The Ice Queen's Comeback
"Did the generator cut out?"
"Just the non-essentials," I rumbled, my voice rough from hours of disuse. I pulled the heavy wool blanket higher over her shoulder, tucking her neatly against my side. "The utility circuit is conserving power for the emergency lights in the corridor. Stay under the blanket, Anastasia. The room is going to drop fast."
She didn't panic. Instead, she reached out from beneath the wool, her cold, slender fingers finding my forearm where it rested over her ribs. Her thumb gently traced the heavy cord of the tendon beneath my skin, a soft, deliberate touch that sent an electric jolt straight up my spine.