The clinking of glasses at the bar slowed. The crackling of the fire stretched into long, languid pops. Lumi’s hair swayed in slow motion as she shifted in her seat. The sound of laughter from across the room deepened, stretching like taffy.
Time itself was bending around me.
Don’s large hand settled on my arm, warm and grounding. “Breathe, Neve,” he murmured, his voice somehow clear while everything else blurred.
I inhaled shakily, and the world snapped back to normal speed. Glasses clinked normally, the fire crackled at its regular pace, and conversation resumed.
Pierce stared at his hands. Blitz studied the ceiling as if it contained the secrets of the universe. Vix’s expression was carefully blank. Lumi lowered her gaze to the floor.
They were giving me a moment when what they should have done was tackle me to the ground and lock me away. The kindness made my eyes burn.
But beneath that kindness, I recognized something else in the way their bodies had tensed, in how carefully they watched me from the corners of their eyes.
They were afraid.
Of me.
The realization settled into my bones with a terrible,hollow certainty. I hadn’t just been sent away from the North Pole; I had been exiled. Contained. I was the nuclear reactor they’d had to decommission, too unstable to remain operational.
My entire identity crisis seemed laughably small. I’d been angry about being lied to, but the truth was so much worse. I was a danger.
I shoved back from the bar. “I’d like to go back to the cabin now.”
No one argued. No one even asked if I was okay, which I appreciated because the answer was a resounding no.
Lumi stood with me, wrapping me in another hug that felt both strange and achingly familiar. “I’ll come visit tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
I nodded against her shoulder, not trusting my voice. The idea that I had a friend who knew the real me was both terrifying and desperately needed.
As we pulled apart, Lumi’s gaze slid to Vix, who was very interested in the pattern of the wooden floorboards. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “And you. If you break that ice sculpture of the North Star I spent three weeks on, I will slice off an antler the next time you shift.”
A surprised laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Lumi, you know better than to threaten their antlers.”
Vix’s hand flew to his heart in mock offense. “I would never.”
“You’ve done it twice already!”
“That was years ago!”
Pierce guided me toward the door with a gentle hand on my lower back. “Perhaps save the grudge match for another time?”
As we headed back to the barn, we skirted the edge of the village. The snow crunched beneath our boots, and I tried to focus on that rather than the fact that I was apparently half-elf, magically volatile, and potentially dangerous to everyone around me.
The sleigh was waiting where we left it, and I climbed aboard mechanically. The men exchanged glances beforeshifting into their reindeer forms. I didn’t even have the energy to marvel at the transformation this time.
Pierce nudged my hand with his antlered head before moving into position. The touch almost broke me. How could they still be so gentle knowing what I was capable of?
The sleigh glided out of the barn and up the path. After a few minutes, Don veered right, leading us into a clearing in the trees. He stopped, and the men shifted back to human form.
I remained seated, staring at nothing.
Blitz approached, offering his hand. “Come on.”
I stared at his outstretched palm without moving. “Why are we stopping?”
“Because you look like you’re about to implode.” He wiggled his fingers. “And we’d rather you didn’t.”
I didn’t take his hand. “Shouldn’t you be keeping your distance? What if I...” I swallowed hard. “What if I lose control?”
