Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 96

**Charlotte**

Dinner is later than I’m used to. Not that I’m used to dinners like this, around a table with everyone present and proper food that I didn’t have to make. No one seems to mind the time, though. Mara moves easily around the kitchen with plates and serving spoons, like this is exactly how she meant for the night to go. Everyone gathers, and the boys talk sports, while I sit there at the table with a full plate in front of me, shocked, because I didn’t expect them to wait. They could have eaten earlier. Should have, really. It’s what makes sense. It’s what people do. But they didn’t. They waited until everyone was home. Until I was home.

Mara places another bowl in the centre of the table and gives me a small smile when I look up at her. It’s not a big thing. Not something she points out or makes a moment of, but for me? This is a core memory. One I’m going to file away and keep forever. I look back down at my plate and take another bite, the warmth spreading through me. Charlie is halfway through explaining something about a play where Blake missed a pass, his voice picking up again with easy excitement. “I’m telling you, if I hadn’t been there, it would’ve gone straight through—” Blake huffs beside me. “You scored one goal.”

“It was a great goal.”

“It was average at best.” Charlie points his fork at him. “You’re just jealous.”

“I’m devastated,” Blake replies flatly. I laugh softly, and Charlie shoots me a grin. I’m glad we stayed here. This is good for him, good for both of us. As much as I loved Dad, or the idea of who he was supposed to be, I don’t miss our life underneath him. It’s nice not having to cower and hide and hope he’s passed out or sober today. I’m coming to realise it was never my job to worry about him.

Once dinner is done, Mara starts gathering plates, and I automatically move to help, pushing my chair back, but she stops me with a small shake of her head. “Sit,” she says gently. “You’ve worked all afternoon.”

“I can help—”

“And you will,” she cuts in, softer this time, “just not tonight.” I hesitate for a second before I sit back down. It feels strange not to have to be the one taking care of everything. Blake glances at me with a small and approving smile, then Gareth clears his throat. I look up at him for a second, only to realise it was my attention he was trying to get. “Charlotte.” The second he says my name, a wave of anger rolls through the bond from Blake so suddenly that I turn toward him on instinct. His face gives nothing away. He sits there beside me with his shoulders loose, his mouth neutral, one hand resting on the table like he isn’t feeling a thing. But I can feel it. That heat. That resistance. That immediate dislike for whatever is about to be asked of me. When I look back at Gareth, he’s already noticed the glance I gave Blake, and his expression softens. “We caught a rogue today, and I was wondering if you might like to practice your skills on him.”

I sit up straighter at once. The diner flashes through my mind- the boys arguing and Shanti guiding me. The way all that heat and aggression drained out from under my hands as it had never belonged there in the first place. Then I think of the shed. Arun’s face. The first crack in the rage. The humanity trapped underneath all that ruin. Shanti stirs at once. Yes. Her answer lands through me before I even get to form my own, still, I turn to Blake. The anger in the bond is stronger now that I’m paying attention to it, but he still reaches for my hand under the table and gives it a squeeze, his thumb brushing over my skin once. “It’s okay,” he says quietly. I search his face for another second, because the bond says one thing and his mouth says another, and I know him enough now to understand that he means what he’s saying even if he hates every part of it. I look back at Gareth and feel my smile widen. “That sounds great.”

Gareth’s mouth shifts into the smallest smile. “Alright.” Blake drops his head for a second like he’s gathering himself, and Mara comes over and squeezes my shoulder. “If you’re going out there, you put your jacket on first,” she says. “And proper boots.” I answer around my smile, “Yes, Mara.” She smooths a hand once over my hair as she passes. “Good.” Blake goes and picks up my jacket before I can reach for it and holds it open for me without a word. I slide my arms into it, and he pulls it up over my shoulders, his hands settling there for one second longer than normal before he lets go. “You don’t have to pretend to be happy about this,” I murmur, just for him. His jaw ticks before he loosens it into an almost smile. “I know.”

“But?”

“But I trust you.” He says as he kisses my forehead.

The bond still carries that undercurrent of anger, but it feels more protective now. He wants to wrap me up and keep me away from anything sharp enough to touch me, and instead, he’s standing here helping me into my coat and letting me choose this anyway. I slip my fingers through his for half a second. “Thank you.” He gives my hand one tight squeeze before letting it go so I can crouch and pull on my boots. Across the room, Charlie is already waiting near the door, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. “You’re enjoying this too much,” I tell him.

He grins and shrugs. “I’m enjoying watching you scare people.”

Gareth opens the back door. I step outside with Blake close behind me, Charlie at my side, and Shanti pressing closer. She moves through me, calm but alert, and I let myself lean into that feeling as we cross the yard. The peace I found earlier is still there, and I hold onto it as the cold bites at my cheeks, and the shed gets closer. Gareth reaches for the handle, then glances back at me one last time. “Ready?” I think of everything I’ve learned about myself, and everything I still have to learn. I lift my eyes to Gareth and nod. “Very.”