Page 11 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

Alex quickly averted her gaze, her hands moving faster, almost frantic, as she continued to stack the logs. She could feel Vivienne's gaze on her, but she refused to acknowledge it. She couldn't afford to. Not with the storm closing in, not with everything that was at stake. She had to focus on the survival of the cabin, on keeping them both safe.

Still, the image of Vivienne's quiet, unguarded expression stayed in the back of her mind, making it hard to push aside the odd feeling that had stirred within her. It wasn't pity. Alex wasn't that kind of person. But there was something more to this woman than just her sharp tongue and brittle armor, and it intrigued Alex.

With a heavy exhale, Alex finished her work on the woodpile and turned to gather more supplies, her mind spinning. She had a job to do. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Not now.

The storm howled outside, its fury unabated, and in the silence of the cabin, Alex worked, her movements sure and steady, trying to block out the storm that raged both beyond the walls and within her own mind.

She left to do outside chores, and when she returned to the cabin, her cheeks numb from the biting cold and her fingers stiff from the chill, she found Vivienne standing near the fireplace, looking completely lost. The fire had burned low during Alex's absence, and Vivienne's eyes darted between the matches and remaining logs, as if unsure of where to even begin.

Vivienne glanced up as Alex entered, her face flushing slightly, the faintest line of frustration tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I was just trying to"—she paused, eyes falling back to the pitiful pile of kindling—"start the fire. But it's not as easy as it looks, is it?"

Alex couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips. "No, it's not. But it can be done."

She set her bag down by the door and moved toward the stove, eyeing Vivienne's failed attempt. The matches were already damp, and the kindling was poorly arranged; no wonder the fire wasn't catching. Alex's fingers twitched with the familiar need to take control, and she knelt down, gesturing for Vivienne to move aside.

"Here," Alex said, her voice firm but not unkind. She bent down, showing Vivienne how to arrange the kindling properly, stacking it loosely. Her fingers worked swiftly, placing each piece with precision. "If you want the fire to catch, you need to create space for the air to move or it'll just smother itself."

Vivienne watched her, still standing alittle too far from the warmth of the stove. Her usual sharpness had softened a bit.

Vivienne stood with an innate grace, and the lovely lithe petite body of a dancer that Alex couldn’t stop her eyes from roving over, and Alex wondered if she had done ballet or dance in her younger years. Looking at her now, Alex figured her to be at least 10 years older than her own 39 years. Vivienne had to be over 50, even though, without her armor of make up this morning, she looked good on it. Too good.

Alex struck a match, lit it, and held it close to the dry kindling. It took just a moment for the small flames to catch, slowly climbing up the fragile wood. She watched Vivienne out of the corner of her eye as the fire took hold, noting the way her gaze shifted from skeptical to intrigued.

"Now," Alex continued, straightening and brushing her hands off. "You can keep it going by adding bigger logs once the kindling has burned down a bit."

Vivienne nodded, though she didn't quite meet Alex's eyes. She seemed a little less defensive now, the wallsaround her coming down just slightly. "Right. I'll try again."

Alex couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at the change in Vivienne's attitude, but it wasn't enough to let her guard down. She turned away, collecting more wood and stacking it near the stove. "You'll need to keep the fire stoked. It's not enough to just light it once."

Vivienne hesitated before stepping forward, her movements slower now, more deliberate. She glanced at Alex, and for the first time, there was something approaching respect in her gaze. "You know a lot about this...survival stuff."

"Comes with the territory," Alex replied, her tone flat, though her chest tightened a little at the implied compliment.

Vivienne's lips twitched, as if she was trying to suppress a smile. It was a moment of quiet acknowledgment between them—a shift, subtle but undeniable. Alex felt a familiar tug of something deeper inside her, but this time, she wasn't sure if she was more irritated or intrigued by it.

They worked in silence for a few minutes, their motions synchronized as theytidied up the cabin and prepared for the next wave of the storm. Alex showed Vivienne where and how to store the firewood properly, explained how to check the windows for cracks that might let in the cold air. Vivienne's responses were clipped, but she no longer snapped at every instruction.

As they moved closer together, Alex noticed the way Vivienne's dark hair fell around her face as she concentrated, partially obscuring her features. She pushed it back from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear in a way that seemed almost...intimate. Alex felt the pull of it, the small gesture suddenly becoming a point of focus. She swallowed, looking away, pretending she hadn't noticed. But the image lingered, the soft strands of hair and the curve of Vivienne's jaw etching themselves into her memory.

Their proximity, too, was becoming impossible to ignore. They were side by side now, moving in a rhythm that didn't require words. Each time they passed close, Alex caught the faint, floral scent of Vivienne's perfume, and she found herself unconsciously adjusting her posture, trying toignore the flutter of awareness stirring in her chest.

Vivienne made her hungry. In a way she hadn’t been for years.

"Thanks for the help," Vivienne said quietly as she bent to grab a fresh log for the fire, her voice a little softer than usual.

Alex glanced at her, unsure whether to respond with the usual sarcasm or something else. But there was a quiet sincerity in Vivienne's tone that disarmed her. She gave a small nod. "Just doing what needs to be done."

They worked for a while longer, the silence between them no longer uncomfortable, just different. The storm continued to rage outside, but inside the cabin, the air felt less tense. The flickering light of the fire illuminated their faces in the dim room, casting long shadows on the weathered walls.

Alex felt a shift within herself, though she wasn't sure what to make of it. Beneath Vivienne's high-maintenance exterior, she was starting to see cracks—fragile moments of humanity that made Alex question everything she thought she knew about the woman. The way her eyes softened when shelistened, the way she didn't protest as Alex showed her how to use the stove, the way she accepted her help without further resistance.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to make Alex wonder just what was hidden beneath Vivienne's carefully constructed facade.

As the daylight faded, the cabin was swallowed by the deepening shadows of the night. The storm outside had become a relentless, primal roar, the wind rattling the small windows and the gnarled trees bending under the weight of the snow. Alex stood by the stove, the warmth of the fire against her skin almost a comfort in comparison to the howling cold beyond the cabin's walls.

The evening was quiet, save for the crackle of the fire and the rhythmic clink of metal utensils as she prepared the last of their canned goods, turning them into something that resembled a simple but nourishing meal—a far cry from the luxurious fare Vivienne was undoubtedly accustomed to.

Vivienne's footsteps echoed behind her, hesitant at first, but gainingconfidence. "Do you need help?" Her voice was tentative, but the offer felt almost genuine. It surprised Alex. She'd assumed Vivienne would avoid any effort that wasn't immediately comfortable or convenient.

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