Part Forty-Four

“Griffin?” Sierra’s voice woke me and I sat up straight in my bed.

She was standing in the doorway with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. Her breath came out in big white puffs and I could feel the cold in the air. The house was pitch black, I stood up and walked towards her.

“The power must have gone out,” I said as I touched her face. She was ice cold.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep anymore, it’s too cold,” she said.

“You should’ve woken me earlier, I don’t feel the cold like you do,” I said to her.

I pulled the comforter from my bed and wrapped it around her as well. She followed me downstairs where I got the fire started and I told her to sit right in front of it. I quickly made her a cup of tea and lit some candles so she could see better.

“I’ll be right back, don’t move,” I said to her.

Five minutes later I came back downstairs pulling my mattress behind me and placing it in front of the fireplace. I went back upstairs to get blankets and pillows. Sierra was sitting on the mattress still shivering from the cold.

“Take your clothes off,” I said to her, pulling the t-shirt over my head and pulling my sweatpants down.

“What?” she asked me with big eyes as she averted her eyes.

“Skin on skin contact is the fastest way to get your body heat up, I promise no funny business,” I said to her as I opened the covers and looked at her.

“Close your eyes,” she said and I laughed.

“I’ve seen you naked before,” I said.

“Griffin,” she said and glared at me.

“Fine, fine, my eyes are closed,” I said and closed them.

I heard her undress and my imagination didn’t need anything else. I already knew what she looked like and I tried to think of something else before my thoughts became too evident. I had kept my boxers on and kept thinking of science equations when I felt her jump on the mattress and pull the covers over her.

“I’m done,” she said and I opened my eyes. I was still sitting with my back towards her.

“I’m going to get under the covers and then pull you closer,” I said as she started giggling.

I moved slowly right up against her and laid down on my side, I pulled her closer, until she was molded against me and wrapped my arm around her waist. Her body was ice cold to the touch and when she pressed her feet against my legs I had to grit my teeth to not pull away.

“Is this you saving me again?” she asked after a while.

“You’re no good to me frozen,” I said as she laughed.

“Goodnight Griffin,” she said.

“Goodnight,” I said and closed my eyes.

At one point I felt Kane move onto the mattress on Sierra’s other side and the added warmth his body provided would make sure that she slept without being cold. I woke up much later than usual when Kane got up and padded through the house.

Sierra had turned around in her sleep, her head on my chest and both of my arms around her. She was breathing easily, her hair getting stuck in my stubble. Our legs were intertwined and I got goosebumps in my neck every time she exhaled.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

“It is,” I said and she jumped up suddenly.

“Shit I thought I was dreaming,” she said and I laughed out loud at that.

“That makes it even better,” I said as she swatted my arm and pulled the covers around her tightly.

“I’ll get coffee going, you should go shower and dress warmly,” I said.

“Shower? The water will be cold,” she said.

“Gas geyser, it’ll be fine,” I said and pulled my sweatpants and t-shirt on before walking to the kitchen.

I heated water on the stove in the camping kettle as I heard the shower go on and Sierra started singing again. I laughed softly because she couldn’t sing to save her life. I made coffee and waited for her to come back downstairs again, adding more wood to the fire to keep the warmth at the same level.

“You were right, I feel better,” she said as she walked into the living room and sat down on the newly made mattress, wrinkling the comforters.

“We should sleep here again tonight, you know just in case you freeze again,” I said with a smile.

“Oh yeah of course, I mean what would you do if I died,” she said and laughed.

I finished my coffee and pulled boots on as she watched me. I grabbed a jacket and zipped it all the way up and stood looking at Kane. He snorted and then got up from the couch as well and stretched his limbs.

“Where are you going?” she asked me.

“Kane needs to do a perimeter run and I’ll go check on the generator,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll just wait here,” she said and laid back on our makeshift bed.

“You could always start breakfast,” I said as she turned onto her stomach and looked at me.

