The cold is relentless as we continue up. Not even being pressed against Kael’s broad back does much to keep me warm anymore. The wind howls through the jagged rock formations, carrying flurries of snow that sting against my exposed skin. My toes are completely numb, and I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever feel them again.
“Iris didn’t mention how fucking cold it would be up here,” I grumble, my voice muffled against Kael’s armour.
He doesn’t respond immediately, just keeps moving with that same unwavering determination, but I don’t miss the way he checks I’m still secure with every other pull up, keeping me safe as he climbs.
By the time we reach a clearing—a small, flat stretch of ground nestled against the cliffside—the temperature has dropped even further. The snow is coming down thicker, obscuring everything beyond a few metres. Kael slows and then stops. Without a word, he removes me from his back, setting me down before bundling me towards the cliff wall, away from the deadly edge. His grip is firm but careful, as if he’s mindful of how frozen I probably am.
“Wait here,” he orders.
A spike of panic lances through me. “What? Where the hell are you going?”
His glowing gaze meets mine. “I’ll be back.”
The snow swirls around us, making it nearly impossible to see. I can barely make out the tense set of his shoulders, the way he scans our surroundings like he’s searching for something.
“Kael—”
Before I can protest further, he pulls something from the pack at his waist—a thin blanket-coat made from some kind of rough, insulated material. He wraps it around me, adjusting it carefully, making sure my neck is covered. It’s light but surprisingly warm.
We’re close. Closer than we’ve ever been. Well, face to chest, since he’s so damn tall.
He dips his head lower, ensuring the blanket is tucked properly, and I catch the faint glow of his markings beneath the snow dusting his skin. The moment is almost tender. My heartleaps, my mouth suddenly dry, making me momentarily forget the brutal cold threatening to make my dick drop off.
Then his gaze snaps to mine.
Shit.
Right. He can feel what I’m feeling.
He hesitates, his breath visible between us in a thick cloud, and fuck if I don’t wonder what it would be like to kiss him. To be his.
But then he steps back. The moment shatters. Immediately, the cold rushes in like a vengeful god.
“I won’t be long,” he says. And then he’s gone, disappearing into the blinding snowfall.
I stare after him, my mind turning against me with every passing second. What if he doesn’t come back? What if he loses his way? What if something happens to him?
Why does the thought of that squeeze at my heart so painfully?
I pull the coat tighter around myself, shifting my frozen feet, trying to keep circulation going. The snow thickens, and I lose sight of the path Kael took. My pulse quickens. Then—movement. A towering shadow emerges from the storm.
For a split second, my panic spikes. But then I recognise the broad frame, the glowing eyes beneath the ice-caked ridges of his skin. Kael looks like a damn abominable snowman.
A laugh bubbles out of me, sharp and almost hysterical. “You look fucking ridiculous.”
He stops, snow slipping from his shoulders, and stares at me. Hereallystares at me—deep, searching, like he’s peeling back every layer of my soul.
And then he smiles. Not a smirk. Not a brief, amused exhale. A real, blinding, breathtaking smile.
My heart stutters.
“Come,” he says. “I’ve found somewhere out of the storm.”
He extends his hand. Three deep blue fingers, palm up. Waiting.
I hesitate for only a fraction of a second before I take it. His skin is cold, but the warmth beneath is unmistakable. He swallows hard, his throat bobbing, before he pulls me closer, wrapping an arm around me to shield me from the wind as he leads me forwards.
We stumble through the snow, Kael’s massive frame breaking the worst of the storm’s fury. Then I see it—a cave. Different from the last one, as it’s properly out of the elements. It’s small, barely big enough for four people if they squeezed together. But it’s dry.
