"I'm just getting..."
"Please." Her eyes are clearer now, focused on me with desperate intensity. "I'm so c-cold. Don't go."
I settle back down beside her. "I'm here. I'm not leaving."
"Still c-cold." She's pulled the blanket tight around herself, but she's still shivering violently. "Why am I still so c-cold?"
Because blankets alone aren't enough. She needs active warming, not passive insulation. No, she needs body heat.
"There's a way to warm you faster," I say carefully. "But it requires... close contact. Skin to skin. It's the most efficient method for warming your skin. It will take longer because I’m...cold...but it should still help."
She stares at me for a moment, processing. Then: "You m-mean..."
"I would hold you. My body temperature is warmer than yours right now. I've fed recently enough that I generate heat." I meet her eyes. "But I understand if that's too uncomfortable. We can wait for the fire to warm the room."
"No." She shakes her head. "I don't want to w-wait. I want..." She reaches for me with trembling hands. "Please. I'm so cold."
The please decides it.
I remove my shirt in one efficient motion, then settle on the rug with my back against the sofa. "Come here."
She crawls over to me, awkward in the blanket, and I arrange her against my chest. Her front to my front, pulling her between my legs so she's cradled against me. I wrap my arms around her waist, then pull the blanket over both of us.
"Put your hands against my chest," I guide her cold hands to rest against my skin. "Skin contact transfers heat most efficiently."
"You're so w-warm." Her voice is muffled against my shoulder. "I thought v-vampires were cold. Before you were..."
"Usually. But I've fed recently. Your blood." I pull her tighter against me, trying to share every bit of warmth I have. "Your magic-rich blood. It's kept me warmer than I've been in decades."
She's pressed fully against me now. Chest to chest, my arms around her waist, my chin resting on top of her head. I can feel every shiver that runs through her, every breath she takes. Carefully I arrange my legs to spread her across my lap. She requires this heat more than I need to feel comfortable.
The fire crackles beside us, gradually warming the room. But it's not enough. She needs more.
"The shift," I say quietly. "It's damp at the shoulders. It's still pulling heat away from you."
"Oh." She's quiet for a moment. "Should I..."
"You don't have to. But if you want to warm faster, it would be most efficient."
"Help me?"
I close my eyes briefly, gathering control. Then I carefully reach for the hem of her shift. "Lift your arms."
She does, and I pull the thin fabric over her head. She's left in what I assume are undergarment, practical, modest even, but there's so much bare skin now. Her back, her shoulders, the elegant curve of her spine.
I pull her back against me quickly, wrapping us both in the blanket before I can see more than I should.
"Better?" I ask, my voice rougher than I intend.
"Y-yes." Her shivering is already lessening slightly. "Perfect."
"Your magic, apparently, is potent." I adjust my hold, making sure the blanket covers her completely. Making sure every inch of her back is pressed against my chest. "And you're very cold. The contrast makes me feel warmer than I am."
Her hands are still pressed against my chest, but they're moving now. Not seeking warmth frantically, just touching. Exploring. Tracing the scars that mark my skin.
"You have so many scars," she murmurs, her voice steadier now.
"Two centuries of fighting will do that."
