Page 17 of HaL

Two legs.

Two arms.

A broad chest and shoulders that make him look as though he could’ve been built to carry the weight of the world without ever bending beneath it. Things I might have once thought about taking for granted suddenly seem miraculous.

I stare.

His eyes are the first thing I recognize. They are still unmistakably his, although the silver is gone. Now they are a solid, brilliant blue, deep enough that I could fall into them if I wasn’t already too stunned to move. His face has changed, too. His lips are fuller, his cheekbones more pronounced, his jaw stronger. His entire body carries a massive, powerful build, the kind of strength that reminds me of a linebacker, except there is something almost graceful beneath it. He looks like a Viking god.

He looks dangerous.

Beautiful.

Vulnerable.

Darker blue markings cover his chest and climb his neck, intricate patterns that seem almost alive against his pale skin. His massive hands are only partially covered in hair, while his legs reveal the sheer power of his frame, muscles stretching beneath skin that looks almost too delicate to contain them.

Only fragments of his beast remain, to the point that if you didn’t know, he could have hidden that part away forever. But I can see the Yeti barely contained behind thin skin.

Long, silver-white hair falls from his head and brushes his shoulders and down his back. More of it graces his forearms, softening the otherwise distinctly masculine lines of his body.

I can’t stop staring. His lips curve into a crooked smile. Heat rushes into my face. I knew I was blushing as red as my hair, but I couldn’t make myself look away.

DaR is unconquerable.

Mek is beautiful.

KyT is intriguing in a way that makes me want to understand him.

But HaL...

HaL is something else entirely. Captivating doesn’t begin to describe it. There is something about him that makes me feel as though I could spend a lifetime looking at him and still discover something new. Every detail seems to hold another secret. Another question.

And suddenly, I’m not sure whether I am looking at him because I’m fascinated, or because I fear that if I look away, this version of him might disappear.

Then I see the runes move and my breath catches. They are shifting beneath his skin … not like shadows … not like light. They are actually moving. My heart slams against my ribs.

Can it be?

I barely have time to form that thought before HaL glances down at me. Something in his expression changes. The crooked smile fades. For the first time since the transformation began, he looks uncertain.

Almost afraid.

He glances down at my hand, then back into my eyes. Slowly, hesitantly, he reaches for me. I should be frightened.

Maybe I am.

But when his hand closes around mine, all I can think about is how carefully he touches me despite his incredible size. His palm completely swallows mine. His fingers curl around my hand with astonishing gentleness, as though I am something fragile he’s terrified of breaking. Then the heat reaches me.

I suck in a breath.

He is burning.

Not painfully. Not dangerously. Just impossibly warm. The heat radiating from his skin is seeping into mine, chasing away the chill that has settled over me. I can feel the strength in his hand, the barely restrained power beneath his skin, and yet he holds me as though I am the one thing in the room he can’t afford to hurt.

I lift my eyes to his.

Those brilliant blue eyes watch me with an intensity that makes my heart stumble. And suddenly, the transformation doesn’t matter anymore.