Chapter 20
The wind became their tormentor, an adversary persistently swirling around them, intent on their deaths.
And it nearly succeeded on more than one occasion.
The stones had warned Yasmin that this section of the mountain was precarious, but they’d failed to tell her just how hostile the conditions were.
Everything was against her and Ravi. The weather alternated between snow and sleet, pummeling them relentlessly.
The jagged rocks gave the illusion of security but sliced her palm and Ravi’s forearm almost as soon as they began their descent.
Then there was the ice in the crevasses and on any flat surface hidden beneath layers of snow, waiting to make them slip and fall.
It was such a grueling descent that they had to stop frequently to rest both their bodies and their minds.
Worse, they were running out of water. By noon, they had only reached the midway point on the mountainside.
The valley descended far below, a labyrinth of boulders and layers of thick snow between them and it. More water awaited them there.
If they could make it.
Yasmin rubbed her chest where it ached from the cold that seemed to seep into her very bones.
Snow had replaced the sleet, and it fell fast enough that it caused issues seeing into the distance.
She had halted her instruction on Shaldorn because it became too difficult to talk and descend, but there was so much more to tell Ravi.
Her gaze moved from the valley to scan the area around them.
Was Manu around? Did he still watch them?
Should she have told Ravi about him? She probably should have.
But Ravi would’ve wanted to look for the Mountain Elf, and she knew Manu wouldn’t make himself visible.
She closed her eyes and huddled in her coat, her thoughts turning to that morning when she had been toasty inside the tent.
She longed for that heat now. And Ravi’s body alongside hers.
“How is your hand?”
His words jerked her out of her thoughts. Her eyes snapped open as she glanced to where he sat beside her. She had opted not to wear gloves to better grip the rocks, but it had come at a price. “It hurts, but I can’t tell if it’s from the injury or the cold.”
“Both, probably.” He moved closer to her, sitting on the same rock. He tugged down his scarf to expose his face. Then he held out his hand. “May I?”
Yasmin gave him her left hand. He cradled it carefully while gently unwinding the strip of his shirt that he had torn off to use as a bandage to stop the bleeding.
He brought her palm closer to his face. A shiver went through her when she felt his warm breath skimming over her skin.
She couldn’t look away from his face. His beard had gotten thicker.
It seemed to add to his masculinity, accentuating his incredible jawline and mouth.
Her gaze dipped to his lips. She remembered parting his lips the night before.
They were close to her hand, and she wondered what his mouth would feel like against her skin.
She knew the sensation of the rippling muscles of his body against her, but she wanted more.
Yasmin had been held by him and against him.
And damn if she didn’t want to be cradled in his arms once more.
“The injury looks good. It’s nearly closed,” he said.
His finger was soft, tender as he tested the herbs he had put into the cut.
She had wanted to refuse the herbal magic, but there was no way she could continue without the use of her hands.
So, she relented—and worried she might become out of it like when she’d drunk them.
But there had been no ill effects so far.
That would be just as dangerous as descending with an injury.
She inhaled slowly as bumps rose across her flesh each time his skin contacted her palm. She didn’t feel the cold or the sting of the cut. All she felt was him.
Ravi’s gaze lifted to hers. She became lost in his copper eyes, noting the darker shades that tended toward brown, and the lighter that glinted like his golden skin.
His cap was pulled low over his brow, but strands of his hair had fallen loose, the golden strands like a beacon against a world drenched in white.
“Yaz?”
By the gods, his voice. It was deep and soft. Sensual. Hypnotic. Had there really been a time when she had hated hearing him talk? Now, she could listen to him say her name for eternity. “Aye?” she asked when she found her voice.
He stared at her for a long time, his hand still cupping hers. Suddenly, he looked away and shook his head as he began covering the injury with the bandage once more. “The cut should be fully healed within a few hours.”
She wanted to ask what he had been about to say, but maybe it was better if she didn’t.
The moment he returned her hand to her lap, she felt the absence of his warmth and something else she couldn’t quite name.
She wasn’t ready to end whatever was happening between them.
Not yet, at least. “And the wound on your arm? Would you like me to look at it?”
“I already did. It’s healed.”
Yasmin hadn’t realized how much she wanted to touch him until then. “That’s good.” Her voice caught, and she quickly looked away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him put his scarf back into place to protect his face. She tugged on her gloves since her fingers were becoming stiff. She could always remove them again if the climbing became too difficult.
