She cared about these animals. Deeply.
The assassin in me should have perked up at this, immediately thinking of how I could use the fae creatures as leverage against her. How I should have tried that from the beginning.
But the cold heart within me throbbed with the realization that I didn’twantto harm these creatures. They were innocent and clever.
And they weren’t my target.
My hands were stained with the blood of so many. I didn’t want to add any more lives than were necessary.
I drew closer to her, trying to convey the truth in my eyes. “I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true, Eira. They will be all right.”
She drew in a shaky breath, then nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay. Stay close, you two.”
Kendra nodded, and Frisk chittered in response. In a flash, the two white creatures vanished in the snow.
Eira’s breath hitched, and she quickly dashed a tear away from her cheek. Around us, the wind began to howl. Snow and ice stung my face.
“You’ll need to undress,” I told her curtly, already shedding my fur coat.
She went rigid. “What?”
“If we’re going to survive this, you and I are going to have to be completely naked in that crevice.” I jabbed a finger at the hole we’d created. “We’re going to use our clothes as blankets to protect ourselves from the storm, and we’re going to use our collective body heat to stay alive. This isn’t a game. This isn’t a night of passion. This is survival. Understand?”
Her lips grew thin, and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of scarlet. Her eyes burned with indignation, and for amoment, I thought she would argue with me. I was fully prepared to shout at her until she complied, because we didn’t have time for this.
But, to my surprise, she nodded stiffly and started taking off her clothes. I paid her no attention, focusing instead on undressing as quickly as possible. Each layer I removed left me colder than before, my body shivering and my bones rattling from the cold.
Just a few more moments,I told myself.Just a few moments of discomfort, and it will be over.
When I was fully naked, I hastily gathered up my clothing. I draped my fur coat on the snowy ground of the crevice, then lay on top of it.
I could hear Eira’s teeth chattering. Her breath was labored with her movements. She was stepping out of her trousers, her pale skin slightly pink from the cold. I tore my gaze away from her naked form as she approached, her bundle of clothes tucked against her chest.
“As close as you can,” I said without looking at her. When she made a noise of frustration, I said, “Survival, remember? The closer we are, the more heat our bodies will share.”
“I’ll bet you are justlovingthis right now,” she seethed, climbing down to lay beside me. Her skin was icy, and she was still quivering from the cold.
I snorted. “Right. Because enduring a brutal storm with a woman I detest isexactlyhow I’d want to spend my night.” I bit back a curse when Eira drew closer to me, the chill of her cold skin seeping into mine. Damn, she was frigid. I hadn’t realized just how cold she really was.
When we were curled up as close as possible, I draped the remaining clothes over us, using our packs to tuck them in on all sides to block out the wind. I wrapped my arm aroundEira’s shivering form and tugged her close so her back rested against my chest. Then, I pulled her cloak over our faces.
The wind was muffled, and underneath the layers of fabric, the outside world seemed far away. Out of reach. It was only our shallow breaths and the darkness of our makeshift cave.
For a long moment, we lay there quietly, the silence punctuated only by our breathing and the distant sounds of the storm.
“So, what would you have done if I wasn’t here?” she whispered. “What if you had no one to curl up with during the storm?”
I hummed in contemplation as I considered this. “Ordinarily, I try to get underground. I’ve dug myself completely under the snow before. On my own, I can dig quite quickly.” I paused before continuing, “But, truth be told, I’m usually a better planner than this. I try to stay ahead of the weather. This is… a unique circumstance.”
“Because the Snow Princess got under your skin?” I could hear the smirk in her voice.
I exhaled a short laugh at that. “Indeed she did.”
We were silent for a moment. The whistling wind sounded eerie, like the wailing souls of the damned.
“It didn’t mean anything, you know,” Eira said softly.
“What?”
