Page 102 of Born of Ice

“I don’t really see a problem with that.”

“Woman! Who are you and what have you done with my angry elf?”

“You unlocked a whole new side of her.”

“Mmm, fine, I’ll take all the credit for that.”

“Of course, you will.” Electra chuckles, turning her head slightly toward me and pressing her lips to mine.

I’m so tempted to deepen the kiss, to slide my tongue into her warm, sweet mouth but I quickly pull away. “Nope. We are not going there,” I tell her when she whines. “We’ve got a sunrise to catch. So get your sexy ass out of the bed.” I smack said ass lightly, but her smile vanishes as her body tenses, and I catch the small tendrils of a good old panic attack slipping through the sealed cracks.

“Hey.” I gently pinch her chin, turning her distressed face my way. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared,” Electra admits freely, fully trusting me with her feelings now.

“Of what?”

“I’m scared to get up. What if that was a fluke?”

My eyes soften when I peer into her truly petrified ones.

“It wasn’t, little star. You got up. You did it. You fought your demons, and you conquered them. There’s no going back.”

Electra swallows, pressing her lips to mine again. “Will you help me?” Her vulnerable, small voice almost does me in, but I nod and get up, rounding the bed to her side.

Electra just lays there for a minute, staring at the ceiling before she takes a deep, steadying breath and pushes into a seating position. Her breaths pick up when she realizes she needs to swing her legs over the side and stand up.

We both know her fear is irrational at this point. We both saw and felt how well her legs worked last night but I get it. This was something she actively fought against. This was something she kept telling herself she wouldn’t ever get to do and worst of all, she accepted that fate.

But now that she’s had a glimpse of what it’s like to feel again, to walk—run—Electra is terrified to give that up again.

I just stand there, ready to give her my hand wheneversheis ready, but she just lifts those two icy eyes to me, silently begging me to make that step for her, to take away her choice like I’ve been doing all along.

Without hesitation, I throw the blanket off her legs, and she sucks in a sharp breath as if she sees them for the first time, but I guess she might as well be. Last night she was too far gone with adrenaline and sex to think this through but today is a new day.

Her first day of this version of Electra. Her rebirth and she needs a second to accept it all over again.

“Accept it, Electra,” I say softly, nudging her and she sends me one of her glares.

“Stop reading my mind, Exton.”

But I don’t bite, instead I take her hand and press it to her thigh.

“Accept it, Electra.” She sucks in a sharp breath, relaxes her hand and her body starts shaking, her breaths coming out choppy but it’s not from shock or a panic attack. She’s smiling and crying at the same time.

“I feel it! It wasn’t a fluke! I feel it.”

“You do.” I nod.

Gone is the glare as she swings her legs over the bed with a newfound determination and I barely catch her when she gets up too fast, her weakened muscles not working as they used to just yet, but she happily falls into my arms, pressing her tear-streaked face into my chest as her shoulder keep shaking.

“Told you, you could do it.” I pat the back of her head soothingly and she snorts into me.

“Could you not gloat so loudly?”

“Not a fucking chance. I’m a damn magician over here,” I joke, and she knows it based on her playful slap to my arm.

I snatch the fuzzy blanket off the foot of the bed and wrap Electra in it like a burrito, lifting her into my arms and move to the living room all while she snuggles into me like a little kitten.

---