Page 17 of This Frozen Heart

Kay shakes the blanket. “Then come hither. I’ll dry you off and wrap it around you.”

Coming hither is the last thing I want to do— except ignore the offer of the blanket.

Every joint in my body creaks, but I stand and stumble forward. Then I touch the blanket.

No sooner do I than it’s suddenly on my skin. It moves up and down my body, wiping away the moisture furiously, like Kay wants to knock away droplets rather than absorb them.

More than the blanket, though, the sensation of Kay’s hands pressing through the cloth heats my skin.

The blanket lowers, but before I can recoil, I see Kay keeping his head ducked below it as he kneels. He moves from my torso and arms to rub down my legs.

“I-I think I can dry myself,” I say.

“Your teeth are chattering, but mine are not.” Kay gives his reason so straightforwardly that I almost think that he’s making a good point.

By the time I have the presence of mind to properly demand the blanket, he stands and wraps it around me.

I stare at his bare shoulders that really ought to be covered, too. “What about you?”

“Just a moment.” He pulls my wet braid out from beneath the blanket. Then he sweeps me into his arms again.

I gasp, and Kay’s arms shake from exertion. However, he sets me down next to the hearth without injuring me.

“I’ll be right back.” With that assurance, Kay moves back toward the door and the table.

Carefully following his movements, I remind myself I am keeping my eyes on him because he is my enemy. It has nothing to do with the fact that his muscular body moves with the litheness of a snow leopard.

But he can be just as deadly as one of those predators. I must never forget.

Kay grabs one of the two bowls of soup and hurries back. He sets it down by the fire before grasping the edge of the blanket.

It takes me a moment to realize he’s unwrapping it. “Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Surviving.” Kay slides onto the blanket and wraps it over him and me both.

I slide as far away from him as I can, but I feel the brush of his warm skin on mine for a moment before I escape.

“Here.” Kay reaches one bare, muscular arm over me to grasp the bowl. Then he holds it between us. “This will renew your strength and warm you from the inside.”

“What? So, you can focus on warming me on theoutside?”

“Yes.” Kay doesn’t even bat an eye. Then his arm, still trapped in the blanket with us, slides beneath me.

Goosebumps prickle down my spine, and only the fact that he holds the soup I don’t dare spill keeps me from flailing away from him.

Then Kay hoists us both into a partially sitting position.

The earthen pot presses against my lips. “Drink.”

My lips part, and warmth itself flows through me. It takes me several sips before I can detect the taste of chicken mixed with herbs I was never wealthy enough to purchase before.

I drink several swallows before pushing it away. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” He brings the bowl to his own lips.

“Taking care of me.”

Kay lowers the bowl enough to say, “Because I vowed I would, and I always honor my vows.”

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