Chapter 1

ANA

Ana's finger trembled, hovering over Ben's phone number like a butterfly poised on a thorn.In her world of reflex hammers and comforting reassurances, blind dates felt like a foreign language. Her passion blazed for science, tirelessly examining the intricate network of muscle and nerves and willing life into paralyzed limbs using the tools of rehabilitation. As a physiotherapist, she wasn't a surgeon of scalpels and sutures but a weaver of hope, stitching together shattered bodies and broken lives.

She was supposed to go out on a blind date her bestie, Kember, had set up for her, but now that it gotten closer to the time for the guy to pick her up, she was waffling in her decision. She hadn't even bothered to look up his picture online. Kember's words about appearances not defining a person's worth pulsed in her mind.

Reluctantly, she decided she had to go, solely because her best friend insisted. The only upside? The Yellow Dog Café was known for their crab bisque, and even a disastrous date couldn't spoil a steaming bowl.

As she sat on her covered porch debating whether to leave its sanctuary or stay and enjoy this pleasant Florida night, Ana gazed out at the unusually large moon, its silver light painting an almost magical scene. Did she really want to leave this beautiful view for a date with someone she'd never met?

Tig, her orange cat, curled contentedly on her lap, further dampening her desire to move, and she closed her eyes for a moment. A shiver danced down her spine as she recalled the eerie fiction novel she'd just finished. Filled with tales of magic, werewolves howling under blood-red moons, and fantastical creatures lurking in forgotten corners, it had left her imagination running wild. A logical part of her mind, however, scoffed at the childish thrill that crept in. The calming chirps of tree frogs and the soft whispers of night birds grounded her in reality.

Then, summoning her determination, Ana took a deep breath but called Kember.

"Ana?" Kember answered, her voice laced with concern. "Is everything all right?"

Just as Ana opened her mouth, a loud snap reverberated through the decking. On her lap, Tig sprang to her feet, fur bristling, and disappeared into the safety of the garden. Another ear-splitting crack ripped through the air as the roof shattered above her.

"Kember, help," she shouted, but her words were cut short as the call disconnected.

Ana attempted to flee, but another jolt sent her sprawling. The deafening sound of crumbling earth and splintering wood echoed. The acrid smell of dust and debris stung her nostrils, choking her. She desperately reached out to seize the railing with one hand. Yet, that, too, groaned, the nails screeching from being torn from the posts. The rough, weathered lumber splintered beneath her desperate grip, sending a jolt of pain through her fingers. Panic, hot and icy, flooded her veins as the porch groaned.

The ground, once solid and familiar, yawned open below her house, transforming into a ravenous maw. Terror gripped her heart as the hole continued to devour her home and belongings. Creaks and groans, like some weird break-up symphony from hell, accompanied her home's collapse.

She tightened her clutch on the railing, yet the floor shook, making it challenging to keep her balance. Her chair slid off and hit her arm, knocking her phone out of her grasp. A call came, and the ring slowly faded until the hole swallowed it. Suddenly, the porch tilted forward, taking her with it. She clung on, her body dangling off the edge.

"Help! Someone, help me," she sobbed, clinging to the wood for her life.

The railing beneath her fingers grew slick and numb, making it increasingly difficult to maintain her grip. She adjusted her clutch, searching for a better hold, and strained with all her might to pull herself up. Yet her strength waned, and she lost the last bit of hope as her fingers slipped.

Her hands clawed the air.

A scream tore in her chest, but no sound passed her lips. She clenched her eyes closed as her heart pounded, its rhythm matching the frantic beat of her thoughts. A sob escaped her lips. The air tasted of soil and panic.

Nauseous and disoriented, she opened her eyes, only to be met with an endless void. Sweat chilled her skin, mixing with the soil that clung to her. The wind howled, whipping at her clothes, hair, and face, carrying with it the scent of freshly dug earth. Various items from her demolished house continued to spin past her. A few spoons, a frying pan, assorted items of clothing, and glassware tumbled past. In a chaotic whirlwind, they plummeted into the darkness.

