Page 143 of Let It Snow
His eyes are different now, dragon-like, the pupils narrow, the irises alive with shifting silver and gold flecks, though their colors remain.
"Do you trust me, Snow?"
"Of course, Summer. I trust you completely."
He takes another step until his scaled chest presses against my stomach. To my surprise, the scales are warm and soft, being more like a pattern than armor. He wraps his arms around me, and then we slowly rise into the air.
I take a deep breath, happiness filling me. We may be different from the rest of humanity, yet we are perfectly attuned to one another in our difference. That strangeness shared between us is a true kinship.
"My family always assumed that since I resemble a betta fish, I would swim in the sea," Summer says softly. "But I am aswimmer of the skies, Snow. I sail in the clouds. The air is my ocean."
We float upward, his wings spreading wide, refracting countless colors, many beyond human sight.
We fly higher and higher above the ground, but I feel no fear. Summer could lift entire buildings if he wanted, not just me.
"You’re extraordinary, Summer," I say, and his eyes glow at me, alien but oh so beautiful.
So I lean forward and kiss his pale amethyst lips. They are soft and warm and part easily. For a second, I think we could make love in these forms, though probably better not to do it in midair.
We’re drifting above the lake and the land visible below, in the blue brushes of the wind, the sky starts to sing for us, and the song fills us with peace.
But as we fly over my parents’ house, I catch sight of the narrow rectangle of Bay’s home, and then my gaze shifts to the opposite side of their land, where the left edge stretches along the lake. Something comes to me… an idea. A house?
My future… with Summer. Could I, maybe…?
SUMMER
December hits me with an unexpectedly heavy wave of stress.
The entire Nolan family shows up at the house, all the sons together with their partners. It’s their annual tradition, and I have to deal with it.
For the first few days while they’re here, I barely leave my room, overwhelmed. In the evenings Snow sneaks in to be with me, we make love, and I’m grateful he doesn’t push me to come downstairs and mingle.
No idea why, but the stress is almost paralyzing.
And… they’re all True Mates couples.
Storm and Damien, Skye and Soren, Rain and Kay. Some of their cousins show up from time to time, too. The idea of having to talk about my status with Snow in front of them feels overwhelming. It’s one thing to accept it quietly in my own heart, but an entirely different reality to discuss it with a crowd ofstrangers. I can already imagine their curious, piercing eyes on me.
They’re not True Mates, but Twin Souls. What does it even mean?
I’m just at the beginning of my journey of blending into this family, only just getting started, so I still don’t want to be different, I want to smoothly fit in. For now, I can’t cure myself of this uneasiness.
The house is full of voices and footsteps, so unnerving! Obviously even my already established Bond with Snow hasn’t really changed my baseline personality, because my nerves still feel like they’re shot. Is it time to accept that this is just who I am? Maybe no matter how much magic is involved, I’ll always stay this way, a skittish creature hiding in corners.
Snow and I… a pair of basement-dwellers.
One day, while standing on the balcony, I see the whole family gathered out on the patio.
Musical instruments in their hands, laughs, voices, fire crackling. It’s a massive group, and I can literally feel a lump rise in my throat. I’m convinced they’ll notice me and start talking about me, so I slip back inside immediately, my heart pounding.
That night, Snow comes to me as usual, his hands immediately finding my body. Gosh, I wait for these moments, this release, this oblivion, and for the magical spectacle of energy. After that first feverish and hurried release, when we’re lying next to each other, curled together in my somewhat better, but still imperfect nest, I murmur,
"Is your dad mad at me for not coming out to the guests? He probably hoped I would…"
Snow snorts. "Summer, I don’t know how to explain this to you, but my dad doesn’t even have a concept of being mad at anyone, especially not at you. My dad wasn’t even mad at Theo, and back then I was nineteen and Theo was thirty, marriedwith three kids already. Most parents would have lost it. He just advised me to be cautious. That’s all."
"Yeah, sorry, but I’m not sure I’d be so understanding if some cougar seduced my innocent nineteen-year-old son…"
