Hugging her overcoat close to her chest, her heels clicked softly against the floor as she made her way towards the window. Her eyes then drifted to another door, which she assumed led to the bathroom attached to the walk-in closet.

’Maybe I can have a hot bath first,’ she thought to herself. The long journey had worn her down, not to mention it was still dark outside.

Her gaze shifted to the digital clock sitting on the bedside table, which read three in the morning.

Right on cue, Gavriel walked in with the suitcases in his hands, looking a little grumpy. She turned to look at him and noticed flakes of white snow clinging to his hair and the fabric of his coat.

"Look at you. A minute longer out there and you would have returned as an ice popsicle," she commented, an amused expression playing on her face.

She then pushed away from the window and followed the grumpy man through the door attached to the room, stopping at the walk-in closet that connected to another door leading to the bathroom.

Gavriel placed her suitcase on one of the counters and began to unzip it for her. That was when she stepped forward. "I’ll take it from here."

He stopped and looked down at her.

"I was planning to take a bath anyway," she said, tilting her head. "Unless you want to go first?"

Gavriel was highly tempted to suggest they go in together. But on second thought, he remembered just how close he was to completely losing control in the flight, so he simply replied, "Go ahead," before turning and leaving the room.

Aliana stared in the direction he had gone and wondered where he had headed off to.

Regardless, she patted her chest again as her nerves wreaked havoc inside her. The moment she had seen him walk into the room, her thoughts had begun spiralling at the prospect of staying alone with him in this house, completely disconnected from the outside world. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The cosy, intimate atmosphere of the entire place certainly did not help. If anything, it only planted more thoughts in her mind, reminding her that this was exactly the kind of place people chose for their honeymoon.

’No, don’t think about it,’ she scolded herself as she grabbed her black nightgown and made her way towards the bathroom.

Even though she had been the one trying to seduce him all this while, she was suddenly the one feeling nervous as she thought about what her bold actions might eventually lead to.

’If it does... then what?’ she asked herself as she approached the large bathtub and turned on the faucet, allowing hot water to fill it. She tossed in a few bath products, and soon a fresh, fragrant scent began to permeate the air.

’Well... if it happens, it happens. Besides, isn’t this exactly what I wanted? Especially on our engagement night, when he whispered those words to me...’ Aliana reasoned with herself as she began to strip off her clothes.

She met her gaze in the mirror and noticed how her body was more shapely than ever before, making her bite her lower lip as she contemplated what exactly had caused these changes in her.

Her beautiful brows drew together as her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the pain and heat she felt on that night in the container, and suddenly, an image flashed through her mind.

Blood.

Blood splattered everywhere inside that same container.

A gasp escaped her lips as she staggered back in shock, her heart lurching inside her chest.

Her pulse thundered in her ears as she crouched down. Clutching the sides of her head, she whispered, "W-what was that?"

A strange tingling sensation spread through her body, and she immediately covered her face with her palms.

"No, No! Your mind is playing tricks on you. Don’t think about anything," she whispered shakily. "Didn’t Gav tell you that? T-think about something else..."

Her breathing grew shallow and uneven.

Forcing her face away from her palms, she looked around the room, desperate for a distraction, until her eyes caught the scenic beauty outside the window. She focused all her attention on a single snowy peak where the moonlight hit the frost.

The sight was so serene that it almost felt unreal, and she found herself focusing on it as she slowly drew in one deep breath after another.

She remained there for several moments as she allowed the tranquillity of the view to wash over her until she finally felt composed enough to stand.

She then stepped into the bathtub and slowly sank into the warm water. The heat embraced her weary body, melting away the lingering tension from her muscles one thread at a time.

Inch by inch, she submerged herself deeper until the water completely enveloped her, muffling the outside world and granting her a brief escape from the chaos raging within her mind.

....

Later, when she stepped out of the bedroom, she found Gavriel dressed in comfortable clothes with his hair still damp. She figured he must have used another bathroom to take a shower. He was standing by the kitchen island, and the delicious aroma of warm food immediately hit her nostrils.

She walked over and took a seat at the counter, looking down at the spread before looking back up at him. "You heated all of this?"

"Yes," he replied, turning to face her before taking a seat right next to her. "You didn’t eat much on the flight."

’He noticed,’ she thought, pleasantly surprised by his consideration. She had never expected him to go through the trouble of heating a full meal for her, completely unaware that Gavriel had simply used his powers to warm everything instantly without having to lift a single finger.

He, on the other hand, sensed the subtle restlessness lingering within her. Reaching out, he clasped her wrist gently, drawing her gaze to his.

"Everything alright?" he asked, his blue eyes observing her intently.

She gave him a small smile. "Yes. I’m probably just tired and hungry."

Gavriel could tell she was hiding something from him, but he decided not to push her right now, remembering the sheer nervousness he had felt radiating from her earlier when they were in the walk-in closet. So he let go of her wrist, allowing her to serve both of them before they began to eat.

As they ate in comfortable silence, Aliana looked up. "So, when are we going to meet the person we came here for?"

"We’ll see her before we leave," Gavriel replied.

"Her?" she repeated, her curiosity piqued. "Who is she, and how do you know her?"

He shot her a sidelong glance as he replied, revealing nothing more. "She’s worked for me before."

Aliana noticed the evasive tone in his voice and realised he didn’t want to talk about it further.

Pursing her lips, she pressed on. "So... why do you think she would be able to answer anything about what’s happening to me? Is she... a shaman or something?"

Gavriel took a leisurely sip of his wine. "Something like that."

Another vague answer.

Aliana sighed internally, ’The man was truly a master at not giving straight answers.’

Setting his glass down, he looked at her. "When the sun rises, we will have the entire day to ourselves. Do you have anything in mind?"

At his question, she looked up at him, and a bright smile instantly bloomed across her face.

The moment he saw that smile, Gavriel had the distinct feeling he was going to regret asking that question.