Chasing Embers | 1

09 | E m b e r

—

Hunter's cold lips were on mine. My body was frozen in shock and from the frigid air radiating off of him. I didn't even register whether I liked it or not. It was a quick kiss. He pulled away, embarrassed, but I grabbed his icy hand and made a split-second decision.
    
Now it was his turn to be shocked. My lips pressed against his, and after a beat from my heart hammering in my chest, he kissed me back. I could feel the goosebumps spreading across my arms from his closeness. His lips were soft and gentle, despite the cold that was seeping into mine. Hunter's arms wrapped around my waist as we kissed, sending a somewhat comforting chill through me. The kiss was different compared to anything I had ever experienced. Probably because it was with someone from an entirely different world, and I liked it.

I pulled back to take a breath, ending our kiss. Hunter's gentle hands rested on my hips, his nose brushing mine. I could still feel my heart banging against my chest, and I wondered if he could feel it too. A smile rose from my lips as Hunter reached up and tucked my curly hair behind my ear, his hand caressing my jaw then returning to the curve of my waist.
    
"We should probably get some sleep," Hunter whispered. His eyes had returned to their normal color, but I could feel his chilled breath on my face.
    
I responded with a nod and made the decision to rest myself against him, placing my head on his broad shoulder. His chin rested on the top of my head and his hand came up to stroke my hair. The action was strange, almost like a father would comfort his child, but I considered the fact that he might not have ever been in a situation like this. I hadn't either.
    
"Are you going to put the fire out or are we just going to let it burn us to death," I murmured, eyes closed.
    
I felt his strong chest thrum as a laugh escaped him. "Alright, alright."
    
He sat up. The temperature around me dropped, and I didn't need to open my eyes to know that Hunter was snuffing out the fire. I wondered how much energy it took for ice to overcome fire. When Hunter pulled me back to him, I barely noticed how cold he was. Instead, I focused on the sounds of the cicadas and the wind blowing through the evergreen trees around us.
    
"Goodnight, Hunter."
    
"Goodnight, Ember."

—

The next morning, I woke up with my jacket wrapped around my arms, replacing Hunter. I sat up with the realization that I was warm, not cold. Sliding my jacket on over the soft green shirt, I stood and looked around. My eyes fluttered from the dark ashes of our deceased fire to the swaying branches of the forest. There was no sign of Hunter. No hint of cold, not even from the wind. I panicked, thinking he had abandoned me. Would that really be something he'd do? I guess I didn't have a wonderful answer to the question. Today was my fourth day of knowing Hunter, but did I really know him? Leaving me could've been a part of his plan the entire time. Or maybe he was testing me? Maybe he was trying to see how well I would survive in this world alone? I was getting ready to call out his name when I heard the whistling. It was a nice and jolly tune that a bird might sing, but I knew it wasn't a bird. The bushes behind me shook and twigs snapped. I spun around and all of my worries faded.
    
Hunter stopped whistling when he saw the anxious expression on my face despite the fact that I was no longer concerned. "Good morning," he said with a smile.
    
I ignored his pleasantries. "Where have you been?" I jeered.
    
He lifted an eyebrow. "Making contact with the Zian that's going to take us to Ardeina."
    
I frowned. "You act like I should have known that."
    
Hunter looked very confused. "Well, we did just have a conversation about it. I tried to go do it while you were still asleep, but I woke you up. You asked where I was going and I told you I was going to contact Waverly. You nodded, rolled back over, and fell asleep."
    
Now we were both confused. I had no recollection of this. Could he have been lying or was I really that tired? Maybe I was stressed about yesterday's conversations. I was a Belkin. I shrugged my shoulders and slid my bag onto my shoulder, making my way towards Hunter.