I woke to the sound of wind howling against the tent walls, the fabric snapping and straining against the poles, as if something alive were trying to break free. The fire had burned down to embers, casting barely enough light to see by, just a faint orange glow. I felt the cold seeping in through every seam, every gap, despite the tent holding firm against the storm.
Then I heard the soft, rapid clicking of small teeth.
I sat up immediately, glancing over at Ellie's sleeping bag. Even in the dim light, I noticed her curled into a tight ball, her shoulders hunched, her body trembling with violent shudders.
"Fuck," I muttered, crawling out of my bag. The cold hit me, but it was nothing, just a mild discomfort like a cool breeze against my skin. Gudari ran hot. What felt frigid to Ellie was barely noticeable to me.
I fed more wood into the stove, stoking the embers until flames caught and licked at the logs, crackling and hissing. But even as the fire built back up, the wind whipped harder, stealing the heat almost as fast as the stove produced it.
Ellie's teeth still chattered, the sound cutting through me worse than any chill ever could, worse than any wound I'd ever taken in the pits.
I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand hearing her suffer when I could do something about it.
I moved back to the sleeping bags and knelt beside hers. "Ellie," I whispered.
She turned her head toward me, her face pale in the firelight, her lips almost blue. "I-I'm f-fine," she managed through chattering teeth.
"You're freezing." I reached for the zipper of my sleeping bag, pulling it all the way down, then did the same to hers. "Come here."
"W-what are you...?"
I didn't give her time to protest. I lined up the two bags and zipped them together to create one larger sleeping bag, then slid inside and reached for her. She came willingly, letting me draw her against my chest, her body pressing against mine, every inch of her like ice. I flexed my wings, wrapping them around us to create a cocoon of warmth, a barrier against the cold.
She melted against me with a long, shuddering sigh, and within moments, her teeth stopped chattering. I wrapped my arms around her, sharing my heat, feeling her trembling gradually stop as warmth seeped back into her limbs.
"Better?" I asked quietly.
"Much better," she murmured, her voice steadier. She shifted slightly, getting more comfortable, fitting herself against me like she belonged there, and I felt her breath against my neck, warm and soft. "I bet you never thought you'd get in a mess like this when you volunteered."
I smiled, tightening my arms around her just a little. "It's an adventure," I said. "And I wouldn't miss this time with you for anything."
She went still for a moment, and I wondered if I'd said too much. If I'd revealed something I should have kept hidden. Thenshe tilted her head back, looking up at me in the dim firelight, her eyes searching mine with an intensity that stole my breath.
"Rickon."
The way she said my name made something in my chest tighten. I gazed down at her, at the way her lips slightly parted, at the way she was looking at me like I was something wonderful, something worth keeping.
And then we were kissing.
I didn't know what I was doing, not really. I'd seen the other warriors aboard theHistoriakiss their human mates. Watched with a mixture of curiosity and longing I'd never admit to anyone. It had seemed strange at first, the pressing of mouths together, but I'd found myself wondering what it would feel like.
Now I knew.
Ellie's lips were soft and warm, yielding against mine. I moved carefully, following instinct more than knowledge, learning the shape of her mouth, the way she responded when I tilted my head just so, the small sound she made when I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue play along the seam of her lips. It felt natural in a way I hadn't expected. Like something my body had always known how to do, had been waiting to do, waiting for her.
Ellie made a small sound in the back of her throat, and her arms came up, wrapping around my neck. The gesture sent a shock of heat through me, radiating out from where she touched. She pressed herself closer, her body aligning with mine, soft curves fitting against hard muscle, and my wings tightened reflexively around us both, pulling her closer until I couldn't tell where I ended and she began. My cock started to throb, needy and desperate.
This. This was what I'd been missing. Not just the physical act but the connection behind it. The trust, the desire, the rightness of having her in my arms. The taste of her mouthagainst mine, the feel of her soft tongue slicking against my own, exploring, learning me the way I was learning her.
A violent gust of wind slammed into the tent, breaking us apart. The poles creaked ominously, bending inward, and Ellie jerked in my arms, her eyes going wide as she looked toward the straining fabric.
"The tent," she whispered, tension flooding back into her body. "If it tears..."
"It won't." I pulled her closer, tucking her head beneath my chin, feeling her heart racing against my chest. "The structure is sound. I made sure of it." The instructions I'd read said the tent was solid for up to 50 mph gusts. The wind was rough, but nowhere near that speed.
She didn't relax. I felt her heart racing against my chest, sensed her listening to every snap and flutter of fabric, every creak of the poles, waiting for the moment it would all come apart. Another gust hit, and she flinched.
"Ellie." I stroked my hand down her back, slow and steady, feeling each vertebra beneath her shirt. "Look at me."
