He tries again. “The elevation will increase significantly over the next few days. Temperatures will drop. There are sections where the path narrows to single-file, and several areas with avalanche risk—”
Finn’s shoulder brushes mine.
Accidentally.
I glance at him. He’s looking straight ahead, expression innocent.
His shoulder brushes mine again.
Less accidentally.
Heat pools in my stomach despite the cold air. The bond between us — new, fresh, still settling — pulses with warmth under my skin. I can feel him through it now. His amusement. His want. The way he’s deliberately trying to distract me.
“—and we’ll need to stay alert for loose footing,” Darian continues. “One wrong step on some of these ledges—”
Malrik steps closer behind me. Not touching. Just…there. Close enough that I can feel his heat through my clothes.
I lose track of whatever Darian is saying.
“—the cold at higher elevations can be dangerous if we’re not prepared. Hypothermia sets in faster than most people—”
Aspen is watching me instead of Darian. There’s a knowing glint in his ice-blue eyes that makes me want to throw something at him.
Torric keeps glancing between me and Kieran with an expression that clearly saysI know exactly what happened and I’m going to be insufferable about it.
Kieran refuses to make eye contact with anyone. He just keeps dragging Callum with more force than strictly necessary, jaw tight, golden eyes fixed on the path ahead.
“—and the structural integrity of the southern pass has been questionable since the last major—”
“Am I talking to myself?” Darian interrupts himself. “Is anyone actually listening?”
Silence.
A few Eds drift past his head like tumbleweeds.
“No,” Finn admits. “Sorry. Got distracted.”
“Bywhat?”
Finn doesn’t answer. His shoulder brushes mine again.
Darian pinches the bridge of his nose. “Wonderful. We’re all going to die because nobody can focus.”
“To be fair,” I say, “you picked a really bad morning for a briefing.”
“There’s no good morning for—” He stops. Processes my words. Looks at me. Looks at Finn. Looks at Malrik, who is still hovering behind me like an anchor with a pulse.
“Ah,” he says flatly. “Right. The hot spring.”
“We don’t need to talk about it,” I say quickly.
“We absolutely need to talk about it,” Torric says.
“We really don’t.”
“Kaia.” Aspen’s voice is mild, but his smirk is devastating. “Everyone knows.”
Great.
