He didn’t claw or kick.
He simplywas.
Mike would find nothing but terror in the cold and the dark. He’d die afraid and alone. His last moments would be soaked in panic while his lungs filled with water instead of air.
But for Harrison, this felt likehome.
The pain in his limbs had dulled, replaced by a strange, all-consuming numbness that brought peace. The cold didn’t scare him—it welcomed him like an old friend. He had known this emptiness before. It was the same stillness that had wrapped around him the day Luca died.
His thoughts grew slower and fuzzier as the cold crept deeper into his bones, but he didn’t care.
There was no fear or struggle. Just the soft surrender to the quiet.
He was sitting on the road again, holding Luca’s lifeless body in his arms as the rain poured around them, and lightning split the sky.
“I’ve been trying to find you,” Harrison said, stroking Luca’s soft cheek. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
Warm, whisky coloured eyes opened, blinking at him slowly.
He looked so much like their mother.
“Go home, Harrison,” Luca told him. “I love you, but you need to go home.”
Harrison frowned. He couldn’t understand why Luca didn’t want him there. “Don’t you miss me?”
Luca smiled, and Harrison forgot how much he had missed the sight of it.
He suddenly found himself chasing his brother through the backyard, climbing up the treehouse ladder and laughing when Luca let out a shriek of excitement.
He was sitting on the floor in Luca’s bedroom with Taylor, the three of them trying to be quiet as they ate stolen treats from the cupboard.
He was sliding to a stop at the rink gate, grinning at Luca’s grumpy face as he shivered in the cold.
His brother always came to watch him practice, even though he hated the cold, and he hated how obnoxious his teammates were.
Taylor stopped beside him, smacking him on the back with his stick. His brown eyes were filled with mischief as he looked between him and Luca. “We tell him to stay home, and he still follows us. Don’t feel bad for the idiot.”
“You’rethe idiot, Taylor,” Luca snapped back, pointing an angry finger at him. “Until yesterday, you thought the Earth was flat. Can’t get any dumber than that.”
Luca and Taylor had been like this ever since Luca hit his teen years. Harrison found their bickering amusing, but he missed the peaceful times too.
He reached for the gate so he could get off the ice, but Luca snapped it closed, and Taylor yanked his hand back.
“No,” said Taylor. “You can’t leave yet. It’s not time.”
Not time for what? Practice was over, and he was hungry. It was time to go home and get something to eat—maybe watch a movie.
“You still have time on the clock,” said Luca, gesturing to the board showing way more time than he would ever need. “And he’s waiting for you.”
He?
Taylor huffed and pushed his shoulder, turning him to look at center ice, where a man stood watching them. He was wearing a blue jersey with a Sunburst on the front, holding his stick in his hand.
“Him.” Taylor gave Harrison a friendly shake. “He’s the one who’s waiting for you.”
Jett Fraser, all golden light and warm smiles. He was lifting his arms toward him, like he was asking Harrison for a hug.
Harrison made it one stride before he stopped and turned to his brother and best friend. “Are you going to be okay until we come home?”
