When the World Burned

When I opened my eyes, I realized the suffocating heatwave wasn't there.

But I still remembered vividly the way I had died in my last life, drained of blood and strangled until I couldn't breathe. I turned and looked at Snowviper beside me, and a shiver ran down my spine.

According to Beastfolk tradition, a beastfolk had to marry the person who saved their life. I was supposed to be with Blazewing. But because my sister, Raven Webster, thought Snowviper was too terrifying to look at, she stole Blazewing for herself.

A month later, the whole world turned hotter, and the heatwave apocalypse began.

Snowviper's power, just like his name, could lower the temperature within ten feet of him, creating a living shield against the burning world.

Blazewing, on the other hand, carried the opposite—heat and fire.

Raven took Blazewing, but she died of heat stroke in the heatwave apocalypse, while I survived thanks to Snowviper's cooling power.

In her final moments, Raven was convinced I had stolen her husband. She whispered poison into Snowviper's ear, and he killed me.

Back in the present, I had just opened my mouth to say Blazewing belonged to me when Raven cut me off.

"Snowviper's mine! I hatched him! You can have Blazewing!"

I froze, watching Raven rush to grab Snowviper's arm, as if she couldn't wait another second.

That was when it hit me. Raven had been reborn, too.

A smile tugged at my lips. I'd been wondering how to get Blazewing back from her. But it turned out, I didn't even have to try.

Still, Raven only knew that Snowviper could cool the air. What she didn't know was that his gift depended on feeding every day from human blood. And his fangs weren't ordinary—they carried venom that spread through your veins, turning every feeding into torture.

By the time Raven turned Snowviper against me in my last life, I was already half-dead from being drained. In a way, I should thank her. At least she gave me a quicker end.

This time, though, Raven could experience firsthand how it felt to be sucked dry and infused with poison every day.

Last time, when Snowviper ended up with me, he wasn't happy about it. He only stayed because of the Beastfolk's laws, grudgingly calling himself my husband.

But hearing Raven claiming him this time, Snowviper slipped out of my reach and ran to Raven's side before I could even respond. His tongue flicked out in a slow, cold hiss.

His eyes met mine, his voice dripping with contempt. "Raven says she wants me. That makes me hers. Don't bother me again."

I narrowed my eyes. So, it wasn't just me and Raven who had come back from the dead.

Raven grinned at me, smug as ever. "See, Megan? Snowviper chose me. Take your stupid phoenix and go home."

I shrugged lightly. "Fine. If you want him so badly, you can have him."

She brushed past me with her chin high, casting me a sideways glance. Leaning close, she whispered in my ear, "You don't know, do you? The heatwave apocalypse is about to start. If you grovel and beg me, maybe I'll let you borrow Snowviper for a few days."

I hid my laugh. Seemed like she really had no clue why Snowviper wanted her.