Page 206

I was overwhelmed and didn't know if it was because of the situation or because she was pretending not to want to hurt me, but I managed to reach her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and turned her toward me.

“Calm down,” I tried, without letting my own nervousness show. “Try to calm down.”

“No, go!” Julie shouted, and more ice crystals shot from her hands onto the floor beneath us, and instantly, smooth ice spread across the surface. “Please!”

Suddenly, something exploded next to us.

I quickly pulled Julie into my arms, dragging her down with me and shielding us as a thousand tiny shards of ice rained down on us.

Glass shattered somewhere in the lab.

Howling

RY X

I held Julie tight, as tight as I could, felt the glass scratching me, endured it while I felt Julie's icy hands pressed against me.

With one hand, she clutched my bare arm – because my lab coat had ridden up – clawing into it as if she would fall if she were to let go, her other hand on my chest, clawing just as desperately into my gray vest.

“Please...” I heard her sob, her whole body shaking against mine.

I lowered my head, my lips touching her hair.

“Julie,” I said as calmly as I could. “Focus on me.”

The ice rain had stopped, but the ground around us continued to freeze.

Julie threatened to tip over to the side as her grip loosened.

“Hey,” I whispered, pulling my head back so I could see her better. “Hold on tight.”

Julie's grip tightened again, her trembling intensified.

“There you go.”

I pulled her closer to me, hoping that this would help, that she could hold on to me and know that everything was okay, hoping that she would calm down.

Something cold moved across my wrist.

My gaze drifted down to my lower arm, where her ice was slowly spreading.

I took a deep breath, condensation forming in the cold air as I exhaled, and Julie immediately looked at my arm.

“I...” she whispered, agitated, and wanted to let go, but I put my hand on hers, forcing her to hold on to me.

“It's okay,” I said quietly. “Forget about that for a moment. I'm fine.”

Julie looked up at me, her cheeks – mottled with irregular red blotches – wet with tears, her aventurine eyes reddened, glassy, like crystals.

A pleasant feeling spread through my chest, but I didn't want to question it further, so I did the next best thing that came to mind.

I did what I had always done with Delilah when she had cried and pulled Julie closer into my arms, holding her without letting go of her cold hand and running my other hand steadily over her back.

She buried her head in my chest, squeezed her eyes shut, and I knew she would rather be somewhere else right now.

Her quiet sobs pierced the silence, and in the distance, I heard the security alarm, but I was completely focused on Julie. Every sob made my heartbeat fall out of its steady rhythm.

The trembling lessened, but I didn't dare let her go. Not yet.