Behind him, Kaelith’s sword cut through another wraith with surgical precision. He didn’t look at us, but I saw the way his jaw hardened, the tension in his shoulders sharp enough to slice the air.
Kael’s hand lingered at my waist a moment longer than necessary. “I could get used to saving you.”
“She doesn’t need saving,” Kaelith said coldly. His blade pierced another wraith, frost hissing on impact. “Move.”
Kael arched a brow. “You sound jealous.”
Kaelith didn’t respond, but the frostlight pulsed violently along his sword before dimming again. The ground beneath us cracked, veins of light spidering outward. “I saidmove.”
We ran. Kael stayed close to me, still half-grinning, half-watchful. Kaelith flanked us from behind, his presence an anchor of cold control. The wraiths followed—less solid now but faster, their whispers sharper.
“They’re herding us again,” Kaelith said between breaths.
“Toward what?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. His gaze swept the forest ahead, narrowing at something unseen.
Kael slowed slightly, meeting my eyes. “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, it bleeds.”
His confidence was ridiculous. And intoxicating.
A sudden wind roared through the trees, snapping branches like twigs. Snow whirled into a blinding storm. I could barely see Kaelith ahead of me now—just the faint shimmer of frostlight around him. Kael’s hand brushed mine as he reached for balance. His grip was hot even through my gloves.
“Stay close,” he said. “You’ll get lost in this.”
“I’m not—”
The ground gave way beneath me. I fell with a cry, the snow vanishing into a hollow of darkness. Kael’s hand caught mine mid-fall.
“Got you!” he grunted, bracing himself. But the weight pulled him down too, and in the next instant, we were both tumbling through ice and shadow.
The world spun. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from me. Kael landed beside me, rolling to his knees. Above us, a circle of pale light marked the hole we’d fallen through. Kaelith’s silhouette appeared there a moment later, his eyes wild with fury.
“Katria!”
“I’m fine!” I shouted up.
“Stay where you are,” Kaelith ordered.
Kael looked up, snow melting in his hair. “You always were better at giving orders than following them.”
Then the ice above us groaned. Cracks webbed outward, shards raining down in glittering fragments.
Kaelith cursed under his breath and jumped.
He landed hard, knees bending to absorb the impact. The frost beneath him rippled outward in shockwaves. He grabbed my arm, checking me for injury with quick, impersonal hands that lingered a moment too long. His gloves were gone, and his touch burned cold.
“You shouldn’t have—”
“Fallen? I noticed.” That was becoming his signature line. I wondered when he would realize I never did what I wassupposedto.
His mouth tightened. “I told you to stay close.”
Kael dusted himself off, smirking. “Technically, she did.”
Kaelith shot him a look sharp enough to freeze fire. “You can stop talking now.”
Kael grinned wider. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, brother. You’re melting.”
