Page 8 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

This was definitely not the Christmas escape she'd planned.

The shadows in the cabin grew longer as the storm raged on, darkness creeping in despite the warm glow from thewoodstove. Vivienne sat stiffly in the armchair, her phone clenched in both hands. The faint tick of the wood-burning stove punctuated the silence, though it did nothing to drown out the rush of blood pounding in her ears. She jabbed at the phone's screen again, willing even a single bar of signal to appear.

Vivienne's chest tightened. "You're kidding."

Alex didn't answer. The click of metal against metal as she shut the damper was maddeningly casual, as though this were all perfectly normal. As though being cut off from civilization was just another Tuesday.

"Unbelievable," Vivienne muttered. She turned her attention back to the window and tugged it open an inch, icy wind stinging her hands and face. Leaning out, she held her phone up, her breath fogging in the bitter cold. The wind whipped strands of hair free from her carefully maintained style, another small indignity in a day full of them.

"Stop," Alex said sharply, her boots thudding against the floor as she approached. "You're letting the heat out."

Vivienne ignored her, craning her neck to see if the storm had clearedenough to reveal some distant tower. Snow lashed at her face, and the phone slipped slightly in her numb fingers. The metallic taste of panic rose in her throat; the device in her hand was her last connection to her real life, to the world she understood.

Alex's hand shot out, gripping Vivienne's arm. "Get inside," she said firmly, pulling her back.

The sudden touch sent warmth spreading through Vivienne's chilled skin, an unwelcome reminder of their earlier contact.

She liked Alex’s hand on her. Even though she would rather die than admit it.

Vivienne stumbled, the window slamming shut behind her. "I was fine!"

"Sure you were." Alex crossed her arms, and Vivienne noticed how the gesture emphasized the strength in her shoulders. "Fine enough to drop your phone into the snow, maybe. What exactly were you hoping to accomplish?"

"I don't know. Something!" Vivienne snapped. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, her nails digging intoher palms. "Unlike you, I can't just sit here like this doesn't matter."

"Because it doesn't," Alex shot back, her voice rising for the first time. "You're not going anywhere in this storm. That's the reality, whether you like it or not."

"Oh, I don't like it, thank you for noticing." Vivienne's voice dripped with venom. “Well, what did you expect, driving up the mountain in the middle of a snowstorm in that useless SUV? Room service to follow you up? Newsflash: You’re lucky I even came along. Not even roadside assistance comes up this far.”

Vivienne's face burned, but she refused to back down. "What I expected," she said coldly, "was not to be stranded with someone who thinks a wood stove counts as adequate heating."

Alex shook her head, the muscles in her jaw tightening. "You really don't get it, do you? This isn't some vacation where you can control every detail like ordering something off a menu. The storm doesn't care about your schedule, and it sure as hell doesn't care about your complaints."

"I am not complaining," Vivienne said,though her voice cracked slightly. "I'm just pointing out that this"—she gestured wildly to the room—"is unacceptable."

Alex's expression darkened. "What's unacceptable is your attitude." She turned abruptly, crossing to a corner of the cabin where a small shelf held a handful of supplies. Reaching for a black emergency radio, she held it up. "Here," she said. "Knock yourself out. Maybe the NOAA will take pity on you."

Vivienne stepped forward, snatching at the radio. "Give me that."

"No." Alex held it just out of reach, her voice dropping into a warning tone that sent heat curling in Vivienne's stomach. "It doesn't work right now. The storm's blocking the signal."

"Then why even have it?" Vivienne demanded, tugging harder.

"For when the storm passes," Alex growled, her grip tightening.

They struggled briefly, the small device suspended between them like a lifeline neither was willing to relinquish. Behind them, the fire crackled, casting dancing shadows across the walls, andVivienne was suddenly aware of how close they were standing.

Then it happened.

Vivienne's fingers brushed against Alex's hand, their skin colliding in a flash of warmth. For a moment, neither moved, and the cabin itself seemed to hold its breath.

The tension in the room shifted, sharp and electric. Vivienne's breath caught, her gaze flickering to Alex's, but the intensity there made her pull back immediately. She couldn't name the emotion she saw in those dark eyes, wasn't sure she wanted to.

The radio slipped from her grip, and Alex deftly caught it, setting it back on the shelf. She didn't look at Vivienne, but a faint flush colored her cheeks.

"Don't touch it again," Alex said quietly.

Vivienne swallowed hard, the heat from that brief contact lingering on her skin. Her frustration, her panic, all of it churned inside her, but it was something else entirely that made her feel like the floor beneath her was unsteady.

---