Free Immortal Storm by Heather Bserani

death. There was a moment of terror and her mind detached from her body, sucked away into the vacuum of this place. Then a voice rang through the dark. Its vibration shook the air around her; it seemed to flow through her. Her misery was being prolonged as the voice spoke to her in the black solitude.
    “Dorianna?” The voice echoed through the enormous, dark void. It called her from above. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked upward, trying to find the source of the sound.
    “Dorianna?” Was that her name? She couldn’t remember. “Dorianna, it’s over now, open your eyes.” She was certain then that she had died. The voice just told her that her life was over, how then could she open her eyes? Nothing made sense. She thought her eyes were already open. She tried to summon the strength to lift her leaden head.
    “Dori, come back to me. I have so much to tell you.” The voice was bubbling with excitement. Its melody was calling back her reason. She wanted to find her way out of the dark. She wanted to see the face that went along with the voice. She wanted to see the light again and shake the confusion out of her head. How could she get out of here? She had tried without success before. She must have missed something. If only it weren’t so cold, if only her brain wasn’t frozen, maybe she could figure this out.
    “Dorianna, I am asking you to trust me t voice> .” She recognized those words. This voice had said these words to her before. With a jolt of electricity a barrage of memories played in her mind. She saw paint splatters and paintings everywhere. She was staring at a mysterious stranger with green eyes. Michael! The attraction between the two of them burned in her memory and she was surprised her heart wasn’t racing in her chest. One memory melted into another and she felt herself being pulled upward from where she had fallen. As she rose, she left the cold behind and became steadily more aware of her body. She was still chilly, but not in pain like before.
    It felt as if she was waking up from a long nap. She began to recognize her body, surprised when she could feel her arms and legs. Her confusion was lifting and she wondered what Michael could have done to reverse the damage caused by her broken neck. She remembered him drugging her. What had happened? She reached the top of her ascent. She could now feel her closed eyelids and taking a deep breath, she opened them.
    Blinking several times, Dori tried to focus. After a few seconds her eyes complied and she was staring at Michael’s beautiful face. He was leaning over her, staring contentedly. His face was calm and his eyes glowed with excitement like a kid on Christmas. She felt herself smile as she stared at the bridge of his nose, his wavy black hair, the curve of his lower lip. Her eyes finally found their way back to his and she was startled by the golden flecks she saw there. She didn’t remember there being so many. Michael’s eyes were completely spellbinding.
    Overwhelmed by the man who saved her and the undeniable mutual attraction that captivated them, she realized she was smitten. She was intoxicated by the way he had cared for her, by the way he had looked at her when she woke up, and by the way she was falling back into his eyes again. Without another word, Michael leaned down and brushed his lips to hers as gently as a summer breeze. He was so subtle, it was almost as if he hadn’t kissed her at all. She was hungry for more. He seemed to understand her longing and he pressed his mouth to hers again. This time she didn’t hold back. She let the frustration of her repressed attraction go and kissed him as if she were making up for lost time. She inhaled deeply and his scent intoxicated her. She wondered what his hair felt like and was surprised when her hands obeyed and found their way into his dark locks. Excited by her mobility, she lost control and bit Michael’s lip.
    “Ouch!” he exclaimed and grabbed his lip,