Free Ashes to Flames by Nichelle Gregory

Chapter One
    The melodious chimes echoed in the quiet library, startling Sabria even though she was accustomed to the insistent alarm emanating from the device around her wrist. The library was the last place she’d wanted to be when the alert had gone off, but it had happened sooner than she’d calculated. Flustered, she slammed the book down with a muttered curse. She pulled up the sleeve of her cashmere sweater and the slim gold band around her wrist gleamed in the sunlight pouring in from the huge window beside her table.
    “Come on, be quiet.” Sabria pushed in the numerical sequence to silence the alarm before it got louder. She gave an apologetic look to the elderly man glancing up from his book to look at her.
    Her hand shook as she punched in the last of the code and she breathed a sigh of relief when the device finally fell silent.
    “That’s some watch you’ve got there,” the gray-haired man whispered with a conspiratorial wink.
    “Thanks,” Sabria said with a quick smile, thinking he had no idea. Her ‘watch’ was also capable of predicting the small window of time she had left to find Jai. Where are you, Jai?
    She’d been searching for him for almost twelve months, using the innate sense she had of her mate to narrow down his location. This time around, it had been harder to track and hold onto his aura.
    Why?
    Sabria placed her head in her hands, closed her eyes and drew in a few deep breaths. He was alive. She knew that without question, but she wondered if he was hurt, wishing he could search for her like she was for him. Sabria pushed her energy toward Jai, centering all her thoughts on her mate.
    Come to me, Jai.
    With a shaky sigh, Sabria opened her eyes. She had to remain focused no matter how hopeless things seemed. He was close by. She could feel it. This wasn’t the first time it had taken her longer than expected to find him.
    But this is the first time you’ve doubted you would locate him before time runs out.
    Five days. That was all the time she had left.
    Impossible.
    Sabria stood up. She’d wallow in despair when there was no more time left. Right now, she still had a chance. She pushed her notebook and camera into her bag, taking one last look at the stack of books she’d been rifling through. The elderly man across from her was still staring at her and Sabria resisted the urge to stick out her tongue as she moved past him, giving him another smile instead.
    Her accelerated heartbeat matched the click of her heeled boots as she walked toward the bathroom. She pushed open the door, wrinkling her nose at the lemon air freshener wafting in the air. The lavatory was empty and Sabria was grateful for the solitude. She was burning up. The need for water almost consumed her uneasiness as she stepped up to the sink. She turned on the faucet, enjoying the cold water running over her hands. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and stared at her reflection, transfixed.
    It was never easy adjusting to her appearance. Almost a year had gone and she still frowned whenever she looked in the mirror.
    Sabria reached up to touch her long, wavy auburn tresses, vaguely wondering if Jai would approve. She looked completely different. Her eyes were green, but they’d been brown before. Sabria stared at her pale, unblemished skin, still unaccustomed to seeing anything other than the warm shade of cinnamon she’d last been for so many years before.
    Change was something her kind had always endured, but it got harder to deal with each time it happened. She wondered what Jai looked like and if he’d recognize some part of her when she finally found him.
    “And I will find you,” Sabria said, watching her green irises shimmer brighter and brighter with flecks of gold.
    She closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. The last thing she needed was to draw any more attention to herself. She exhaled and opened her eyes, pleased to see they were once again a normal shade of green. Sabria wet a paper