through a fog-filled haze, LeLandI feLt pressure on
her throat as if a snake encircled her neck, squeezing tight. She struggled for breath, her mind blackening. She tried to smell the snake, but all she sensed was the strong odor of decaying leaves. Then a gruff, impatient male voice shouted for Larissa, nearer now. A low, threatening growl sounded. Ural?
The pressure on her throat ceased, and she gasped for air, unable to catch her breath. She couldn’t focus on anything, where she was, who he was, what had happened to Larissa. The snake moved quickly away, slithering through the brush, hiding from imminent danger. The pungent odor of humus departed with it. But a new scent drifted in the air. Her cousin’s.
“Ural,” she tried to say, but his name stuck in her throat.
He slunk close to her, licked her cheek—warm, wet, welcome. She wanted to hug his neck, but she couldn’t move.