Gavin's POV
The second I tore that shawl from Julia's throat, everything around me froze. The bite mark I had left on her skin weeks before was no longer just a simple mark. It blazed like molten fire, pulsing with an unnatural crimson glow that seemed to have its own rhythm.
Thin wisps of smoke drifted upward from her flesh, and terror shot through me like lightning. For one horrifying moment, I was certain she would combust in my arms.
"Julia! Don't you dare leave me!" My voice cracked as I pulled her against me, her head rolling back limply, her eyelids fluttering. Her body burned against mine, fever radiating through her skin with an intensity that defied nature. My pulse hammered so violently I thought my chest might explode.
