章 54: Chapter Fifty-Four
The wind ripped through the tops of the pine trees. It howled and roared as it blew the snow through the forest.
The snow was as thick as a curtain. The white sheet blocked out the dark forest.
Serena leaned into the bay window and scanned the dark exterior. The unkept bushes and trees bent in the wind, scraping the side of the house as they went. She sighed and closed her eyes—the long hours of nothing to see and nothing to do strained her mind. Lucian had left yesterday for the full moon and had not returned yet. The blizzard kept Serena from checking the trap they had set a few days before, confining her to the cramped shack in the woods.
Cards and books could only do so much to ease the time.
Serena slid from the window and flopped against the couch cushions. Her hair spread wildly over her face. She blew a steady stream, and the hair fluttered away from her mouth. Her eyes drifted closed, the fire crackling lulling her to sleep. Her body sank into the dark parts of her mind as she drifted to sleep—sleep without any dreams.
Thundering banging came from the door.
Serena shot up, her eyes groggy, and her head filled with the fog of sleep.
The banging grew louder and more urgent as she fumbled down the hallway to the front door in a half-asleep stupor.
She cracked the door open only to have the door slammed in her face. She grunted and clutched her nose as she was flung against the wall. Blood oozed from her nostril down her chin. Her eyes watered, washing the sleep from her eyes.
A loud, deep thud came from the other side of the swinging door.
She peered around the corner to see Lucian face-first against the wood floor. Snow blew over his exposed feet and calves. It fluttered down the hallway, resting against the nooks and crannies. His arms lay at wild angles against the floor, the tips of his fingers and toes turning as white as the snow they were stuck in.
Serena scrambled around the door, blood dripping along the floor as she went. She gripped his wrists and dragged him a few feet down the hallway, slamming the door behind him.
"Hold on." She said, her voice as tense and anxious as she felt.
She tightened her grip on him and rolled him over. She dragged him to the living room, leaving him a few feet from the fireplace. She scanned his body, looking for any signs of life or damage.
Lucian sputtered a cough but remained unmoving.
She knelt at his side and flung a nearby blanket over his body, tucking it under his sides. She stripped him of his wet clothing, leaving him only in his boxers. His back screamed pink, and swollen bumps dotted his legs and arms. Large gashes sliced through his back. Their angry gaze pierced Serena. She shook her head and grabbed his fingers, holding them loosely between her palms.
The frost sucked away her heat, leaving her hands as cold as Lucian looked.
She bit her lip and looked around the room, her mind racing through all the things her father and her limited college courses had taught her.
"Water. Warm water." A soft, reassuring voice spoke into her ear.
She spun in the direction of the voice, but nothing was there. She swallowed and ran to the kitchen. Her footsteps pounded as she ran, leaving a trail of burned footprints in her wake.
She flung open cupboard after cupboard even though her heart and head knew where the pots were. Finally, the last door was open, and she snatched a pot. She held the pot under the faucet. The cold water sloshed over the sides as her hands shook.
The water dribbled and swirled down the drain. Serena clamped her other hand over her wrist, stabilizing her shaking hands.
"Get a hold of yourself." She chided through gritted teeth. She bit her lip and flipped off the water.
She slammed the pot on the stove and covered it. As the water was warming, she dashed back to the living room and fumbled around for more blankets.
Lucian groaned and grumbled as he sat up. Serena slid to her knees beside him and draped another blanket over him.
"Don't move." She commanded him, forcing him to lie down again. Lucian grumbled incoherently as he submitted to her touch. "I've got some water boiling. Where do you keep your socks? I need something to cover your feet."
Lucian grunted and held out a shaking finger toward his bedroom. Serena shook her head and held her head closer to his lips. Lucian struggled to say something again, but she still only heard garbles.
She rose and dashed to the master bedroom. She sifted through the piles of clothes that dotted the floor. Each mound smelled worse than the last. She slid open a drawer, and all his socks flew out. She grabbed the ones that had draped themselves over her head and shoulders and slid them over Lucian's feet.
Serena dipped Lucian's hands and feet into the water that had warmed on the stove. Instantly, Lucian's face softened. Serena stayed by his side the rest of the night, changing the water and adding or removing blankets as needed.
"Thank you..." Lucian croaked out as the sunrise poked its head through the blinds.
Serena shook her head, chasing the groggy feeling away. She hummed and clasped his hand.
Lucian looked up at the half-asleep woman beside him and smiled. His cracked lips began to bleed at the effort. Serena grabbed a lip balm from her pocket and rubbed some over his lips. The pink returned to his face as her thumb brushed against his lips.
"What happened?" Serena asked as she tucked another blanket over his shoulders.
Lucian struggled to sit up and sighed.
"I shifted and did some hunting. But on my way home, the blizzard hit. I got stuck in the snow without anything but my wolf pelt. Eventually, that wasn't enough, and I had to trudge through a few feet of snow to get here. I had to go off the smell because I couldn't see anything. The smell of the fire was what brought me here."
Serena wrapped an arm around him and pressed his head against her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes. Lucian wrapped a cold arm around her waist and tugged her close. His body soaked in all the warmth that she had to offer. She shoved him away as his fingers met her skin.
"You're too cold." She stammered, her face beginning to flush. "I'm going to get more water."
She shot out of the living room, leaving Lucian waiting for her to return, his hand reaching for her.
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