The End of Never by Tammy Turner Page B

clashed for centuries within my flesh, but I hoped that one day, I would find my Iselin returned to life.
    â€œYou are Iselin,” Kraven said out loud as he released his grip of Alexandra’s trembling wrists.
    Alexandra gasped. Tears welled in her eyes. “But I am Alexandra Peyton,” she whispered in protest. “I’m seventeen years old. How can I be anyone else?”
    Their knees touched and Kraven cupped her blushing cheek in his palm. Attracted and at the same time repelled, Alexandra stared into his face as the fiery touch of his hand spread warmth through her body. The heat felt lovely, but also sickened her.
    A warm breeze blew his raven hair from his shoulders and across his face. She brushed the strands back with her fingers. When he clenched his jaw, she noticed the cleft mark in his chin. But of all his strong features, it was the deep blue of his eyes that she could not let go of. Their piercing gaze dug into her skull. Mesmerized, she listened to his voice, low and unwavering, as he spoke to her without moving his lips.
    You are afraid, Alexandra, but you must believe me. You are Iselin. You have her beauty, her voice, the gait of her walk. You can believe that I am a monster. Then also believe that you are an angel.
    Her reply flew from her head before she could hold her words back: I believe you, Kraven.
    His hand tensed on her cheek and Alexandra realized he had heard her. The girl’s heart fluttered, and she tried again: Are you really a monster? Have you ever hurt anyone? Alexandra felt her skin burning and thought: I am on fire.
    No, you are transcending , he replied.
    Her eyes popped open. Kraven still held her chin in his palm and she gently cupped his hand inside of her own.
    â€œShow me who you are,” she whispered aloud and squeezed his palm. “Show me your soul.”
    A wildfire ran up her arms and into her chest. Pain seared her heart and the heat sunk into her gut. Her legs tingled; puddles of sweat broke across her skin. Diving into his skull, she braced herself to see his past.
    Suddenly, she was Kraven. Darkness surrounded her. The dripping of water echoed through the pit. She was in a cave. Rock and sallow bone crunched beneath her bare feet. A hazy light loomed in the distance. As she stumbled toward the glow, a voice called out.
    The voice came from a man at the mouth of cave. He wore an army uniform and he trembled with cold as a light dusting of snowflakes fell on his shoulders. The man stared at her, wide-eyed. In the corner of her eyes, she glimpsed a pair of red wings rising from her back. The soldier fell to his knees and raised his arms above his face. She retreated into the cave, the soldier still kneeling. Her wings melted into her back.
    Jack crawled into Alexandra’s lap and nestled his head against her thigh, drowsy from the muggy morning heat. Kraven’s palms dropped from her grip and a spasm shook her body.
    She gasped for air, her chest panting in freedom. In her lap, Jack wiggled and snored.
    On the playground, the shouts of the pumpkin-haired boy rang through the air. “Momma, look!” he said, plunging down the slide.
    â€œThat was my uncle?” Alexandra asked Kraven, with her green eyes wide open.
    â€œYes,” Kraven spoke. “He thought I was the devil, as I suppose anyone would.”
    â€œI do not,” Alexandra said softly. “How did you not go crazy, though, living in a cave for a thousand years?”
    A smirk spread across his handsome face. “No, I did not live there until later,” he told her. “I went there later only to hide, with the hope to die if I should find a way to kill myself. After walking the earth for a millennium, I had seen everyone and everything in the world. I was tired. I may be a liar, a scoundrel, and a cheat, but I am also a student and scholar. After a thousand years, I lost hope of ever finding any peace. What I mean by that is I lost hope of ever finding