[Ovelia's POV]
The world snapped back into focus with a jolt as Ray's voice cut through the tense air, and the wagon lurched to a sudden halt. For a second, my mind went blank, unable to process anything but the solid form holding me. I looked up.
I was met with a pair of stormy gray eyes, set in a face with sharp, elegant features and framed by hair as white as fresh snow. His ears were distinctly pointed, and from his back, folded a pair of magnificent, translucent wings that shimmered with a faint, prismatic light even in the shade of the wagon.
"Gale?!" I gasped, my voice a stunned whisper.
"Yes, it's me," he said, his tone gruff and impatient, though a faint blush high on his cheekbones betrayed his embarrassment. "So please stop crying, you idiot. Your sniffling is giving me a headache."
