Omega Wintertide: A Wolves in the World Holiday Story by Dessa Lux

Author:Dessa Lux [Lux, Dessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-12T16:00:00+00:00

***

The Old Sauna was at the top of a clearing; the dugout, the first place Niemis had lived on this land, was at the bottom of the slight slope. Its roof curved up again, making a sort of ditch at the back of it. With snow covering the ground it was mostly invisible, just a slight rise before the row of birches separating the clearing from the creek flowing by. Casey had been familiar with every inch of this ground since he was six years old; he'd have known it blindfolded, let alone under a blanket of snow.

That added an extra bit of indignity to twisting his ankle on the dugout's upslope and falling over it, one arm flailing out over open space, in his headlong stumbling flight from the sauna. He'd barely hit the beautifully frigid snow—and was definitely still vomiting—when he felt the heat of Adam's sauna-warmed skin against his, Adam's hands brushing his hair back and steadying him.

After a while, the worst was over and Casey lay panting, still facedown in the snow. He reached over and grabbed some snow to wash his mouth out, and then more to wash his face, and turned his head to breathe in the clean, cold scents of birch and cedar and snow and rushing water. Adam was a hot cloud of concern and mate above him, but that, at least, didn't bother him.

Adam rubbed his back and made no move to leave or ask him what had happened, just shoved some more snow over the mess. He probably didn't need to ask. Adam had probably felt Casey's nausea as soon as Casey did. Hooray pregnancy bonding.

"Sorry," Casey mumbled to the snow.

"Pretty sure this is as much my fault as yours," Adam said easily. "You haven't felt sick before this, have you?"

Casey shook his head, though it hadn't really been a question; Adam would have known if he did even without the bond between them. Casey sure as hell would have called him to yell at him about it if that particular pregnancy symptom cropped up while Adam was off in Maryland, and other than that they'd hardly spent an hour apart since Adam found him with the Mactire pack. "It just—I never really noticed how much you can smell everyone and all the old smells coming out of the wood, too. It was—a lot. All of a sudden. I tried, I thought I'd adjust, but—"

He felt like he'd hung on in there for an endless time, but he didn't think it could have been even five minutes; Rory and Ethan and Sigrid, sitting on the lowest bench and watching him with obvious concern, had been only pink-cheeked and lightly sweating when Casey bolted.

"Do you need anything?"

"Um," Casey said. The snow was starting to be the unpleasant kind of cold, sweat turning frigid all over his skin. His clothes were back in the Old Sauna's changing room. It would be perfectly easy to have Adam go get them, or shout for

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