Page 16 of Revenant

They share a glance in unison—eerily synced as they turn and glide downstream, hauling themselves out, dripping and naked as the day they were born, not even pretending to care.

Moriah drifts closer, hugging herself as she shivers. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing important,” I state, but she gives me a doubtful glare.

Deciding to drop it, her infectious smile returns. “You’ll never guess who I ran into.” She lets the anticipation build, because I surely have no clue. “The guy from the library! And we kissed.”

My jaw goes slack. “You kissed him?”

She gushes, “Yes! We might even meet up later.”

“What’s his name?”

“No clue.” She says it without a care in the world.

We both laugh before our teeth begin to chatter. “We should probably get out. Your lips are turning an unnatural shade of blue, and I can’t imagine mine look any better.” She nods in agreement, and we both hobble out on shaky legs. I cover myself as much as I can, the cold water washed away any fogginess the alcohol attempted to cloud, and I’m very aware of how exposed I am.

The corset slips back on with no problem, but my jeans…are an entirely different story. Every inch is a battle, and when they’re finally around my hips, I feel like I just finished a triathlon. There are only a few stragglers left in the water, but the rest of us hurry back to the fire, desperately craving the warmth. As the creek disappears behind the trees, I realize Pryce and Koen were never there. I turn back, scanning the water one last time, but there’s nothing—no sign of them. A knot tightens in the pit of my stomach. Guess they didn’t stick around.

Catching back up with Moriah, we both nearly fall to our knees the second the fire begins to thaw our icy cold skin. “I don’t know if that was stupid or brilliant,” I tell her, pushing my hands a little closer to the flames.

“A little of both I think.” We both giggle in agreement, then lapse into a comfortable silence. It takes a few minutes, but eventually my fingers thaw enough to remind me I’m still in one piece.

“Alright,” Moriah says, blowing into her hands. “It’s officially been long enough. I’m getting us another drink.”

I barely manage a nod before she disappears. The fire crackles beside me, heat sinking into my bones, and I lose myself in it. When Moriah reappears a moment later, it feels as though she never left at all.

She hands me a cup, and we cheers. To what? I have no idea, but we down the shot…then another…and another. After a while, I lose count.

Someone grabs my upper arm and spins me around. Despite the sharp set of his jaw, I can’t stop the smile that sneaks across my face when I catch those pale gray eyes. “You look angry,” I say, half teasing.

“Angry doesn’t even begin to cover it, Alicent.” Rats—he used my governmental. He’s serious. “I thought I made it clear to stay by the fire.”

Oh. Ohhhhh. This is—I get it. “Yeah, well…everyone else left, and I figured I’d find you, but—”

“There are no buts,” he interrupts. I jerk, trying to free myself, but his grip is relentless. “When I tell you to do something, I expect you to fucking listen.”

My mouth drops open. “Woah there, buddy. I don’t have to do anything you say, actually.” I shove at his shoulder with my other hand, but he doesn’t move an inch. “I’ve known you for…” I pretend to count on my fingers. “...five minutes, and I don’t do controlling.”

I swear I can see the blood vessels throbbing beneath his skin.

“Better get used to it.”

“Actually, I don’t think I will.” My arms attempt to cross, but the action is futile. His grip only tightens, and I just look like a chicken with an awkward wing. “It was just skinny dipping, it’s not that deep.”

“Non farmi nemmeno iniziare,” he quips.

I don’t know what he’s saying when I’m sober—or anytime, really—but I can’t deny I love the way whatever he’s saying sounds.

“I was waiting for you.” I give him my best puppy dog eyes, my bottom lip extending just the slightest bit. His body relaxes, shoulders slumping along with his grip.

Got him.

“So I think it’s me who should be mad at you.” He lets go, but the connection lingers, his fingers brushing the length of my arm. “Tell me something.” He drops his mouth to the shell of my ear. “If it were me you were waiting for, what exactly was it you were hoping would happen?”

Heat floods my cheeks, and I know I can’t blame the alcohol. He pulls back just enough to track my eyes with his pale gray ones, then drops his gaze slowly to my lips. I press them together, butterflies erupting in my stomach at the closeness.

“Why don’t you find me later?” I brush an imaginary piece of lint off his shoulder, and do my best to conceal the fact my body is vibrating from the simple contact. “And we’ll see how badly you want to know.” I give him what I hope is a sexy smirk, but it could also look like the beginning stages of a stroke with how much alcohol I’ve consumed tonight.