Medicine and Hauntings, Such a Lovely Divide

Nolan shrugged off his jacket, tossing it aside with a shiver, then began peeling off his soaked shirt, its heavy, cold fabric clinging stubbornly to his skin. Each movement sent a jolt of pain through his stiff muscles, but he forced himself through it. He cast a quick look at Celine, who’d already shed her wet layers and wrapped herself in a thick blanket, huddled near the growing fire.

With a grunt, he tugged off his boots and socks, then finally worked off his waterlogged pants, letting them fall in a wet heap. The cave air was biting against his bare skin, but he knew that keeping the wet clothes on would be a surefire way to invite hypothermia. As he wrapped himself in the second blanket, the warmth of the fire seeped slowly into him, and he sat close enough to Celine to share their body heat, pulling her to his side.

He gritted his teeth against the pain of returning circulation, squeezing his fists open and shut as sensation crept back into his fingers. The warmth that rose between them was practical, but it felt like more than survival, something primal, like two people refusing to let the darkness claim them.

With a glance at the flickering shadows on the cave walls, Nolan’s expression hardened. Whatever it takes, Celine, he said, his voice a low growl. That demon can try all it wants. It won’t get us tonight. His arm tightened around her, sharing the fire’s warmth and his own resolve. Let it howl. We’re still here.

@Celine Vonn