Audrey stroked the horse a final time, then pulled her coat tighter around her as she turned to face Levi. “I shouldn’t be gone long.” She made the mistake of meeting his gaze, those dark eyes that always pulled her in.
“I should be going out there. Not you.” He stood an arm’s length away, yet his voice wrapped around her like an embrace.
She smiled as she shook her head. “I know all the places to look. Now that we know which barks he’ll eat, gathering them won’t take any time at all.”
Levi’s brow furrowed, and her fingers itched to reach up and smooth the skin there. She’d stroked his face often when the pain was bad. But now, with him standing and looking at her that way ... and after that kiss...
Her body nearly stepped forward of its own accord, desperate for another kiss like the first. She inhaled a deep breath, then forced herself to step back. Levi didn’t move, but his gaze stayed on hers, a sadness seeming to slip through him. Maybe he was remembering his words after the kiss.The distance between their worlds. Could that distance ever be overcome?
Doing her best to force another smile, she turned away from him. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“I’ll watch at the entrance. If you need anything at all, either call or signal me.”
She nodded to acknowledge his words, though she didn’t glance back at him. As she stepped from the cave, a gust of wind pummeled her, its howling blocking out all other sound. Ice crystals stung the uncovered areas on her face. The storm seemed to be growing worse, not better.
She half walked, half slid down much of the mountain. The cold had already sunk into her bones, stealing her strength. She could probably find enough bark in the nearby copse of trees, so it wouldn’t be long before she’d be back in the cave. Back by the warm fire.
Back with Levi.
Tucking herself as deeply as she could into her hood and wrap, she trudged toward the trees. There were plenty of pines in the cluster, but Chaucer seemed to especially like bark from the poplar logs they’d found, so she would search for those.
As soon as she stepped among the trunks, the bite of the wind eased. The dimness under the trees compared to the blinding white outside made her blink. At last, she could see well enough to focus on the trees around her.
A figure stepped from behind a trunk, not two strides away.
A squeal slipped out before Audrey could contain it, and she stepped back.Who...?
But the familiar outline, that wolf fur coat she’d seen thousands of times ... she’d know anywhere that strong yet feminine face outlined by the hood.
Brielle.
Audrey’s chest clenched even tighter than it had at the initial shock of seeing a person where she’d expected only trees. Her belly roiled as the full reality of this meeting sank in.
Brielle now knew she’d not left the area. Brielle would march her back to Laurent, and she would have to face the chief, the council, her own father. Leonard’s mother.
The pain of that final thought constricted her throat, raising tears to her eyes as Leonard’s face appeared in her memory. She pressed the thought away. One step at a time.
Audrey worked for a smile for her dearest friend. “Brielle. How are you?”
Brielle’s face didn’t shift from her warrior façade, though a familiar twitch at her eyes gave evidence of deeper emotion. Sadness? Mostly anger, no doubt. Audrey had helped a prisoner escape, run away from the village before she could face punishment, put countless searchers in danger, been the cause of Leonard’s death, and probably brought an immeasurable amount of sadness to her father. In many ways, Audrey had become Brielle’s chief adversary, the primary threat against Laurent. And Brielle had sworn to protect Laurent at any cost—even her life.
“Where have you been?” Brielle’s voice bit sharply above the wind still whipping beyond the trees.
Audrey swallowed, but the icy air had dried out her throat so much and the act only brought more pain. She couldn’t lie. Her other sins were awful enough. She wouldn’t compound them by speaking an intentional falsehood. “A cave.”
Brielle’s gaze lifted to the mountainside. “I saw you come out of it.”
A jolt pressed through her. She’d never imagined Brielle—or anyone—would be out in this storm. Watching. Waiting for her to reveal herself. And Levi ... He hadn’t left the cave, so Brielle wouldn’t have seen him. But she would suspect he was there, wouldn’t she?
“Why haven’t you come home?” Though Brielle’s tone still held accusation, there was a hint of pain there, too.
Audrey met her gaze, as hard as that was. But Brielle still had her warrior mask firmly in place. Her expression gave away nothing.
Audrey laced as much gentleness as she could through her voice. “I couldn’t. Not yet.” Did she dare say anything about Levi? Perhaps it would be better to wait and see what her friend did.
Brielle’s face only hardened. “You’re going home now.” She motioned for Audrey to turn. “You know the way.”
Audrey hesitated. She couldn’t leave Levi without telling him where she was going. But if he was watching from the cave, as he said he would be doing, he would see her leave with Brielle. He would know she went back to the village.
