Outside, Krevan was securing another layer of plastican over the cracked windows.Ancelin slipped into the greenhouse to watch him.He’d already ordered replacement panes, he’d said, but they wouldn’t arrive for weeks.He lingered in the cold until dusk, lights flickering around him—probably tinkering with the generators, too.
When night fell, Ancelin found a switch that powered the floodlights and flipped it on.The world beyond the glass turned into a frozen dreamscape: knee-deep snow still drifting in massive flakes, every branch bowed under its weight.Panic raced through her.Without Krevan, she’d be dead—or worse—by now.How reckless she’d been to come here alone, to this wild, uncharted world.She was foolish, underprepared, maybe even longing to die—her friends had accused her of such a thing.But now she wanted to live more than anything.She searched the shadowy tree line for her beloved Triaxen.
“Ancelin,” Krevan called from the kitchen sink.“I’m done outside.You should turn in early.I’ll wake you at sunrise so we can head into town and back before the storm tightens its grip.I’m checking SatView for predictions—this is going to be worse and colder than last winter.”He looked at her with that handsome frown of his, then turned off the floodlights, took her hand, and started up the stairs.
She caught his arm and made him hesitate.“Are you coming to bed now?”she asked.
"Not yet.I need to settle first," Krevan said, rolling his shoulders as he clenched his hands.The tendons in his neck stood out like cables.Ancelin tilted her head back to meet his gaze, his frame dwarfing hers, yet she felt only security in his presence.
"You need sleep, and I need…rest.”His massive fingers traced her hairline with unexpected delicacy.Behind his smile lurked something untamed."Too much exposure to my venom creates...dependencies," he added, lips curving into a secretive half-smile.
"What kind of dependencies?"Ancelin pressed.
Krevan winced, fingertips circling his temples.
"Are you in pain?"she asked.
"This weather—it drains me while setting my nerves on fire."He brushed a feather-light kiss against her downturned lips."The venom merely strengthens our connection.Nothing dangerous."
"So, I'm hooked on you.I'd already guessed as much."She dismissed the concern with a flick of her wrist.
"There's more to it than simple addiction."
"Tell me."
"Separation after intimacy might trigger...cravings.Emotional surges.Intense yearning."
"Can I overdose on you?"Ancelin whispered.
"Not exactly an overdose."His eyes glinted with something between amusement and warning."But I've witnessed the aftermath of separation after intense mating.The female partner experiences...intense emotional responses.When my father traveled, my mother would crumble at just hearing his name.I remember her wearing paths in the floor, weeping without obvious cause—a mystery to my younger self that I now fully comprehend."His fingers pressed into her arms with gentle insistence, his eyes never leaving hers."We share something transcendent—physical, yes, but much more.My parents have this same connection.”
“I see,” was all Ancelin said, and she continued to follow him to their room.Ancelin took a quick shower.Krevan sat on the bed and waited for her.She dressed in her warm pajamas and padded over to the bed.“I haven’t worn the nightgown you gave me yet.”
"You will, and when you do, we'll celebrate properly."Krevan's fingers worked the small buttons of her pajama top with surprising gentleness for hands so large.His lips brushed hers."Every moment with you feels like a gift."
"Promise me you won't venture out in this weather while I'm asleep," Ancelin said, pulling the covers up to her chin."And I expect coffee waiting when you drag me out of bed at some ungodly hour tomorrow."She nestled deeper into the warmth."I suppose we'll be trudging through darkness and ice before dawn breaks.You and your war against sleeping in."She turned away, exposing her cheek, which he kissed before slipping from the room.
Sleep claimed her quickly, merciful in its dreamscape—no nightmares tonight.Instead, Krevan appeared, protector and lover, those extraordinary eyes of his—forest green ringed with quicksilver—watching over her.
"Ancelin."His voice cut through her slumber."We need to move.The snow's getting worse.If we reach Coti before sunrise, we'll beat the worst of it.Krammer's opening early—storm preparations.Half the town's already there stocking up."His hand squeezed her arm."Are you hearing me, Ancelin?"
“I hear you, Krevan.I just went to bed a few minutes ago.At least it seems so,” Ancelin complained and sat up in the bed.She felt like a zombie.“Did you sleep at all?”
“Not yet.I’ll sleep later.My head hurts anyway.We’ll have a lot of time to sleep when the blizzard hits.Come on and get dressed.Dress in layers, and I have blankets in the vehicle.Your coffee is ready, and I want to leave now,” Krevan demanded in a surprisingly brusque voice.
“Okay, bossy man.I’m getting up and ready.When will the blizzard hit?”
"The storm will hit within twelve hours.It's already sweeping across the eastern part of Verrian.I need power cells, animal feed, and supplies.I'll wait downstairs, but if you take too long, I'm coming back up," Krevan said, his voice tight.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Ancelin muttered as she pulled on her pants.
“I didn’t go to bed.”The door clicked shut behind him.
She layered her clothes as instructed and hurried.His mood wasn't one she wanted to test this morning.When she clomped down the stairs in her boots, Krevan stood rigid by the kitchen island, a muscle twitching in his jaw.A travel mug of coffee waited on the counter.
"Ready.Good," Krevan nodded curtly.Ancelin said nothing, recognizing the tension radiating from him.She followed him to the garage where he gestured toward a massive vehicle they hadn't used before.He helped her up with one hand, then was somehow already behind the wheel before she'd even fastened her seatbelt.The engine roared to life as they backed out.
"This can handle the deep snow," he said, eyes fixed on the path ahead."We need to be quick—there and back."
