Page 39 of Finding Her (Lore of the Fields #1)

After reading a few more stories, I closed the book with numb fingers.

My breath escaped my trembling lips in clouds.

My nose was raw from rubbing drips away.

Clearly, I couldn’t stay in the living room at this temperature.

Sleep was out of the question. Despite some reluctance after the contentious day we shared, I knew it was time to go to Graysen.

The fact that I had been stubborn this long was frankly stupid.

I stood up, every muscle shivering with cold as I kept the blanket wrapped tightly around myself.

Outside, a layer of white coated the world, with more flakes floating down rapidly.

Snow was a comforting reminder of Earth, and I was appreciative that even here it held a sort of magic.

The softness with which it fell allowed the entire landscape to transform without a sound.

The peeks of inky purple night sky between gray clouds contrasted beautifully with the white blanket covering the ground.

I’d never seen anything like it, I was sure.

I thought about Graysen sleeping soundly upstairs, unaware of the transformation he would wake up to.

He loved snow. Ideally, that realization would come in the morning, but lucky for him, he’d get to see it a bit sooner.

Maybe he’ll like joining me in taking in the view .

He always seemed to revel in sharing his interests, right?

On that thought, I tiptoed down the hallway, up the creaking stairs, and to the open door at the end of the second floor.

I was relieved it wasn’t closed, sparing me a second incident of trespassing for the day.

Standing there in the doorway, I saw the foot of his wide, metallic four-poster bed facing me.

My eyes roamed his bedroom. The dark bedding matched a set of curtains parted over the tall window to the right of the bed.

The windowsill was deep enough to host a moderately sized cushion, creating a cozy nook.

A dresser was immediately to my left, with a seating area beyond it.

The brick walls of the room opened into a fireplace by a fur rug.

In front of the mantle was a large black upholstered armchair and side table to match the rest of the dark furniture.

I tiptoed past the chair, wincing with every squeak of the floorboards.

Graysen lay tilted to his side with his hair in his face.

The blankets were bundled up on the other half of the bed, revealing his loose pajama pants and bare chest. His hands were in relaxed fists, and his feet were separated by a bend in his knee.

His parted lips emitted steam with every steady breath.

I was beginning to regret my decision to come upstairs and disturb him.

Here he was, the unguarded man I so desperately wanted to meet.

I hated to wake him back to his defenses.

That said, my dilemma remained unchanged. I needed warmth.

“Graysen,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of the mattress beside him and resting a hand on his bare shoulder. Warmth seeped into my clammy fingers, and I fought the urge to bury my entire body into his for the full effect.

He mumbled something in his sleep. I couldn’t understand it.

“Graysen,” I repeated, brushing locks of hair from his face.

His breathing jolted with eyes shooting open. They relaxed into a hooded squint upon seeing me. “Is everything alright, Fae?” his husky voice muttered.

“I’m so sorry,” I grimaced. “I’m cold.”

He lifted a hand to touch my arm, immediately recoiling. “Fuck.” He shot up in bed. “What happened?” He grabbed the thick knitted blanket at his side and tossed it over my shoulders, immediately taking both of my hands in his and rubbing them.

“It’s just a bit chilly in the house,” I said sheepishly.

Realization set into his expression. “I am so sorry. I was distracted. I forgot to—”

“You don’t need to apologize.” I cut him off before he could tell me what I already knew about the fire.

His head turned to the mantel clock resting on his dresser. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” He sounded pathetically concerned as he took my hands to his mouth, breathing warmth over them.

“It didn’t bother me,” I lied innocently, albeit not convincingly, as my body betrayed me with a tremble.

He let go of my hands, swung his legs off the bed, and hurried to the fireplace. There was a low “ whoosh” and the room began to glow dimly. “Come here.” He sat on the fur pelt and beckoned me with the pat of his hand.

“That’s perfect,” I chuckled through chattering teeth, trotting over to join him on the ground by the flames.

“Your lips are blue,” he murmured, stroking his soft thumb slowly across my lower lip. A shiver went through my body unrelated to the temperature.

“You look comfortable,” I joked, nodding to his bare torso. I knew he was intrinsically heated, but the lack of clothing and blankets felt a little extreme.

