"We're in trouble," he said, voice tight."That storm system I've been tracking just merged with another.Our way home is about to become impassable."
They pushed forward through the gathering tempest, the vehicle's navigation lights cutting weak paths through sheets of rain that seemed to fall sideways.Two hours of tense silence passed before Ancelin recognized the silhouette of the ancient tree where they'd shared their picnic hours before.
That's when the first piece of ice, large as her fist, smashed against their windshield with a sound like a gunshot.
"This isn't Earth or Triaxe," Krevan growled, knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel."Verrian weather doesn't warn—it attacks."The vehicle lurched sideways as a gust slammed into them."Back home, storms build.Here, they hunt."His jaw clenched as ice particles machine-gunned the windshield."We push for home now.Waiting means…well it’s not good."The dashboard lights cast an eerie red glow across his face."Even military-grade transports have been found abandoned in Verrian ice storms."
They battled forward another hour, the vehicle shrieking against the elements.Without warning, the tires surrendered their grip.They spun violently—once, twice, three times—the world outside blurring into a howling vortex of white and black.Ancelin's scream caught in her throat as they hurtled toward a stand of razor-sharp ice-coated trees.
The vehicle spun to a halt, throwing Ancelin against her seatbelt."That was terrifying," she gasped.
"We're fine," Krevan assured her, his voice low."But I guess we have no choice but to wait a bit.Even I can’t see good through the sleet."He glanced at the sleet hammering the windshield, then climbed into the back where they'd stowed their supplies."Join me?The blankets are back here."
Something in his tone made her pulse quicken.She followed, settling beside him as he wrapped a blanket around them both.The warmth of his body against hers sent electricity through her skin.
"I've been thinking about you all day," he murmured, his lips brushing her ear.His hands found her waist, guiding her onto his lap.Through the layers of clothing between them, she felt his desire.
In the darkness of the vehicle, his eyes caught what little light remained, gleaming like a predator's.He kissed her neck, her jaw, her mouth, each touch igniting something primal within her.Their bodies moved together with increasing urgency, finding their rhythm despite the confined space.
Ancelin surrendered to the sensation, to the heat building between them.His strong hands steadied her hips as they moved as one, their breathing ragged in the steamy interior of the vehicle.She clenched around him, her inner muscles pulsating with each surge of ecstasy.Every nerve ending seemed to light up in sequence as she trembled against him, lost in their shared rapture.The intensity of her climax left her breathless and dazed.
"Ancelin," Krevan whispered against her ear, "you intoxicate me completely."He held her tighter against his chest.
"I feel...great," she murmured.
"It's our connection.And my bite—the venom enhances everything you feel."His fingers traced gentle circles on her skin."We're perfectly matched, you and I."
She responded with a subtle movement of her hips that Krevan immediately understood.With practiced care, he shifted her, positioning her to receive him fully.He moved within her with deliberate strokes that soon had her gasping and clinging to his shoulders.Their rhythm built to another crescendo, culminating in a shared release that seemed to dissolve the boundaries between them.When his teeth sank into her shoulder, the sharp pleasure-pain sent her spiraling even higher.
Fatigue claimed her at last.Krevan eased her sleeping form from his lap where she had curled against him.
The persistent rhythm of raindrops on the roof coaxed her back to consciousness.Her eyelids fluttered open to discover herself wrapped in a blanket, secured in her seat while the vehicle's engine vibrated steadily."How long was I out?"she asked, words slurring with lingering drowsiness.
"Just a little while.The ice is breaking up—thought we'd better push through."In the rearview mirror, Krevan's inhuman eyes captured what little light existed, reflecting back with animal luminescence."Go back to sleep.I've got the road.I'll wake you when we reach home."His tone deepened to a rumble."You'll need your strength then."
Ancelin met those glowing eyes in the mirror and felt a smile curve her lips."Always hungry for more, aren't you?"
"You don't know half of it," he murmured, the corner of his mouth lifting.A pleasant warmth spread through her chest as she nestled deeper under the blanket.For once, her dreams were sweet—no shadows, no terrors from her past.Krevan had chased those away too.
"Ancelin."His voice sliced through her drowsiness."Ancelin!"
She jolted awake, heart hammering."What?What's wrong?"
Krevan's jaw clenched, his alien eyes watched her in the mirror and then on something ahead."Strange vehicle.Parked at our house."His words came clipped."Engine still on.No lights inside."
Her mouth went dry."Who—" She shivered.
"Listen to me."His voice dropping to a dangerous whisper."You stay down.Flat against the floor.Lock every door the second I'm out.If you hear gunfire—anything—you do not move.You do not make a sound."His face was transformed into something she hardly recognized."If I'm not back in five minutes, there's a weapon under the driver's seat.Use it."
"Okay, Krevan, I understand."Ancelin slid down into the back seat, yanking the blanket over her body with trembling hands.The vehicle lurched to a halt before the garage door.When Krevan killed the engine, the sudden silence made her heart pound in her ears.The click of his door opening, then slamming shut.She lunged forward, hammering the lock button.Despite his warning, she pressed her face against the cold window, she watched Krevan's silhouette dissolve into the downpour.Lightning flashed, illuminating two massive figures emerging from the shadows beneath the porch—faces obscured.Ancelin's breath fogged the glass as she twisted toward the rearview mirror, knuckles white against the seat leather.
"Krevan Vallex," one of the men called out.His tone was anything but friendly.
"What do you want?"Krevan replied, his voice was just as cold, enough to unsettle anyone.
"Hellgate Prison Planet Release Committee."The taller man flashed a badge that glinted in the rain."Krevan Vallex?"His voice was loud and curt."Mandatory inspection.Now."His partner's hand hovered near what looked like a weapon holstered at his hip.
Bright security lights suddenly flooded the yard.Through the rain-streaked window, Ancelin watched Krevan's silhouette transform—shoulders squaring, neck stiffening, every line of his body hardening into something predatory.Even from this distance, she could see the muscle jumping in his jaw.When he spoke, his words barely carried to her, but their coldness cut through the storm."You'll get what you need right here.My home is off limits."
