Winter Cinder Series Novels & Stories

It was forbidden ground, the den of the mad wolf Axel. ... This day brought the worst blizzard of the season. It was also the date carved into Axel's bones. It was his birthday and the anniversary of Seraphina's death. An old courier knelt trembling outside the tent. "Alpha... This is a package a lady left with us ten years ago. She paid ten times the normal fee and specified it be delivered to you today." Axel emerged from the tent. Ten years of weathering had streaked his temples with white, but his eyes remained as lifeless as they had been a decade ago.

Dad's fingers trembled as he tried to open it, but he kept missing the button. Finally, Uncle Arnold reached over with a shaky hand and tapped it for him. The image was taken under the harsh light of a flashlight. The background was a stark landscape of white snow and black rock. Curled up in the snowdrift was a livid, purple-blue figure. His thin windbreaker was torn to shreds, exposing a gaunt, bony back beneath. The person's face was buried in the snow, his expression impossible to make out. But his hand—raised high, frozen mid-air—was clenched around a half sheet of blood-stained paper in a death grip.

“What is?” Victoria gestured vaguely toward the Winters family. “You people.” “That narrows it down.” “The whole winter immunity thing,” she continued. “Meanwhile, Silas and I are over here pretending we’re not freezing to death while the rest of you apparently belong in snowstorms.” Silas, sitting near the cave entrance after shifting back, looked entirely unimpressed. “You complain when it’s warm too.” “That is unrelated.” Calix crossed his arms loosely. “You were complaining before we even left.”

The neon red lights of the party pulsed like a rhythmic heartbeat, a sharp contrast to the biting chill of the Austin, Texas night. Inside the Riverside Duplex, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of pine, rain, and the underlying musk of the Austin Wolves hockey team. Kol Reyes adjusted the collar of his shirt, feeling exposed. His roommate, Valeria Cruz, had practically forced him into the outfit—a charcoal button-down that was tapered perfectly to his lean, athletic frame, paired with dark slacks and polished boots.

This was their secret life. Just the two of them. “The white night has finally ended. It has lasted a few months, and now the night has come back. The familiar winter will arrive soon…” The summer they thought would last forever finally ended. It was over. And now, the familiar cruel winter was coming for them again.

The day before the college entrance exam, the class belle everyone adored stepped onto the podium. "I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I couldn't bear to let you all miss this opportunity. There's a hidden rule in this year's college entrance exam system. If you soak your answer sheet, it'll be transferred for a special manual review by top universities." I froze, staring at her for a long while before finally blinking dumbly. In my previous life, those exact words had been enough to make someone as dull as me lose my composure for the first time in my life. I ran to get the teacher and stopped the entire class from soaking their answer sheets. In the end, the class belle failed the exam

Some stopped to admire the clothing in the windows, but most people were on their phones or obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. I pulled open the heavy glass door and stepped outside. It was colder today than yesterday. Gray clouds filled the limited sky I could see between tall buildings. I took a deep breath in, smelling car gas and street vendor food. I wrinkled my nose, missing the soft scent of grass and stone from the castle. Westshire was the capital and biggest city in Paradisa. The city had stonework that predated the US mixed with new buildings. Ancient and modern architecture mingled and combined with castles merging into skyscrapers.

I secretly hoped he would run into me again. The Winder Building sat regally on the corner of the street. Painted white, the second level wore wrought iron balconies that gave it an almost Southern charm. As much as I disliked the fact that I was unwillingly returning to my roots, I did like the building. It was from the time of the Civil War and radiated history.

Ricky sits in the floor by Wyatt's feet. “What are we watching?” Wyatt asks. “The Santa Clause 2.” Ricky answers. “Ah, Callie's favorite.” Wyatt says and Ricky laughs. “Yep. We each got to pick a movie. I chose Home Alone 2, Val chose Annabelle's Wish, Van chose How The Grinch Stole Christmas and this is what Callie picked. You get to pick next.” Ricky tells Wyatt. He laughs. “Just don't pick Die Hard. Wilder picks that every year as his Christmas movie. Callie always fusses.”

Laughing, Cinder said, “That conversation wasn’t one sided. I may be assigned to help out in Japan. If so, I’ll see you there. If not, I’m sure I’ll bump into you again at some point. Maybe over the holidays.” Thoughts of sitting around a Christmas tree with Cutter and his family filled Ru’s mind for a moment. Would her own parents be there as well? She shook the thought free. Clearly, Cinder was ready to go. “Okay. Thank you for taking the time to come speak to me. I feel a lot better about things now.” “Me, too,” Cinder agreed. She reached out a see-through hand and rested it on Ru’s shoulder. “Take care.” As Ru nodded, Cinder slowly faded away.