She stood. “We should get moving. We need to make it to the valley before dark.”
Yasmin found it difficult to concentrate. She was aware of Ravi. Of where he put his feet, where he placed his hands. And each time his gaze slid to her. It was maddening. She didn’t want to think about him. But she did. Constantly.
The next hour went by without incident. They even covered more ground than she had expected.
They paused for a rest before continuing, both taking note of the deepening gray of the sky.
It wasn’t long before the snow became sleet once more.
She shivered and longed to be in the valley so they could get inside the tent.
Yasmin tested each place before she put the full weight of her foot onto it, yet still she slipped.
She caught herself but became aware of a hand on her arm.
She looked back at Ravi, their gazes meeting before he slowly released her.
She nodded her thanks and continued on, but the skin beneath her clothes where he had touched heated from the contact.
They progressed as quickly as they dared. The sun never returned, making it difficult to keep track of the time as the sky turned darker and darker. The sleet halted hours later, but they were already soaked to the bone. She could see the valley. It was near enough to touch but still so far away.
The last part of the slope became so steep they had to walk down sideways. The huge boulders were hidden beneath piles of snow. One fall, and they would find out just how deep. She put one foot in front of the other, her gaze locked in front of her until they reached the valley.
She and Ravi didn’t speak. Unlike their previous location, this vale was barren of anything except ice and snow.
Wind lashed across it, whipping up snow and swirling it about with a howl that made her want to plug her ears.
There was no shelter from the gusts. It blew from seemingly every direction.
Yasmin blinked, suddenly realizing how dark it was. She looked around for water.
“Here!” Ravi shouted over the wind.
She followed him as he headed to the right, skimming along the outer rim of the valley. Yasmin stumbled, but he thankfully didn’t see her. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking so badly she wasn’t sure she could stay on her feet. She was about to tell him she couldn’t go on when he stopped.
Yasmin tried to help him when he pulled out the tent, but he waved her away.
It was probably better. She couldn’t feel her hands anymore.
She probably would have been more of a hindrance than anything.
As soon as the tent was up, he motioned her inside.
She made an effort not to dive in, but she wasn’t sure she managed it.
Ravi poked his head in and motioned with his fingers. “Give me your flask. I’m going to fill them.”
“I can help.”
“You’re frozen. Warm up. The water is close,” he told her.
It took her far too long to take off her bag and hand him the flask.
He left and shut the entrance. Being out of the wind helped tremendously.
Yasmin took off her shoes and kept them near the flap.
She then removed her coat and got the blankets from the bags.
For a moment, she almost spread them out like the previous night but wrapped one around herself and huddled with her legs close to her chest as she waited for Ravi’s return.
The moment he opened the flap, the howl of the wind became deafening. He was inside in a flash with the flap shut behind him. He handed her both flasks before taking off his shoes. He was in a squat when he turned to her.
“What?” she asked at his stare.
“Your clothes are wet.”
She swallowed hard. “So are yours.”
“Come,” he said as he unfastened his coat. “We have to get warm and out of these damp clothes.”
Yasmin watched him for a heartbeat, ridiculously excited to have exactly what she wanted. But this would be different. He’d be conscious. That meant it would likely be awkward. Then again, she was too cold to care.
She threw off her blanket and got to her feet to undress with her back to him.
Meanwhile, he laid a blanket down as their base.
She peeked over her shoulder when she discarded the last of her clothes, but Ravi was messing with something in his bag, sitting with a part of the blanket over his lap.
She used that time to slide between the covers and curl onto her side.
It wasn’t long before he settled beside her. She felt his warmth and scooted closer.
“Shite, Yaz,” he grumbled as he turned to face her. His arm snaked out and dragged her against his chest. “You’re like ice.”
“It’s how you felt last night,” she said between chattering teeth.
Almost immediately, it became impossible for her eyelids to remain open. She hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before. He rubbed a hand up and down her arm, and she tugged the blanket tighter. Slowly, she began to thaw.
“You should’ve told me.”
She was almost asleep when he whispered the words. Yasmin shrugged. “Nothing you could do.”
“It doesn’t always have to be you against the world.”
“It’s how it’s always been.”
“Not while I’m around.”
She smiled. Perhaps, but he wouldn’t always be around. That was just the way of things.
His arm was heavy as it settled along her hip and down her leg. It felt nice.
He felt nice.