Free Heart Song by Samantha LaFantasie

closed the door, happy to see a fire already roaring to life. I was going to have to remind myself to thank Enid when I saw him again. I walked to the table and pulled the comb out of my hair. It caught the glow of the fire, causing tiny beams of light to scatter along the gems. It was silver with red crystals set in shapes of flowers and silver leaves. I set it on the table and moved to take off the rest of the ridiculous outfit.
    A rumble of thunder in the distance, followed by the cries of a lonely pack of wolves, sounded through the air and chilled my skin. I ran to the balcony and pulled open the doors, only to be disappointed by the empty garden below. Not so much as a shadow moved within the trees. I walked back inside to continue undressing—leaving on only the underdress— then parted the sheers surrounding the bed and climbed in. I wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over me and shut out the rest of the world.

6
Reveal Of A Dark Secret
     
    I woke from a fitful sleep with a loud clap of thunder that shook the room. I sat up, struggling to catch my breath, when I saw someone at the foot of the bed. “Marren?”
    “I'm here.”
    “What are you doing at the foot of my bed?” I snapped, still angry.
    “I want you to see me…what I am,” he replied as if he was surrendering to something he didn’t want to do.
    My heart started to race. Questions and warnings rang in the back of my mind. But one thing overwhelmed them all. Need. A need to know, a need to see, a need to keep him with me because I was too proud to admit I was too scared to be alone.
    I moved slowly, crawling on top of the blankets and to the edge of the bed. I stood on my knees and took deep breaths to calm myself as lightning and thunder crashed around me and rain pelted the stone balcony.  I reached with trembling hands and pulled the sheers apart slowly. Marren stood on the other side of the bench, patiently waiting for my reaction. He stood perfectly still, like a statue belonging in the ball room with the other races, long fallen into myth and legend.  Lighting flashed across his face and I knew then why he was so afraid.
    I froze. Partly in terror and partly in awe. “You’re a werewolf.”
    “Are you afraid of me?” he asked with uncertainty.
    Of course I was afraid. It wouldn't be natural otherwise.  But, I couldn’t tell him that. “No. More like…mesmerized.”
    I leaned over the bench, reached out my hand and touched his face. It felt as soft and smooth as the human part of him. My fingers traced the changes, moving over the rises and falls of his features. Goosebumps rose on my arms and trickled down my spine.  In another flash of lightning, I saw that his eyes were closed.
    “You're beautiful,” I whispered.
    “You—you don't think I'm a monster?”
    I laughed under my breath, “How could I?”
    “This is what I am. If living a life with me is what you really want, you will have to eventually make the change as well,” his words echoed soundlessly through my mind. I felt the urgency within them.
    I dropped my hand and sat back on my legs. “Before I can think about that, you have to give me some answers.” He nodded slowly. “How old are you?”
    “Old enough to have seen the changes in this world,” he spoke with sadness in his words.
    “Does that mean you will you live forever?”
    “Theoretically, yes.”
    “So if I decide not to make the change, then...”
    “It will kill me when you eventually die.”
    “Why would my death kill you?”  I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Instead of getting answers, I found more questions.
    His mouth opened as if he was going to answer but then he closed it, looking out the window. Worry creased his brow.
    I tried a different approach, “Is that the decision you warned me of?”
    “I wouldn’t want you to rush into something like this. It takes time. But, with the company that's coming, you'll need to make that decision sooner than I had