Soon, flickers of light sparkled in the depths. Specks in the inky black bloomed, morphing into a mesmerizing dance of a white-hot plasma field. As she hurtled toward this fiery death, a harsh laugh, devoid of humor, ripped from her throat. This was her twisted fairytale ending, not a descent into a celestial ballet, but a plummet into an inferno.

The bitterness in her mouth intensified, and she prepared herself for the inevitable impact. Yet she passed through it untouched. The searing heat remained a mere whisper against her skin. Disbelief warred with terror. She was still falling, yes, but the demise she'd anticipated had been a cruel mirage.

As she continued her descent, her surroundings unbelievably transformed again. Black storm clouds billowed, churning and rolling like inky waves in a tempestuous ocean. Wet clothes clung to her body. Ana shivered, not just from the cold that seeped through her drenched clothes, but from a fear that clawed at her insides. Clouds churned, pregnant with unseen threats. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck dangerously close, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

Strong, warm, and surprisingly gentle arms wrapped around her. Her fall stopped abruptly, and she blinked, disoriented, into the face of the most breathtakingly handsome man she'd ever seen. His jawline was sharp, his eyes the color of the clearest sea, and his gaze held a depth that both scared and intrigued her.

A mixture of astonishment and bewilderment washed over her. Panic made her grip upon him vice-like, though, and a strange sense of belonging bloomed in her chest. Confusion swirled with relief, a cocktail of emotions fizzing in her veins.

Moonlight pierced through the clouds, focusing on them like a spotlight. Thunder rolled, and a jagged streak of lightning arced toward them, striking them. Pain shot through her as the luminous white field exploded and enveloped them. Her rescuer roared with pure agony, the sound tearing through her like a physical blow.

Before she passed out, the world around Ana blurred. The ache, relentless and sharp, raked at her, and darkness, thick and suffocating, swallowed her whole.

In this fractured reality, Ana drifted in and out of awareness. She cried out, her torture a counterpoint to his as pain continued to knife through her. The ache, relentless and sharp, raked at her, and darkness, thick and suffocating, swallowed her whole. The world wavered around her, the edges of consciousness fading.

Below, the earth unfurled in fractured and blurred glimpses, filled with endless plains that stretched out. Alien forests with emerald and rose leaves danced in the sun, and mountains, colossal and proud, kissed the heavens. Atop one, a solitary castle wreathed in mist loomed ever closer, a jagged crown against the bruised sky.

The world dissolved into a hazy blur. In the swirling darkness, dreams took hold transporting her back to the harrowing moment of her fall where she relived every heart-stopping second. And there, amidst the shadows, stood the mysterious man who had caught her. Though his figure appeared as if veiled in a soft mist, she could distinctly feel his warmth, like a gentle caress against her skin. The soft candlelight played upon his handsome face and sculpted chest, casting a mesmerizing glow.

His presence, a captivating force, held her spellbound, wrapping her in a cocoon of desire and curiosity. The faint scent of spicy vanilla hung in the air, intoxicating her senses. His piercing blue eyes, sparkling like sapphires in the darkness, were an irresistible allure, drawing her in with their magnetic pull. In that dreamlike state, she drew closer, lost in the depths of his gaze, aching to unravel the mysteries that lay hidden within.

A primal instinct urged her to him, compelling her into his arms. It whispered of a forbidden longing, a desire that transcended reason and ignited a fire within her soul. As she leaned closer, drawn by an irresistible pull, her heart thundered in her chest, drowning out the whispers of caution.

A surge of longing welled up inside her, a fierce desire to kiss him, to love him with every fiber of her being. And as their lips met in a passionate embrace, she knew, deep down, that she was where she was meant to be.

A voice echoed in the recesses of her mind, a haunting whisper that spoke of ancient secrets. It carried with it a chilling revelation, a truth she struggled to comprehend. You are not what you once were, it murmured, a cryptic message that sent shivers down her spine—human no more. The choice is yours.

Just as she reached out to grasp the truth, to unravel the enigma of her transformation, the dream shattered like fragile glass, leaving her gasping for air.