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“No.” I took his hands in mine and went up on my tiptoes so I could kiss him. “It was your love that kept me alive. I was wrong about you. About everything. It wasn’t that stupid Hudaknocker that brought us together. It was fate. No matter how much I tried to fight it. You were meant for me.”
He grinned. “And all it took was a near-death experience for you to finally realize it?”
“Don’t question the process, bear. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry over what happened.”
“Last night wasn’t easy for either of us.” His expression sobered. “We don’t have to talk about it now. But sometime soon, we’ll have to. Right now, we need to get back to Sunset Springs.”
“Any ideas on how we should do that? The road looks like no one’s driven on it since the snow attacked us.”
He nodded. I’d never wanted him to disagree with me more in my life.
“We’re gonna have to walk until we get a signal or find a passing car.” He reached for my hand. “Think you can make it? If not, I’ll carry you.”
“I’m not a damsel in distress, and you’re naked.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “We better get back to civilization fast. My battery is in the red. The cold will suck it dry.”
“I’d suggest going back to the truck, but I’m pretty sure it’s trashed. I owe Hugo a new truck, but I’ll deal with that later. I don’t want you out here any longer than you have to be.” He pushed a piece of hair away from my face. “No repeats of last night.”
Bjorn instinctively knew which way would get us back to town. I was disoriented and probably not in as good a shape as I thought I was.
“The road goes on forever,” I said. We were never going to get back. My breath caught in my throat.
“You can’t give up on me.” Bjorn scooped me up, holding me against his body. How was he so warm? I wouldn’t question it.
I put my head against his shoulder and pulled my phone out of my pocket one more time. I couldn’t keep checking it because we didn’t have much juice left.
“I have notifications.” A shit ton of them. “There’s service. I’m calling Bibi.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Bibi
I hadn’t slept a wink all night, and I was no closer to finding Marissa or Bjorn. Suzanne had been aware that I’d had a visit from Highway Patrol and that there was an avalanche. Hugo assured me that information was easily plucked from the local police reports. It was a resource he’d used often.
None of them had mentioned Marissa or Bjorn, but Suzanne had that motherly sixth sense that something was up. Neither of us would give an inch in the information game.
And she didn’t show me the Hudaknocker. If I were a betting fairy dragmother, I’d put big money on her not having it.
Hugo and Gabe had come back to the cabin without any news. The only thing that was happening on the forums was more dirty fan fiction. Some starred Hugo and me. I couldn’t possibly bring myself to read it on a morning like this.
My heart was broken, but I couldn’t give up.
There was a reason Suzanne had been determined to put me on the defensive. She wanted to make me look bad. But there was no way she could, meaning she might be back to her old ways—planting evidence and making up lies. And there was no way she wouldn’t use the Hudaknocker as currency. As soon as I found Marissa, I had to stop Suzanne before she did something that could ruin not onlyThe Mating Game,but also her daughter’s future.
Gabe, Wendy, and Hugo had all stayed at my house. No, this was definitely not the girls’ night I’d had in mind. We’d been up all night, trying to find leads to follow. Every single one was a dead end.
“It’s like they’ve disappeared without a trace.” I refilled my tea mug for…I had no idea how many cups I’d had.
My phone rang, then lit up with the most beautiful notification I’d ever seen. My fingers shook as I put it on speaker. The tired faces all around the table brightened.
“Marissa! Where are you?”
“On the highway. Way out of town. My phone is about to die.”
“We’re on our way. Are you okay?”
“We are. The truck is ruined. Bjorn is naked.” There was a staticky sound, and the call disconnected.
Hugo was already out of his chair. “Let’s go.”
