Winter Fire [ Book 1 ] ✔

Chapter Fifteen

 Sleep did not come easy for Claire that night. She lay staring at the ceiling of her tent for what seemed like hours. Beside her, Tanaraq slept easily, her soft breathing the only sound aside from the steady, rhythmic beating of Claire's heart.

Her heart.

That was the source of her problems of that she was quite certain. She'd never felt so conflicted before, so twisted up and uncertain. What made it worse was that Claire wasn't quite sure what had her feeling this way to begin with.

She had ideas, of course, many of which she refused to entertain even for a short period. There was just no way that such notions were even plausible. It had only been a few days, she couldn't possibly... that sort of stuff just didn't happen in real life.

Claire kicked off the heavy blanket in frustration, regretting it almost immediately. The warmth the covering had offered evaporated quickly and was replaced by a bitter cold that crept over her like icy fingers.

Claire reached for the blanket, preparing to pull it up and over her head again in hopes that it would shut out her rampaging thoughts as well as the cold. Changing her mind, Claire sat up and reached for her coat instead. She slipped it on and then pulled on her boots as well. She kept her gaze locked on Tanaraq, doing her best to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn't disturb the younger girl.

Once outside, Claire welcomed the cold and took a deep breath.

The storm had passed and the sky overhead was clear and littered with thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars. Claire found herself seeking out familiar constellations, but there were none to be seen. It was just another stark reminder that while this place held similarities to her world, it was not the same.

"Claire?"

She turned, surprised to see Alek standing a few feet behind her. Her confusion lasted only a few seconds, she had forgotten that Tanaraq had given everyone an assigned time to keep watch. Claire had requested one, but all of them, even Tanaraq, refused. Claire had crawled into her makeshift bed feeling useless. She supposed they had their reasons, but it still didn't make it any easier to sit by and do nothing.

"Hey," she said with a soft smile. "I couldn't sleep."

"You shouldn't be out here, it's cold," Alek stated.

"I realize that," she replied, feeling more amused by his overprotectiveness than annoyed. "I'm a big girl, Alek, I can handle a little cold."

Alek smirked and shook his head. "You're far too stubborn for your own good," he replied and turned back towards the starlit darkness. Claire joined him where he stood and lifted her eyes to the sky again.

Despite the foreign star patterns, Claire found them to be quite striking and strangely comforting.

"Just now I was thinking that even the sky is different here," Claire commented. She felt Alek shift beside her, could feel his eyes as he watched her, but she kept her own gaze fixed skyward. She wasn't sure she'd be able to speak if she looked at him now. "I know you think I should go back, and my mind agrees with you, but my heart... well that's an entirely different matter."

"When I decided to get on that train, it wasn't just to get the box from you," Claire continued, grateful he was choosing to let her speak rather than interrupt. "I needed to do it, for me. I was stuck, I just didn't know it. I can't go back to home, not yet, not now that know there is so much more."

Alek was quiet for a long time and after a few minutes, Claire chanced a glance at him. She half expected to see that annoyed look in his eyes, that downturned expression on his mouth as he frowned. He was looking towards the sky, his eyes closed and a hint of a smile touching his lips. As though he sensed her watching him, he turned and their eyes met, the pale blue shimmering like silver in the starlight.