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Panic brews in the depths of my stomach.
My gaze is riveted on the lit-up path the girls are meant to come down on.
Suddenly, I bump into someone. I’m so out of it, I didn’t even see Claudette stepping into my path.
I’ve been drilled to notice everything around me. Situational awareness kept me alive, and now I can’t even see a woman standing in my way?
What’s happening?
Claudette falls backward into the powdery snow, arms flailing.
Shit.
For a moment all I hear is her laughter. Next thing I know, a snowball is hitting me square in the chest, taking me by surprise.
Claudette’s laughter grows louder as she reaches out her hand to gather more snow to make into another ball. This one spectacularly misses me.
“Oh… oh… you should see your face, Tiero. It’s priceless,” she giggles, holding her stomach.
I can’t help the rumble of laughter bubbling to the surface, my earlier tension broken. Chuckling, I help Claudette up.
“Here, have a drink,” Lex says, handing me a small flask. “You look like you need it.”
He holds out another one for Claudette. “Rhia prepared a drink for you and Ella too… for warmth or for courage. Whichever…”
Neither of us hesitates. Bringing the flask to my lips, I gulp back a generous sip. Whiskey… my brain registers it’s the good stuff, but it’s gone too quickly for my tastebuds to come alive. The burning in my throat is a welcome distraction, though.
“Yum, a fruity cocktail,” Claudette hums beside me, taking a second sip for good measure before handing it back to Lex.
Claudette and I are busy brushing off our clothes when a surge of heat ambushes my body.
The relief I feel is instant.
Ella.
The jingling of bells confirms it, soon followed by the loud huffing and the occasional yawl from the dogs.
And there she is…
Down the torch-lit path Lex and I created for her, the dog sled comes into view. Ella is holding the reins, guiding her sled toward me while Rhia sits on the bench.
Of course, my angel would ignore my order. But I can’t find it within myself to care.
She is here. That’s all that matters.
I stare at her as she approaches, unable to take my eyes off her beaming face.
My breath is stolen.
An instant calm washes over me.
Despite the heat coursing through my body, goosebumps pepper my skin, and my stomach does those strange somersaults it only ever does for her.
She’s like a goddess… gracefully riding her chariot, her garment billowing in the wind.
It’s like she’s brought a picture from one of my mythology books to live.
La mio dea splendente.My shining goddess.
