Cassie floated in warmth and motion, wrapped in the arms of someone whose scent was familiar, a scent that made her feel safe, even though darkness pressed in from all sides.
She struggled to pierce through the heavy fabric that swaddled her, to see the face of the one who carried her, as cold splashes from above struck her skin like icy needles.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted nearby. Her protector let out a ragged, guttural cry, more beast than man, filled with pain and desperation. Cassie screamed. He staggered, and for a fleeting moment, his grip faltered and she fell.
Cassie cried out. Then, someone else picked her up, but it wasn't him. It wasn't the one who made her feel safe.
With this new person, she felt sick, and her stomach twisted. She squirmed and thrashed in his arms, screaming. One of her arms slipped free from the cloth wrapping her, and a chubby fist struck out, latching onto a neck. And, she squeezed.
"Cassie! It's me, Kai!"
She gasped awake, heart hammering, her hand wrapped around Kai's throat.
Kai's caramel eyes were wide with concern. Slowly, she released him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to calm her breathing.
"Wanna talk about it?" Kai asked gently as he sat next to her on the couch, pulling her into his arms.
She shook her head. How could she explain something she didn't understand?
After a few minutes, she looked up at him. "So… did you get it?"
Kai blinked. "Get what?"
Cassie narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me hurt you, Kai Vaelros."
He chuckled, hands raised. "Your food has been safely delivered."
He stood and helped her up, and they headed for the kitchen.
"I don't understand why you didn't want to go out for your birthday. I mean, your twenty-first is kind of a big deal."
Cassie shrugged as she opened the delivery boxes, her kitchen filled with the aroma of grilled lemon, garlic and spice, from her favorite Lebanese restaurant. She plated the shish tawook, sliding the tender chicken off skewers and onto her plate.
"You and I both know I don't do well in crowds. I'd rather be at home."
Kai passed her the container of mujadara-lentils and rice layered with caramelized onions.
"Whatever. I was going to plan something just for the two of us. Might've even had violins involved."
"You're such a liar. Knowing you, we'd probably end up at a club," she laughed as she tossed a piece of flatbread at him. He ducked.
Kai grinned. "Okay, maybe we'd start at a club…but it'd end with just us."
Cassie blushed and quickly turned away, grabbing some napkins she didn't need. She and Kai had always been just friends, but there were moments, like now, when he said things that made her wonder if he wanted more. Then she'd feel ridiculous for even thinking it. Kai was gorgeous: thick hair as silver as her eyes, a lean, athletic build that made everything he wore look amazing, and every girl's dream height, over six feet. There was no way someone like him would want a misfit like her.
After plating the rest of the food, Cassie grabbed two glasses and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine. Kai took the plates, and they headed to the balcony overlooking a small stream and the park across from it.
Thanks to Kai, she lived here rent-free. The place was owned by his father and was walking distance from their college. She had a full scholarship but still had no idea what she wanted to do after graduation.
"What's got your face doing that thing?" Kai asked.
"That I have no idea what I'm doing after college."
"You'll figure it out," Kai said as he opened the bottle and poured them each a glass.
"I've only got a year left."
"Why only a year?" he asked, mouth full.
"Because your father only offered food and board for four years. I can't ask to stay longer."
"Why not? You can stay as long as you want."
"That's not an option."
"So what are your options? Got a hidden mansion I don't know about?"
Cassie rolled her eyes as she bit into her flatbread. He wasn't wrong, though. She didn't have other options.
She had been left at an orphanage as a baby and stayed there until she was eighteen. Her pale skin, silver eyes, and limp black hair made her an easy target for bullies. Her inability to lie, about anything, only made it worse, so she'd learned to stay quiet.
But everything changed when she met Kai during her first week of college.
Her dorm roommate had thrown all her things out, saying she didn't want Cassie there. Kai had stepped in, helped her pack, and told her about his father's small hotel nearby. There were rooms available. Something about Kai made her feel...different. For the first time in her life, the aching emptiness inside her lessened.
His father had agreed to let her stay, asking only that she keep a 90% average in her courses. Cassie had a sharp memory, so it was an easy deal.
She and Kai didn't share classes, but he always walked her to and from campus. Even when he didn't have class, he'd tag along. His room was across from hers, the other two rooms on their floor still empty.
"I'll get a waitress job or something. Save up. Leave after graduation," she said.
"I'm not against the job part. But nobody said you had to leave. We're friends, Cass."
"I feel like a moocher."
"You? Never. Blanket hog during movie nights, definitely."
Cassie laughed and shook her head. After they finished eating, Kai cleared their plates, and they stayed out on the balcony, talking and watching the moon.
Cassie sighed. She loved the moon. Her phone wallpaper was the moon. Posters on her walls. Even her blanket had a full moon on it.
"The moon's beautiful tonight. Did they say anything about a special one?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Kai set his glass down.
"It looks like...like it has a burning halo around it." She tilted her head, and continued almost to herself, brows furrowed. "And...it has strange symbols around it."
The words had barely left her lips when a sharp pain shot through her chest and she gasped.
"Cassie?"
"I…I'm okay," she said, breathless. Then another bolt of pain hit her, sharper, deeper, making her cry out.
Kai rushed to her side.
"Cassie…" he breathed, stunned. "Your eyes…they're purple."
Cassie tried to stand up, but she collapsed against him.
He flinched at the heat radiating off her. "You're burning up," he murmured, hooking one hand under her knees and the other across her back. "Come on. Let's get you inside."
Suddenly, a blood curdling scream tore from Cassie's throat as her bones twisted and shifted below her skin. Her spine arched without warning, almost causing her to tumble out of Kai's hands as he hurried with her to get to the bedroom.
Her vertebrae cracked one by one like someone was snapping her in half from the inside. Pain radiated down her legs, through her calves and into her feet until her toes curled.
As her nails split at the edge, a violent heat rushed through her chest, like fire igniting behind her ribcage. Her lungs seized, caught between gasping for air and wanting to shriek. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it was going to explode. Then the heat flared in her mouth, searing her gums.
Her eyes watered. Then everything sharpened. The light overhead went from dim to blinding. The sound of her breathing was too loud. She could hear her blood rushing, like a frantic river pounding through her ears.
Her muscles trembled violently as waves of heat and cold fought for control. One moment, she was burning alive from the inside. The next, she was shivering so hard her teeth clacked.
Every nerve in her body screamed. Her back seized up in a tight, brutal knot, and her throat gave a raw sob that no longer sounded human.
She prayed the pain would make her pass out but it didn't.
"W-what's happening to me," she choked out, her tears blurred Kai's frame that was hovering over her. "Make it stop...please..."