“Hmm, how much do you want breakfast?” she asked me.

“That depends on what the other options are,” I said and folded my arms.

“Breakfast it is,” she said as her eyes widened and I had to laugh at her assumptions.

Kane and I made our way outside and he shook out his fur before starting his run up into the trees as I went the other way to the building at the back of the house right across from the clearing. I unlocked it and stepped inside as I pulled the sail off of the generator.

I filled it and then started it, opening one window at the back for the fumes. I picked up the plastic encased lead and pulled it towards the house and through the open window in the washroom. I connected the fridge and smiled when it hummed it to life.

“Your jacket’s soaked,” Sierra said as she made me take it off.

“I was buried in some snow when I opened the shed,” I said as she took the jacket from me and hung it over the back of a chair.

“Move it to the living room, the fire will dry it quicker,” she said.

I plugged in the television and connected two of the lamps so we’d have more light when night came. I went upstairs and took a quick shower and dressed in sweats again and pulled socks on just as Sierra yelled up the stairs that breakfast was ready.

“Wow, are we feeding the whole town?” I asked her when I walked into the kitchen.

“It’s just some pancakes, bacon, eggs and sausages. I’ve seen how much you eat,” she said.

“Kane eats more than me,” I said just as he scratched at the door.

Sierra jumped up and ruffled his fur as she opened the door for him. He licked his lips when he saw the food on the table and she took a square glass dish from the cupboard and dished up for him. His eyes widened when she put the dish down in front of him.

“Now this is what I’m talking about, can we keep her?” Kane asked.

“Don’t be an idiot,” I said out loud.

“What?”

“Kane having a mental orgasm over your breakfast,” I said and she laughed again.

“I made you extra sausages,” she said and Kane nudged his head against her leg.

“You’re spoiling him,” I said.

“Isn’t he my bonded half too?” she asked.

“He is,” I answered her.

“So, then I get to spoil him,” she said.

“What about me?” I asked her.

“You got to sleep next to me naked last night,” she said.

I had no words. Kane was laughing in my head and then stole the last sausage off my plate as I sat there dumbstruck at her response. She looked at me innocently and the score was probably a hundred to zero in her favor.

“No comeback?” she asked and laughed.

“Actually no,” I said as she grinned at Kane.

“Jett said you were kind of slow when it comes to sarcasm,” she said.

“What?” I asked her.

“I mean, you’re not slow as in dumb,” she said as I whipped my phone out just to find that there was no signal.

“You like being mean to me,” I said.

“Did I hurt your feelings?” she asked me and laughed again.

“Yeah how are you going to make it up to me?” I asked her.

“Uhm, what do you want?” she asked.

“That’s a dangerous question,” I said as I grinned at her.

“What else is running on the generator?” she asked me, trying to change the topic.

“Television is on and two lamps, we’ll have to use candles for the rest of the house but there’s a solar touch light in the downstairs bathroom,” I said.

“I’m going to put a movie on, nothing else we can do,” she said and I started chuckling as her ears turned red.

We spent the rest of the day lazing on the mattress in front of the fire watching movies and half dozing. We skipped lunch again and when the sky turned dark I switched one of the lamps on and reheated some of the soup for us.

At ten pm I pulled my clothes off and climbed under the covers. Sierra tried not to look at me but I caught her glancing anyway as she shifted and turned back towards the television. I was tired from doing nothing all day long.

“Are you going to go to sleep now?” she asked me.

“You can still watch television if you want to, I can sleep through anything,” I said as I turned onto my back and folded my arms under my head.

Sleep came swiftly and once or twice I could hear Sierra laugh softly as the television droned on in the background. I was surrounded by her scent and even Kane was relatively peaceful as he lay on the couch.

I was vaguely aware of Sierra kissing my cheek and I turned towards her automatically as she lay down next to me. My eyes opened instantly when I moved closer and touched the bare skin of her back as she pressed against me.