“I have fire inside of me.”

“Well, would you mind donating some more of that gift?”

“I can’t light any more fires in here.” He looked over at his dresser, and I realized he might actually be considering lighting it on fire for me.

“Graysen,” I sighed, opening my arms with the blanket. “Come here.”

“ Oh .” The word was hardly more than an exhale.

After a moment of calculated hesitation, he moved his side against mine, snaking his closer arm around my back under the fabric.

Desperate to absorb his body heat, I threw both legs over his lap and pressed the side of my face against his smooth, exposed chest. His other arm grabbed the far end of the blanket and closed it around us.

I rested my hands on his taut stomach to thaw.

He was far warmer than the fire itself. I bit back a contented moan as I melted into him.

“Warming up?” The bass of his voice rumbled through his chest and into me.

“Yes,” I nodded. “Thank you.” As if to confirm my comfort, a yawn escaped me without warning.

“Are you tired?” His hand wrapped around the back of my head, fingers weaving into my hair.

“A little.” Actually, a lot. My body had been working hard to keep me going, and now that it was soothed, I could drift off any moment. His heartbeat was a slow and steady lullaby in my ear.

“You can stay up here. I’ll take the couch.”

That was the opposite of what I wanted. I wanted to doze off exactly where I was, held in the arms of my beautiful fire demon. “I don’t think that I’ll be very warm if you leave.”

There was a moment of silence before he quietly and somewhat apprehensively asked, “Do you want me to stay with you while you sleep?” I thought I heard his heart miss a beat, but that was probably wishful thinking.

I was the one benefiting from the current situation, after all.

I had no illusion that it was mutualistic.

“It would keep me warm.” And safe. And happy.

There was more silence before he replied, “Then I will. Will the bed be acceptable?”

“ Mhm .” Had I not been so tired, I knew my body would have been hopeless to control itself in response to those words.

But I was so exhausted. And I was so. Incredibly.

Cozy . Tenderness filled my chest. Sleeping in a bed together was intimate, but it felt correct.

I was deeply appreciative of his presence, and grateful I could hold onto him for the night.

His arms hooked under my knees and around my back to lift my curled form while he stood. “How do you want me to lie with you?” he asked as he walked us to the bedside.

“It doesn’t matter.” My drowsy heart fluttered.

I felt myself sink into a soft mattress, facing towards the left side of the room.

Through my barely lifted lashes, I could see snowflakes falling silently outside the frosted window.

He walked to the other side of the bed. There was a rustle behind me before soft heat swallowed me whole.

A thick arm snaked under my neck, with the other wrapped around my stomach.

His legs curled with mine, my feet pressing against his shins.

I was nestled into his lap, with the back of my head tucked under his chin.

I was hardly a small woman, but I disappeared into his form.

“Are you comfortable?” he murmured with lips pressed against the top of my head.

“Very. You?”

“ Very ,” he purred, his arm tightening around me possessively.

“Can we do this again?” I didn’t want this moment to end. I’d be content spending every waking second of my life wrapped in heavy blankets and his smoky essence.

“I’ll make sure you don’t freeze at night in the future.” His thumb tucked under my shirt, brushing delicately over my stomach.

“Are you being vague purposely?” I wiggled myself further against him.

He inhaled sharply in response to my movement and rasped, “What do you want me to say?” I heard his throat swallow thickly against the back of my head.

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my face into the fluffy pillow beneath it. “I guess I’m just feeling needy.” I was reluctant to drift off without reassurance that this wouldn’t be the last time I could be consumed by his being.

“Faeryn, you are so incredibly precious to me. But it’s cold and it’s late. There’s a lovely fire blazing, it’s snowing, and you had a long day. Please don’t begin anything tonight that will fade when the morning comes.”

“What if it doesn’t fade? Then how would you feel?” I was losing the battle to stay awake. Another yawn forced its way out, and a sleepy tear trickled out of the corner of my eye.

“Sweet dreams.” A soft kiss pressed into my hair, the gentle click of his lips accompanying it. His full hand covered my belly, radiating warmth through my core. With his muscles in a tense cage around me, he held on as if somebody might snatch me away from him in the night.