Page 22 of Knot Beneath the Mistletoe

"Is it scary?" Mia clutches his arm.

"Sounds great," I add, and others nod.

"Only if you believe in the Yuki-onna." His eyes lock with mine as he begins, and suddenly, it's like everyone else fades away. "The Snow Woman. They say she walks these peaks during the worst storms, beautiful and deadly. And if you're found alone in the mountains at night, she will come and kidnap you." A log shifts in the fireplace, sending sparks flying. Someone gasps.

"They say she appears like a ghost," Knox continues, his voice dropping lower. "A woman in white, with skin pale as moonlight and lips blue as frostbite. Her feet never touch the snow... she glides above it, leaving no tracks."

"Stop it," Mia whispers sarcastically, but she's leaning in, too.

"Ten years ago, a hiker went missing up here. They found his camera two months later when the snow melted." Knox pauses, letting the silence build. "Want to know what was on it?"

We all nod, the fire crackling ominously.

"The last photo showed a white figure in the distance, barely visible through the snowstorm. But when they zoomed in..." He leans forward. "They saw she was looking directly at the camera. And smiling."

The wind howls outside, rattling the windows. Half the group jumps. Goosebumps race up my arms.

"They say that's how she hunts. She creates devastating snowstorms, waiting for someone to get lost. Then she appears, pretending to help..." He glances around the circle. "And if you follow her..."

Another log shifts, sending up a shower of sparks. This time, most of us yelp, except for James.

"What happens then?" Sarah whispers.

Knox's tone drops to just above a whisper. "They find you in spring when the snow melts. Frozen solid. With a peaceful smile on your face... and your hair turned pure white from terror."

The fire pops loudly, and Mia screams, burying her face in Knox's shoulder. Kym's laughing nervously at her.

"But that's just an old legend," Knox says, his normal voice returning. But when his eyes meet mine again, there's something else there. "Although... they never did find that hiker's body."

The wind picks up outside, whistling through the trees, and suddenly, the warmth of the fire doesn't feel quite enough.

Knox is staring right at me, grinning, softening the fear he's caused.

That's when I notice Mia's and Kym's glares toward me, while Knox's lips curve in a small smile as he starts a new story.

Eventually, he's told us three tales, and I'm curled up with my pillow into a ball. Mrs. Peterson is on her feet, clearly had enough, starting to distribute blankets and pillows before she goes to bed. Knox helps Sarah take James to the bedroom.

Then he's back, setting up the couch somewhere behind mine

"Sleep well," he murmurs. Mia and Kym take the remaining couches, aggressively fluffing their pillows and in my line of sight.

The fire crackles, casting shadows on the walls. Outside, the storm rages, but here, it's almost peaceful… if I ignore the death glares from across the room. And I pretend I'm not hyper-aware of Knox in the room with me.

Thinking of him makes my skin tingle and my heart race.

How am I supposed to sleep when he looks at me like that?

Or when Mia and Kym might murder me in my sleep?

And why, despite everything, do I keep thinking about Garrett's kiss while drowning in Knox's scent?

Pain explodes through my shoulder as I hit something hard and cold. For a moment, I can't process what's happening—why am I not on the couch, why is everything so dark, and why can't I breathe? Then snow fills my mouth as I gasp, and the metallic click of a lock sliding home brings reality crashing into focus.

I scramble to my feet to find myself standing outside the cabin and in the snow, the door shut. I blink the sleep out of my eyes, and I know I'm a deep sleeper, often not hearing my own alarms in the morning, so it hurts to know I slept through being carried.

Not to mention, those psychotic bitches must have thrown me outside!

Fuck!

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