led to this moment. “I remember my house. My shower flooding. I remember Sapphire, the ice bridge, and the waterfall…” My voice trails off, panic creeping back in. “And Henry. I remember killing Henry.” I inhale again, the scent of Aerix’s blood flooding my senses, bringing another memory to the surface. “And I remember drinking from you.”
His breath hitches, his wings flaring. “You were breathtaking that night,” he says, tracing the lines of my lips with his thumb. “Bathed in moonlight and dripping with power. Nothing has ever been more beautiful than your mouth on my skin and my blood on your lips.”
