Flame of Frost (The Caelestian Chronicles: Book #1)

Chapter 8 - Austin And I Break Legs

I think of taking my jacket with me but Austin says vampires don't feel cold. Needless to say, being a human, I'm freezing since we got out of the hover and began walking back to the building.

"How could I forget this?" Austin almost startles me out of my skin.

"What's wrong?" I frown, rubbing my palms furiously over my arms to keep myself from freezing.

"Your blood's scent."

"Uh. Can cologne h-help?"

"No. It's very strong. A vampire can smell you from thirty feet across the yard."

"If it's so, why didn't they smell me when I got in the building earlier?" My breath fogs in front of my face.

"I don't know. Although, they should have. I think it's because they were serving blood inside."

"You're kidding, right?"

He smiles, though it isn't very reassuring.

"So, what should I do?"

"You can't do anything."

"Can you? With your magic?"

"I don't know, I can try."

"What exactly is your power?"

"Uh... I can modify stuff."

"Like?"

"Like changing colors or taste or temperature or smell. I can make it fade or strong or change it completely."

"Temporarily?"

"And permanently, if I want."

"Then great! Make the scent of my blood fade completely, forever."

"I never tried it on a human. And why do you want to fade it forever? It's good to have the smell of a living being."

I frown. "I'm not eager to be Kate-kebab, any day in future."

He chuckles. "Okay, let's try."

He clasps my hand and closes his eyes. Slowly, his grip begins to tighten, till the point I can't bear it. Thirty seconds more and my fingers will be in pieces.
"A-Austin! Let go!" I put all my strength in the words. "P-Please!"
My head starts spinning with pain. White spots flash before my vision.
I think my bones are about to turn to dust when his grip loosens and I yank out my hand.
I stumble backward, but he keeps me from falling on my butt.

"What was that?" I try to keep my volume low, but my mouth disobeys. "I thought I was about to die!"

Austin shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I didn't know, I never tried it on humans.

"Did it even work?"

He sniffs the air and then his eyes brighten. "It did. It's gone."

"Really? Is it permanent?"

"No." He shakes his head. "You didn't let me hold till the powers worked completely."

"I thought you were trying to crush my bones."

"I wasn't. I'm sorry. I actually combined two things."

"What?" I scrunch my brows together.

"I also made your internal body temperature warm. Your skin will be cold like us, but your sensory nerve's receptors will think it's warm."

Suddenly, I realize that I'm not shivering anymore. "Thank you. How long will it last?"

"Judging from my experience with other non-living things, I believe 30 minutes at the most."