[POV: Solenne]
By the time Solenne returned to Haleford's outer edge, the snow had stopped and dusk had begun to settle. Lanterns flickered in distant windows, and the smell of smoke from the chimneys in town wafted into her lungs.
Her skin burned beneath her coat. She had removed her scarf completely because it was starting to feel like a noose tightening around her throat.
She was breathing fast enough to make herself dizzy, and her limbs trembled with anticipation.
Every step felt like torture, deep in her bones, like her skin no longer fit her body. Her mouth was dry, and her other senses were heightened and confused. Everything smelled too strongly, sounded too loud, looked too vibrant.
She could hear her heartbeat throbbing in her ears, and practically taste her body's growing longing. That was when she recognized the sensations she was experiencing.
It was happening again… her heat.
'It can't be,' she thought in dismay. 'I haven't felt this since the dream.'
