The Midnight Bride
Then I saw the steam rising through the trees.
Pools of clear water sat just a few feet from me, beneath clouds of steam. I couldn’t feel their heat yet, but after hours of riding through the cold, just seeing it felt like a gift.
Cerus climbed down and took the reins, leading the horse closer to the hot spring.
I watched him as he led the horse, my eyes lingering longer than they should have. Even beside the massive animal, Cerus looked impossibly tall. His long black hair blew freely in the breeze, strands brushing across his face before falling back over his shoulders.