Rune

Today is my thirtieth birthday. My parents mailed me a gift, like they always do, but I accidentally nick my thumb while opening the box.

A tiny drop of blood wells on my skin. And without thought, I press the tip of my thumb between my lips and close my eyes.

When I open them, I’m no longer in my apartment. I’m on the side of a mountain. Standing in the rain.

Convinced this isn’t real, I seek shelter in a cave. But I’m unable to stop myself from moving deeper into the cavern.

Where I find him. A man, lying inside a hidden chamber, sleeping atop an altar. My body is not my own as I walk closer. As I reach out to touch him. To see if he’s real.

But then a force stills my hand above his face. And my heart… stops beating. The muscle freezes inside my ribs.

While I panic, unable to move, I watch as a single drop of blood beads on my thumb. And falls. Landing perfectly between his parted lips.

He opens his eyes. My heart finally resumes beating. I stumble back, falling… And land on my apartment floor. It was a dream. A hallucination. Not real.

Except my clothes are wet. And I feel the weight of him inside my chest.

Vameer

I only meant to lie down for a little while. A few weeks to rest. Gods, I just needed to rest.

But instead of waking on my own, I’m woken by the unmistakable taste of my mate’s blood on my tongue.

We lock eyes. My solid black orbs to her human ones. But then she disappears.

When I follow her scent to the entrance of the cave, I find that the world has changed.

I don’t know where my mate went.

I don’t know how to find my brother.

But I know I must find both of them before my enemies do.

And I fear I may have slept longer than I meant to.