Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
~Her~
They landed with a soft whoosh in a pile of snow that dutifully rolled away from them with the flick of his fingers. Magic was so amazing! Halo blinked, trying to get her bearings, but the world of white blanketing everything made it hard to recognize her woods.
"Through there." Frost pointed to his left, not meeting her gaze.
His voice was more gravely than before, and he kept a good foot of space between them.
She stepped closer, wondering what had changed, but he brusquely reminded her of her need to get home.
Without another word, he turned and marched through the trees toward the small house she knew as home.
The snow all but fled before him, and tears sprung to her eyes without understanding why. Something inside of her was agitated. She stared at his retreating form and pain sliced through her. She closed her eyes for just a moment, trying to pinpoint the source of her discomfort.
Gran had touted the benefits of meditation all the way back into her earliest memories, and finally, she found good use of it.
Swiftly clearing her mind of all distractions, she followed the thread of unease and quickly concluded it was something new.
Realizing it must be Frost's magic swirling inside of her, she traced the thin tendrils stretching away from her, opening her eyes to his rigid back and clenched shoulders.
"You coming?" He barely turned to growl at her, and before she could form an adequate retort, he resumed tromping through the snow. She scurried to catch up, absently wondering why she didn't feel the cold like she had before.
When the trees opened up, offering an unobstructed view of her grandparents’ home, worry for them replaced all other notions.
The lights were out, and no smoke curled from the chimney.
Frost waved his hand, and a clean path opened up in the now waist-deep snowfall.
Fearing the worst, she ran toward the little, yellow cottage.
Halfway there, a tugging started in her gut.
Every step she took increased the sensation, and intuitively she knew the invisible cord tethered her to the elemental behind her.
She pivoted and saw he hadn't taken a single step out of the forest. He leaned against a tree with cool disdain and still refused to make eye contact with her.
Halo always had a temper. It got her into more trouble than she cared to admit when she was younger.
Gran usually shrugged it off, saying she had fire running through her veins and like always, Grandpa snorted and went along with his wife’s attitude.
They always stood by one another’s decisions.
Seeing Frost standing there ignoring her sparked that temper.
She thought she’d found a partner in him.
One who would lead to a relationship like her parents and grandparents.
His magic rose up inside of her. No. She refused to believe she was wrong.
They were made for one another, and if she had to beat some sense into him, all five and a quarter feet of her would.
She stormed back toward him. Just as she opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, a subtle voice in the wind whispered through her.
He's scared. Look deeper.
She snapped her mouth shut. Narrowing her eyes, Halo examined him more closely. Lines of strain creased his brow, and his mouth was pressed so tightly, she could barely see his luscious lips. Cords of muscle stood out along his shoulders and arms, and his breathing was shallow and erratic.
Not as cool as she thought.
Everything about his posture screamed stress. He was afraid, yes, but of what? Her mind ran through dozens of scenarios and stuttered when she realized he was afraid of her. No, that wasn’t quite right. He was afraid of her leaving.
It made sense. Compassion bloomed when she remembered him insinuating he was hurt before. Understanding untwisted the knots within her, and she realized what it must have looked like to him when she pleaded to go home. He thought she was leaving him.
Silly elemental.
Halo raced back. Grabbing his hand, she tugged him forward.
She knew she never really stood a chance of moving him if he didn't want to be moved, and her delight bubbled up inside of her when he slowly came away from the tree.
His skepticism stayed fully in place on his face as he let her guide him away from the woods.
She couldn't help but laugh at the situation, earning a glower from him that set her giggles off again.
"You didn't think I'd let you get away from me so easily, did you, Frost?"
His disbelief brought another round of laughter past her lips, and the hard scowl slowly melted away from his beautiful face.
"I only just found you, Frost.” She still couldn’t stop saying his name. “Just because I wanted to come home doesn't mean I have any intention of ever letting you out of my sight again."
Standing on the front porch of her family cottage, she pulled him close and placed his hand on her chest. "I may not understand everything that's happening, but I know what I feel, and what I feel is a connection unlike anything I've ever experienced before.
I think we were meant to be together all along, and I think you know it. "
She mirrored his pose, placing her palm over his heart. She smiled as they beat in time with one another. "You don't just walk away from something like this, Frost. I’m not walking away."
She stretched up onto her toes and placed a gentle but loving kiss on his chin, not quite able to reach his lips.
A smile finally cracked through his stern facade, and he lowered to her, kissing her much more passionately than she originally intended.
Snowflakes spun in circles around them, and she giggled as she pulled away.
He rolled his eyes, sparkling once more. "It's like I'm a damn teenager again!"
Halo laughed even louder, and let them into the cozy house, calling out to her grandparents.
"Gran? Grandpa? I have someone I want to introduce!"
Met with eerie silence, she hurried through the rooms in a frantic search for her elderly grandparents.
"They are not home." She pulled up short at his declaration and hurried to his side.
He held out a note. "It was tacked to the inside of the door.
Says they are going into town." He gestured to the snowdrifts piled up to the middle of the living room window.
"There is no way they would be able to return in this storm. "
Taking a deep breath, Halo centered herself. There's no way her sensible grandfather would try to drive in a storm even half as strong as this one, and the tension finally released from her shoulders. She noticed a tiny blinking light in the kitchen and pressed the button on the answering machine.
"Hey there, hon. We're snowed in for the night. You’re probably cold from being out when this started, so feel free to crank up the heat. Grandpa’s not there to give you grief for it this time.
You can reach us at Irene's bed and breakfast, but don't be worried if we don't answer.
Grandpa and I decided to treat ourselves to a mini staycation.
That's what you kiddos call it, right?" Her grandfather's muffled voice said something in the background, and Gran giggled like a schoolgirl on Christmas morning before the line went dead.
Her grandparents often acted like newlyweds, and though her cheeks heated with a slight blush, it wasn't uncommon for them to be randy with one another.
Frost stroked the machine with wide eyes. "What marvelous technology you humans create! A way to leave messages with your voice for one another!"
Halo was taken aback by his awe. It was strange to think how different their worlds were. Never one to dwell on the negative, a spark of mischief caught hold in her, and she pulled him farther into the kitchen. "If you think that's good, just wait until I introduce you to microwave popcorn!"
She laughed at his optimistic confusion and started explaining microwaves.