Karina has been friends with Aaron since they were children, before he knew about his ‘curse’. She promised she’d never leave him because of it, but now he’s trying to make her leave. What’s changed?
“Leave. Me. Alone.”
His voice had never been so cold. At least, never when speaking to her. She almost shivered but forced herself to remain still. Others might shake in his presence, but she refused to let his ‘curse’ affect her. Keeping her eyes locked on his pale blue ones, she took a deliberate step closer. “I won’t.”
“Karina, I want you out of this place. Now. Never return here.”
“I said no, Aaron!”
His nostrils flared at her disobedience. Fists clenched at his sides. The temperature of the room dropped noticeably. She stood her ground.
“Why are you trying to force me to leave? What’s happened?”
His eyes dropped to the floor. When he spoke again, his voice was low. “I don’t want to hurt you. Last time was too close. I can’t risk doing something I will regret. Not to you, Rina, never to you. I couldn’t live with myself knowing it was I who’d caused you terrible pain.”
“Whoa, slow down Aaron!” She stared at him. There had to be something else bothering him. He’d never acted this way before. Usually, he was so arrogant and cocky that most people hated his guts. What had brought this on?
She took another step towards him, placing a hand on his arm before he could pull away. “Listen to me. What happened last time was an accident – I shouldn’t have been trying to make you come back to the town. It’s understandable that you would lose your temper with me. Anyone else would have done the same.”
He shook his head violently, tugging his arm free. “That’s a mild way to put it,” he snarled. “I didn’t simply lose my temper, Rina. My curse went out of control. I almost killed you!”
She waved this accusation away. “A bit of frostbite, that was all. I’ve weathered worse winters out in these mountains. I know you would never hurt me on purpose.”
“That’s just the point!” he growled. “Of course, I would never intentionally harm you, but I can’t control that part of me anymore. It’s gotten too strong. You need to leave this place and never come back. It’s not safe to be near me anymore.”
A helpless sheen entered his eyes as he looked at her. “See? Even now, I’ve dropped the temperature around us so much that your breath is misting. You need to leave me alone, Rina.”
Reaching out, she wrapped him in a tight hug before he could stop her. He stiffened. It was a long moment before he relaxed and put his arms around her in return.
“I made you a promise, Aaron,” she murmured into his neck. “Don’t you remember?”
“Of course I do,” he whispered. “But I don’t expect you to keep it at the risk of your own life. I’m not worth it.”
She held him tighter. “Don’t you ever let me hear you say that again! I promised you that I would never leave you to face your curse alone. I don’t intend to start breaking my promises now.”
The temperature started to rise. She hated to bring up a new, painful subject, but it couldn’t be put off.
“There’s something else you need to know, Aaron. It’s not good.”
Uh-oh… what’s going to happen next? 😉
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