The Heartless Hybrid Queen

Chapter 28 - Aurora

We land in a small clearing between snow covered trees behind the mountains that surround the city.

"Wow this place is beautiful," I say, as Samael sets me down, and I notice I'm standing on green grass. I look up, realizing the clearing is completely sheltered by branches extending from the enormous trees surrounding us.

"This way you won't have to shift in the snow," he says brightly, rummaging through his bag and taking out a blanket I didn't know he had packed.

After he spreads it out onto the grass, I lay down, stretching out my body. It no longer feels like pins and needles are attacking my skin, but rather arrows and daggers. My bones feel like they are being squeezed to the point of combustion, and my muscles spasm when I stretch too deeply. My heart, however, remains beating calmly, and my breathing stays slow and controlled.

"This tranquil tonic is pretty great," I say lazily.

"It is, but its effects can be very addicting. It is only used for medical purposes," he informs me, and I nod, yawning widely. I can see why; my entire body is screaming at me, but I can't find it in me to care.

"How will we know when the moon is at its peak? We can't see it from here," I point out, gesturing to the trees blocking our view of the sky.

"We don't need to see it. Trust me, you'll know when it's time."

A few hours go by, Samael and I have a little picnic after he pulls out the food he brought; some leftover turkey sandwiches from yesterday, and a container of mixed berries. We eat, we cuddle, and he helps me stretch my body in ways I didn't know it could bend, but which greatly ease the stabbing pains I'm feeling.

Eventually, I notice the tranquil tonic starting to wear off but do my best to remain calm. There's no escaping this so I have to find a way to deal with it.

"It's almost time." Danika speaks for the first time all day, and my heart skips a beat at her words.

I sit up straight, my senses on high alert, and I jump in fright when Samael touches my shoulder.

"It's alright, my love. I'm just going to remove your clothes, so they don't get destroyed, here put this on." He hands me a plain white cotton t-shirt dress, "This will feel less constricting as your body changes."

I allow him to take off my clothes, and throw the dress over my head, it falls just past my knees and is about five sizes too big but my skin does feel better without all those layers.

"Thank you. You really thought of everything while I was freaking out didn't you?"

He chuckles, running his fingers through my hair, "Well, I've been planning this since last week. You wouldn't think about it, so someone had to."

I shiver as the cool air hits my bare legs, "Another blanket or a sweater would have been nice though,"

"You'll be sweating soon enough, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Sweating? But it's freezing ou-'' I inhale sharply as a burning sensation begins creeping into my bones, and my muscles tense as the burn grows hotter.

"Breathe Aurora." My eyes snap up to Samael's face, he breathes in and out slowly, trying to get me to do the same.

I take a few deep breaths with him, but I can't focus on breathing when my bones are melting, and my racing heart is pounding in my head. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly. When I open them, the world around me is spinning and I fall sideways onto the blanket.

Curling my body into the fetal position, I cry out in pain, as Samael whispers words of encouragement and strokes my hair comfortingly. We stay like that for a little while, my cries turning into whimpers as I grow accustomed to the burning.