3013: UNITY: A 3013 Novella, стр. 8

After centuries of studying and learning, she’d thought she had understood the special connection between soulmates. She had witnessed other couples meet and had the privilege of watching their love blossom and grow. But there had been no way to truly understand the power of that bond until she experienced it herself.

Because she had been watching him closely, Lyrica saw the moment the transformation began. When the pain hit him, it was too late to warn him. Too late to explain what was happening. The look he gave her tore at her heart. Betrayal. He thought she was attacking him. While she wasn’t deliberately hurting him, what he was experiencing was her fault.

“By the ancestors, I didn’t realize this would happen quite so fast.” Lyrica hurried toward her mate, quickly casting a spell to catch him before he toppled over. Using a cushion of air, she gently lowered his body down to the floor and sank to her knees beside him.

“What…the…hell is happening?”

Her hand shook as she reached out to stroke his cheek and his brow. “Just breathe, mate. I know it hurts, but I promise, the pain will pass.”

“Mate?”

She heard the hope buried beneath the agony in his voice and nodded, giving him the confirmation he seemed to need. “You are mine as I am yours. Forgive me, Gabriel. I thought I would have more time to warn you of this.” She glanced up at Alden. “Is there anything I can do to help him?”

“I have never seen this happen so quickly once a soulmate bond is triggered. Most sleep through the worst of it, so just stay with him until it is finished, or it is safe to move him. I will go explain the situation to the others.”

She started to ask what he meant by that, then realized he had created a magical bubble around them. She could see the other humans and hear their muffled shouts through the pale green barrier as they tried to break through, but they wouldn’t be able to reach them until Alden allowed it.

As he stepped through the barrier, Lyrica turned her attention back to Gabriel. Alden could take care of himself, and right now, her mate needed her. When he groaned, she placed her hand on his chest and wished she could take his pain away. The frantic beat of his heart worried her. She removed her cloak and used a corner to wipe at the sweat on his brow, doing her best to soothe him.

“You are experiencing what all Xenon soulmates go through when a bond is formed. The transformation is like your human enhancements, and once this change is complete, you will be bigger, stronger, and faster,” she explained, wanting to distract him.

He put a hand over hers, holding it against his chest. “You…?”

She shook her head. “Only males go through the physical changes.”

“Good. Don’t want…you…to hurt.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I wish I could have prepared you for this. There have only been a few males from other races that have mated a Xenon so far. They have all gone through the same transformation Xenon males experience, and all of them have completely recovered. I’m so sorry you have to go through this, but you are not alone, mate. I will be with you through it all.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then he threw back his head and let out a roar of pain. He released her hand and rolled away from her. Lyrica’s tears fell in rivers down her cheeks as his body started to change. He went stiff, then his back arched off the floor. He screamed again as his legs kicked out, his muscles and bones beginning to grow at an alarming rate.

The entire process was horrible, yet she couldn’t look away. She shook herself out of her horrified stupor and scrambled to remove his boots and the bracelet on his wrist, trying to make him more comfortable. He curled into himself as his muscles continued to expand, and his clothing began to tear and shred, no longer able to contain his larger frame.

“What do you mean?” a voice shouted. “What the fuck is he transforming into?”

“Holy nova, is he going to explode?”

Irritated, Lyrica waved an impatient hand and whispered the words to make the bubble surrounding them turn opaque, blocking anyone outside the barrier from seeing in. She didn’t want anyone to witness her mate’s pain and would not tolerate them watching him in such a vulnerable state.

A few heartbeats later, the transformation was complete.

Gabriel lay sprawled out face down on the floor. All of his clothing was completely destroyed, the torn material scattered around him in pieces. The thick, corded muscles on his back tensed and flexed as he panted for breath, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his skin, making him look like he was glowing with an inner light.

He had been impressive before, but now, he looked like a god.

The silence around them felt thick and heavy, but she wanted to give him all the time he needed to recover. He started to shift into a sitting position, but only made it halfway. Bracing one hand on the floor, he shook his head as if trying to clear it.

“Gabriel?”

His head came up, and his eyes immediately locked on hers. His intense gaze reminded her of a predator, and for a moment, it seemed as if he didn’t recognize her. His arm lashed out with shocking speed, but his grip was gentle as his hand wrapped around her leg. The move surprised her, but she didn’t fight him as he slowly dragged her toward him.

When she was pressed up against him, he lifted a massive hand and stroked his fingers over her cheek, wiping away the remnants of her tears. Closing her eyes,