Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 102

**Charlotte**

I wake slowly to Blake’s arm heavy across my waist. His bare chest is warm at my back, and his breath is slow and even against the nape of my neck. I lie there and feel the steady rise and fall of him, and the quiet way my body fits into his perfectly. Complete. Shanti hums softly within me, warm and content in a way I’ve never felt from her before. *Ours.* I smile into the pillow. Carefully, I roll in his arms until I’m facing him. I lift my hand, letting my fingers brush the mark at his neck. I trace it slowly, curiosity guiding me as I follow the shape of it with the tip of my finger. His skin is warm there, so much warmer than the rest of him. He makes a low sound that sends a quiet ripple through me, and his eyes snap open.

His hand wraps around my wrist in one smooth movement, not rough, but immediate, his gaze locking onto mine with something darker than sleep still sitting behind it.

“Careful, pretty girl,” he murmurs, his voice rough with sleep. “I’m extra sensitive in the morning.”

Heat rushes straight to my face, but I don’t pull away.

“I wouldn’t mind—”

“I would mind!” Charlie’s voice cuts through the room from the other side of the door, squeaky and awkward enough that I freeze mid-sentence before dissolving into a quiet laugh. Blake exhales and groans, dropping his forehead briefly to mine. There’s a knock, and then a cough. “Mara said to get you two up for breakfast,” Charlie adds, his voice strained, “or we’ll be late for school.”

Blake leans in and nips lightly at my bottom lip before I can respond, quick and playful. Then he’s pulling away from me entirely, rolling out of the bed in one smooth movement. My eyes follow him without permission. Damn. Did he look like that last night? His back is broader. I’m sure of it. The lines of muscle across his shoulders shift as he moves, making me all but drool at the sight of him. He glances over his shoulder and smirks.

“You know I can feel you, right?” He taps his temple lightly. Heat floods my face so fast it almost burns. I drag the blanket up over half of it, trying to hide behind it even though there is absolutely no saving myself at this point.

He laughs. The sound is warm, easy, and so completely different from the tension that had him pacing his room last night. Then he disappears into the bathroom. I stay where I am for a moment longer, curled into his bed, my hand lifting to brush lightly over the mark at my own neck. It feels… different. Not just the skin, but beneath it. When I close my eyes, I can feel him. I like that feeling.

By the time I force myself out of bed, the house is already awake. I can hear movement downstairs. Steam still clings to my skin as I step out of the bathroom, tugging on the school uniform Mara left for me. I’m still adjusting the sleeves when Blake comes out behind me, his hair damp and pushed back from his face. His shirt clings slightly to his shoulders where it hasn’t fully dried yet, and he glances over like this is all completely normal. My gaze lingers. Again. How could I not? 

“Lotty,” he warns lightly, though there’s a smile tugging at his mouth.

“I’m just looking,” I say, trying for casual, and his eyes darken just enough to make my stomach flip.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, stepping closer for half a second before forcing himself back again. “I can feel that.” I huff a quiet laugh, but it comes out softer than I expect, and when he reaches for my hand, I get a surge of butterflies.

Walking downstairs with him feels different. We move together without thinking about it, small touches, quiet smiles, a brush of fingers that lingers just long enough to mean something. I lean into him without realising it, and he adjusts without comment, his arm brushing mine. We’re halfway through a quiet argument about whether or not Charlie actually knows what he’s talking about when it comes to hockey, when a plate shatters against the kitchen floor. Mara gasps, and Blake stills beside me. Gareth is moving before I fully register what’s happened, his chair scraping loudly as he crosses the room in two quick strides. He lifts Mara clear of the broken glass without hesitation, his hands already checking her arms, her legs, her feet.

“Are you alright?” he asks, his voice low but sharp with concern.

“I’m fine,” she says quickly, though her eyes are already moving past him. To us. There are tears in them, and a smile.

“They’ve completed their bond.”

Charlie makes a choking noise at the table. Theo, who has just walked in through the front door, barely pauses as he drops into his seat, reaching for a piece of toast.

“Oh, good,” he says easily. “Finally.”

My face burns. Blake’s hand finds mine without looking, his fingers threading through mine and squeezing once. Mara laughs softly, even as Gareth sets her back on her feet, her gaze still fixed on us.

“Oh, this is such a special moment,” she says quietly. “I remember when your father and I completed our bond. Do you remember, honey?”

Gareth’s eyes move between us before settling on Mara and softening into a warm smile. 

“I would never forget.”

Blake shifts slightly beside me, and I feel a strange sense through our bond I don’t recognise. His fingers tighten in mine just a fraction before he lets it go.

“You good?” I murmur, low enough that only he can hear.

His head tilts toward me slightly.

“Yeah,” he says, but there’s a pause before it. “Just… something feels off.”

I glance around the room. Everything looks normal. Sounds normal. Feels— Blake’s head turns toward the front of the house a second before there’s a loud bang from outside, like someone slamming a car door too hard. Charlie jumps at the same time I do. I know that sound.