Page 16 of Veiled Yearning

Do I give him the expected answer? It’s pretty. Clean. Fresh.

Or do I tell him the truth? A day ago, I wouldn’t. But now, sitting across the table with Gavril, sharing this odd vampire morning routine, it feels right to be honest with him.

“It makes me feel safe.” At his raised eyebrows, I explain, “Partly because of the same reason you didn’t want to travel in the snow. It keeps people inside.” I pause. “Away from me.”

“You don’t want to be around people?”

“No,” I admit. “It’s easier being on my own.”

“Chiara.” Tiny lines etch into his forehead. “I’m sorry—”

I cut him off. “It’s okay. This is… it’s necessary. I shouldn’t be hiding anymore. Not considering…”

And now Gavril is frowning. “I didn’t know—”

No. When we sat down, it was nice. Pleasant. And now I’m turning it into something awkward. So I throw out something guaranteed to lighten the mood.

“There’s another reason I like the snow.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Do you want to see?”

Interest turns his eyes a bright silver. “Sure.”

Fifteen minutes later, we’re tromping across my backyard, Gavril’s long legs creating a path in the tall snow for me to follow. We’re both bundled in hats and scarves and mittens—Gavril claimed he didn’t need them, but I insisted—and he looks pretty darn handsome.

Wearing the fuzzy hat with a poof at the top and the long scarf with tassels—it’s incongruous to Gavril’s strong features and staid demeanor, but it makes him seem softer. More approachable. He looks like someone I’d want to spend time with, instead of running in the opposite direction.

I don’t realize I’m staring at him until Gavril says testily, “You’re the one who wanted me to wear this stuff. I told you it wasn’t necessary.”

“I like it,” I blurt out without thinking, and my cheeks go hot.

“Oh?” Snow is settling on his eyelashes, turning them dark. And I never realized how long they are—

Stop. I am not out here to look at Gavril that way. We’re barely friends.

“Anyway. Do you want to see why I like the snow?”

He casts a look around my backyard, taking in the smooth blanket of snow. “Yes. And this had better not be a ploy to bombard me with magic snowballs or something.”

Magic snowballs! Could I?

I grin at him, feeling more relaxed than I’ve been in ages. “Not this time. But now that you brought it up…”

There’s a hint of humor in his voice. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I might,” I tease. “But this time, I want to show you something different.”

And then I concentrate, pulling at the light filtering through the falling snow, drawing it into me.

It’s warm, gently tingling, energy zinging through my body.

As I focus inward, the light coalesces.

Gazing at the snow in front of me, I channel the light and send it back out.

Within seconds, the snow starts to glow. Color shimmers across it, all the shades of the rainbow. Then it starts to shift, the individual flakes separating, millions of tiny, sparkling jewels rising back into the air.

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