Page 184 of These Tears

Elias lets out a grunt. ‘With all due respect, the spirits need a new hobby. The weather wasn’t meant to turn this badly until late morning!’

I rise and tread lightly towards the window.

Sure enough, snow hurls sideways as if being whipped into the ground, the trodden paths thickening rapidly beneath its assault.

Oh God. This agony isn’t ending tonight.

Elias catches my eyes through the reflection in the glass. And I can tell by the tension in his jaw and the twitch of his brow – he’s thinking the same thing I am.

We’re stuck.

Together.

Again.

Only this time we’re stuck in this pretence of engagement.

‘Well, truth be told,’ Anders starts casually as he stands, groaning under the weight of wine and comfort, ‘you’ve had enough to drink for me to keep you here anyway.’

His own cheeks are flushed, his movements looser.

Elias’ are not.

My gut knots.

I saw Elias drink once – maybe twice. Not enough to make him careless, but Norway’s limit is low enough that Anders doesn’t need much of an excuse.

I nearly snort at myself. Apparently, I can’t speak the language, remember the name of the village or identify half the food put in front of me, but I did research the legal drinking limit.

Priorities.

Nonetheless, my eyes begin to scan the demon beside me. The set of his mouth, a delay in his eyes, anything that tells me how much those drinks changed him.

Because however strong this storm is outside… it won’t compare to the one I’m most afraid of in this moment.

As if on cue, Sunna is already pulling her colourful jumper closer as she yawns against the back of her hand. The clock beyond her shoulder shows nearly ten in the evening.

We should have left much earlier.

My gaze falls to my feet.

Elias is very strict with the way things are done in this frozen wilderness. He rarely slips up.

So…

Is this a slip-up?

Or intentional?

No… He was rattled earlier. He’s been distraught all evening.

My eyes search his face. He seems too agitated for it to be staged.

Nevertheless, however my mind flips it, this is inevitable.

Glancing back into the night through the window, I observe the snow cover disappearing beneath it.

‘We should wake up very early because of the chickens,’ I note.