It’sstarkcoldasI pat the cave floor with a shiver, jerking upright when I don’t feel him beside me. “Tegwyn?”
Fear feathers down my spine, and I scramble to my feet, jumping when a heavy cloak falls from my shoulders.
Tegwyn’s cloak.
Picking up the garment with shaking fingers, I wrap it around my shoulders again and brave the cold. A bright, glittering forest takes my breath away the instant I step outside, every rock, tree, and brush covered in cotton-white snow. It reflects the light of the sun, and I shield my eyes against the glow, surprised to find a serene blue sky. There isn’t a single cloud in sight, last night’s blizzard apparently gone for good. I hardly notice the chill as I trek through the forest, following a neat set of tracks in the snow.
His boot prints lead me to a grove of trees, each branch dripping with melted icicles, and I stumble upon a scene that looks as if it were taken straight from a children’s picture book.
A robin perches on a low-hanging bough to my right, its scarlet breast a perfect complement to its ripe red berries, and a squirrel darts up a pine tree, watching me with curious, glistening eyes.
The animals are acting rather oddly today, but before I can ponder the strange occurrence further, I freeze when his familiar figure finallyappears. Tegwyn gazes forlornly alongside a frozen lake, several rabbits chewing at tufts of grass at his feet. A squirrel sits on his shoulder, gnawing at the hard shell of a hazelnut, and numerous songbirds perch on his horns. Heart pounding, I tread carefully, afraid of scaring away his little forest friends. “Tegwyn?”
The faerie turns my way, and I meet that frozen mask. Not a single muscle moves on his face, and his golden eyes are distant.
But as cold and detached as he is, the air around him ripples with warmth. There’s a patch of lush green grass at his feet, and the rabbits chew at the fresh shoots eagerly, paying neither of us heed.
Wait… Could Tegwyn be warming up the forest with his magic? It would explain why my feet are so warm, despite the snow on the ground. It’s like his magic lingers wherever he treads.
Shaking my head, I unwrap my cloak, clipping it around his shoulders. “Here. Before you catch a cold.”
I take his chin in my fingers, and his cheeks are like ice. He’s not just warming the forest; he’s sacrificing the warmth of his veins. No wonder he’s lethargic. His magic is waning. His skin, hair, and eyes are dull and lifeless. I must get him back to the mountain quickly. There’s a spot by the hearth with his name on it.
“Tegwyn, you silly fool. You’re freezing.”
“Am I?” he replies without inflexion. He’s becoming a husk. He really is an idiot.
“Yes, and you shouldn’t just disappear like that. I was worried.”
Despite the frozen muscles of his face, a small smirk still curves his lips, and there’s the impish fiend I know. “Were you now?”
I roll my eyes, gazing at his gloved hands. They’re cupped together, and I spy a furry tail tucked inside.
“What… what have you got in your hands?” The faerie merely blinks, opening his fingers up for my inspection.
The smallest of mice sleeps in the palm of his hand, and judging by the squeaks escaping its tiny snout, it’s snoring. That’s a dormouse, and I’ve never seen anything so precious.
I place my hand over my mouth, meeting his eyes. Tegwyn shrugs. “He was cold.”
I’m not sure how to respond. Dormice hibernate in the winter, so the small rodent is currently experiencing torpor. He won’t wake up for another few months.
Smiling, I cover Tegwyn’s gloved hands with my own, hoping to add some extra warmth, and I can’t help but notice how he keeps his claws sheathed out of respect for the mouse. Tegwyn really does have a heart of gold. All those cruel stories about him were wrong after all.
He's not a monster. In fact, he’s the closest thing to an angel I have ever met.
“Poor thing must have fallen from his nest. Come on. Let’s take him back.”
As I guide the faerie through the forest, the animals are never too far, following close at our heels. Soon, we find the dormouse’s nest at the base of a tree. I push aside a patch of dried leaves, finding a cosy nest lined with moss and empty hazelnut shells. I place the little mouse back inside so he can return to his winter sleep. Once I’ve finished tucking the mouse into bed, I rise to my feet, taking Tegwyn’s hand. He blinks at our joined fingers, meeting my gaze.
He truly is more than meets the eye. Beneath those horns and the sharp teeth and claws is a heart that beats pure warmth, and I know it deep in my veins…
I am falling for him.
I just hope he feels the same way. He may have taken my virtue, but that means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
If not for Tegwyn, I would have perished in the storm, and he’s my saving grace. I’d be dead ten times over if it wasn’t for the Fae beside me, and sometimes I’m glad he found me that day drowning in the marsh. Because then, I never would have got to know him.
I squeeze his hand, leading him back to the mountain. “It’s time to go home.”
