Fuck.Why did that turn me on?
“Let’s move,” I muttered and led the squad deeper into the mountain’s throat, heat blooming under my skin like a fucking gift.
Because it was.
“We need to be fast. The cold dulls reflexes, and Rune’s venom won’t last forever,” I told everyone as we walked further into the crack.
“We need to be stealthy,” Rune countered. “The mountainlistens. Ice fae enchantment, remember? You make noise, it tells on you.”
“Yeah, but we’re loud as it is. We need to be quick,” I insisted. “They probably already heard us.”
“Can you be a little optimistic?” she huffed.
“I’m beingrealistic,” I shot back. “We can’t fuck up this mission.”
Slater raised his hand before smacking it on the ice wall and dropping it. “Stealth is good. It’s a whole spy vibe. I like spy vibes.”
“Spy vibes are good, but Dimitri has a point,” Koa said quickly, siding with me. “The sooner we find the cultists, the sooner we can grab that relic.”
Zuko shrugged toward Rune. “Stealth sounds fun.”
“Of course you two would side with her,”I grumbled under my breath.
“I actually think Dimitri’s right,” Raze muttered.
Hawk, Lorian, and Aura agreed with me.
Eleanor crossed her arms and stayed quiet, refusing to be counted on either side.
“Fine, your way wins.” Rune crossed her arms in a pouty but adorable way.
The chanting got louder as more sunlight splashed in. Snow hissed overhead, white lines slanting across the mouth of the crevasse as we emerged. This side was a wasteland of broken ice and rock with a large ice bridge over toward another snow-covered clearing.
One of the rocks twitched in my peripheral.
“Oh, fuck,” Hawk squeaked.
“Sick,” Raze mumbled.
“Oh! Ohno,” Eleanor breathed out.
A saber-tooth unfolded from behind a snow-coated boulder, its fur frosted white, with canines as long as daggers. Its breath made smoke-rings in the air as it padded closer, tail lashing once behind it. The sound it made was weird. It was too quiet for that much muscle, and I assumed it had adapted to the fae enchantment on this mountain.
“Get back!” Lorian moved forward in a ripple, shifting from man to bear in the span of three seconds. Brown fur burst across him, much darker than the snow. His paws punched ice-cracking craters as he slammed into the large-toothed cat.
They went down in a tumble of ice and snow. The cat twisted, shoulders rolling as it clawed at Lorian’s belly.
Lorian reared, swatting with one massive paw. His claws carved sparks off rock before he landed another hit.
The cat flew back, digging its claws into the ice and pushing itself forward faster.
“Lorian!” Eleanor’s voice broke on his name, and she moved toward him.
“Elle, stop!” Aura hooked an arm around her waist, feet digging into the snow as she hauled her back. “Do not get in the kill zone.”
“Kill zone?” Eleanor gasped, breath shaking.
“She means Lorian’s going to kill it,” Koa assured her.
