登入ORVAX'S POV “Don't touch…me…get you…hands off…me…please”Her words hit me deeper than they should. Ice seems to creep in from between my ribs, freezing my lungs and making it unable for me to breathe properly. Not because of what she said, but because of the thoughts of just how many times someone must have ignored her pleas before.One second I am anxious, trying to pull her out of her nightmare, the next, my blood is boiling and my ears are ringing with pure white noise. Anger at the cruelty she has had to endure…the intensity of it has me reeling back in shock.With painstaking care, I reach for her shoulder.“Menodora…” I try to shake her out of the trap of her night dream. The moment my fingers come in contact with her skin, bursts of silver lights glare violently beneath her skin. The room quakes as if in the middle of an earthquake and the fire at the fireplace burns impossibly brighter. “Grrrrrrrr…” my wolf snarls, reacting to her power…that ancient thing moving inside of h
ORVAX'S POVMenodora is asleep now. I make the mistake of casting a quick glance at her and immediately regret it. This is the most peaceful she has looked while sleeping since we started on this journey. She sleeps against the far end of the wall of the shelter, the blanket wrapped around her shoulder like a shield against the brutal cold. Outside, the rain is still crashing relentlessly, but she is totally unaffected by this, her face the mask of serenity.All this is messing with my head even more. I don't want the image of her with her guard down haunting me on top of every other thing about her that keeps me awake at night. The fire crackles softly between us, as if taunting me, as I drag a tired hand over my face, forcing my attention away from her. It does little to distract me, her scent is still all over me. I can't get over the way she had chased after my warmth, leaning into my hand…even though just for a few seconds.And it seems to me that I am not the only one feeling th
MENODORA’S POVThere's a sudden clap of thunder outside, jolting me out of my thoughts. For a while only the cackle of the fireplace can be heard between us. There's also that undercurrent of something that neither of us is ready to name…like the spark of live wires, too dangerous to the touch.I don't know how it happened, but somehow he seems to exist entirely in my peripheral vision, a constant gravitational pull I can't look away from…try as hard as I might. Every move he makes, the way the fire light glows against his skin, the roughness of his voice when he's tired, they all create a ripple that I can't help but feel.“Even now, his body is so prepared to spring in the case of danger,” I muse with a wry smile playing on my face.“You should try to get some rest,” he says eventually. “We might have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow." A soft chuckle escapes from me before I can stop it.“That's very rich, especially coming from you who hasn't caught a wink of sleep for two days
MENODORA’S POV Outside, we could hear the rain, now pounding harder overhead. Inside the shelter is small and cozy. The stone walls are covered in moss just like the outside, but not as much. There's just a single narrow window on the left hand side to let in air, there's also a lot of dust…probably from lack of use. But most importantly, it's dry enough to keep us from the rain. It is also…safe. The thought of finding safety in this shelter unsettles me, but I don't let it show.Orvax moves through the shared space with the ease of someone who has done this more than once. He picks up an old lantern on the ground and lights it before turning to kneel beside a cold fireplace. He lights it too and the warmth is almost instantaneous.“This makes me wonder just how many times you've been here." “Well, enough to know my way around."His answer comes very quickly, unlike other times when he ponders before answering. “This place must hold a lot of memories for him," I realize with a star
MENODORA'S POV “You keep looking at me with this subtle smile on your face.”"Does that make you uncomfortable in any way?” "Maybe…I can't tell if you're laughing at me or not.”He bursts out laughing unexpectedly. The sound soft and deep in my ears, reverberating deep within me and settling between my ribs before I can stop it.We're both wrapped in a dangerous blanket of warmth and in that moment I realize something that should terrify me beyond my wits. “I'm getting used to having him around, to being able to rely on him." I can just hear my wolf snicker at me a little “I told you so, just a little time before you're falling for him completely." Now this is very very bad!"What if he doesn't stay?! What if he leaves like everyone else?! Worse still, what if he betrays me?!" Blood pounds in my ears, my heart thudding sharply in my chest. My hands shook, even with the jacket around my shoulders and the tingling feelings in my feet would not stop. I find it difficult to breathe,
MENODORA'S POV “That’s what everyone says…”"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?” He asks softly."No, but that's the problem. I can't just believe you because you haven't yet. That's not how I managed to survive this long.”“Menodora, I'm not like other people. And I will never treat you like you're not worth the trouble.” His voice is filled with so much conviction and a part of me wishes to latch on to it. "Then why do you look at me like that? Like you can't tell if I'm truly worth it?” I hate how vulnerable I sound.He doesn't answer for a while and I almost give up on him answering at all."You're wrong about one thing. I'm not trying to figure out if you're worth it," he says all of a sudden. "Maybe it's more like I'm trying to figure out just how much pain you're hiding.”The words land between us softly, carefully said. “This is dangerous, too dangerous for my heart," my heart sputters to a stop. Nobody has ever cared enough to look beyond the surface of my pain be







