Riven moves toward Ghost with purpose, his back rigid, his entire demeanor screaming that he doesn’t want me anywhere near him. I can already feel the tension rolling off him in waves at the thought of how close we’ll have to be for the foreseeable future.
Unlike usual, he doesn’t help me onto Ghost’s back. He simply gets on and impatiently waits for me to join.
I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
So, I do it myself.
The moment I’m situated, I wrap my arms around Riven’s waist for balance.
The contact feels more intimate than it should, given the emotional gap between us. But I can’t hold on to nothing. So, he’ll have to deal with me touching him for the time being.
“Don’t fall off,” he says sharply.
“I won’t,” I fire back, and with a low growl from Ghost, we’re off, the leopard’s powerful legs eating up the snow as we race into the darkness.
