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“Why is Alek the lion?” I asked. “You’re the shifter.”
“Because I’m not a fucking coward who tucked tail and ran. Alek, however, did exactly that. And besides, Sunshine. I don’t have a heart because you stole it a long time ago.” He leaned in and kissed my mark, growling low in his throat. “If we weren’t lost in the fucking woods right now, I’d totally take you up against a tree and prove it.”
Heat bloomed between my thighs, even in this freezing cold air, and Kingston noticed. He inhaled deeply.
“Oh, I smellthat. Someone needs some attention. Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you as soon as I can.”
“Wewill. I can smell her too.”
The hunger in both of their voices had my nipples tight and painful. Fuck. I could not let them spit-roast me in the middle of the Novasgardian wilderness. Frostbite notwithstanding, we had a job to do.
“Channel that lust, boys. No one’s fucking anything until we find somewhere safe to bunk down for the night.”
Kingston laughed but nodded his agreement. “Talk about a solid pep talk. I find myself incredibly motivated all of a sudden.”
“You weren’t before?” I asked.
“Well, I mean... now there’s a prize.”
“Staying alive wasn’t enough?”
“Eh.”
The three of us began a slow trek through the thick snow, following the glow of lights in the distance. It wasn’t a yellow brick road exactly, but it was the only thing we had to go on. Where there was light, there was likely a city.
“My thighs are numb. I did not dress for a hike in the snow,” I grumbled as we pressed on for what felt like hours, but could have been only minutes. I had no way of knowing.
“We must be going in the wrong direction,” Noah said. “If this wasn’t a trap, Tor would have mentioned something before we left so we’d be better prepared for the elements.”
Crap.
“Kingston, where’s our stuff?”
His eyes widened. “Fuck. I must’ve dropped it back where we fell through. The goddamned snow is so deep I didn’t even see it.”
“You had one job...”
“Fuck you. I didn’t see you offering to carry anything, asshole.”
“I had Sunday. She made it through just fine.”
“She’s a popsicle.”
“We all are. And now we’re stuck in the middle of God knows where without supplies.”
“Oh, my God. Stop. Fighting about this isn’t going to fix it.” I stared at the sky, my anxiety getting the better of me as the lights glowed in the distance, seeming farther away than they had when we started walking toward them. “It doesn’t make sense. They should be closer.”
“Aurora,” Noah whispered.
“You did not just call me some other woman’s name.”
His lips twitched. “No, dove. Look, it’stheAurora.” He pointed up between two towering conifers where neon lights were dancing across the inky sky.
My breath caught in my throat. Magic was the only way to describe what I was seeing. No wonder people stayed up all night to see this. I’d seen photos of this phenomenon, but here, in Novasgard, it was infinitely more striking, the colors vibrant and jewel-like. I’d only ever known them to be shades of blue and green, but here they ranged all the way to violet and electric pink. It was incredible.
The three of us stood beneath the majestic sight, just taking in the rare and unearthly beauty when a shadow streaked across the night sky.
My whole body froze as my brain tried to assign a name to the unfamiliar shape.
