We sat like that for at least an hour. Every now and then Alex’s head swung in my direction, but he made no move toward me. With every minute that passed, my body got colder until I began to fear dying from exposure more than Alex. The sky began to darken and the snow thickened until I could barely see the other side of the river. I knew I had to move soon or I would die on this rock.

Something moved in the trees below us, and Alex’s head tilted as his slit eyes turned in that direction. A few seconds later, he lifted off and sped toward the trees. I watched breathlessly, terrified that a vampire had followed us. A small reddish shape darted across the snow then spun and fled when it saw the wyvern coming toward it. I released a slow breath when Alex began chasing the fox through the trees. I hoped the animal escaped, but at the same time, I was grateful Alex was hunting something besides me.

My body was cramped and my hands and feet were almost numb, making the climb down from the rock painful and difficult. It was almost dark by the time I reached the ground, and I rested for a minute in the shelter of the rock, stamping my feet and tucking my hands under my arms to warm them.

I searched my pockets for my phone and almost cried when I came up empty. It could be anywhere between here and the SUV. I wasn’t sure if I could even get a signal out here, but it would have been a small comfort to have a phone with me.

I quickly made a decision. It was a long shot that this was the same river that ran through Butler Falls, but it had to lead somewhere. I was in the middle of nowhere with no hope of finding my way back to the road. Nikolas would be looking for me – I refused to believe he was unable to – but if I stayed here until help came, I would die.

Trekking along the river in the dark was slow and treacherous. I had to feel my way around rocks and trees and be careful not to step too close to the edge of the bank. The snow changed to freezing rain and within an hour I was drenched to the skin. My body shivered so hard it hurt, and I grew tired and sluggish. I refused to stop. To stop moving meant death, and I would not die out here. I had survived too much to just lie down in the snow and give up.

I stopped to go around a boulder and heard the sound of wings above the roar of the river. Alex had been following me since I set out. He made no move to attack me, and I knew now that he was watching over me. I was comforted by his quiet presence and to know that I wasn’t alone out here.

But Alex’s presence could not protect me from the elements. It became increasingly difficult to lift my feet, and my whole body felt numb. A few times when I stopped to catch my breath, I found myself jerking awake a few minutes later. My body was shutting down, even if my mind refused to surrender.

I came to another bend in the river and my body sagged hopelessly at the sight of more trees, more water. “Stop that,” I scolded myself, but the words were slurred, almost unintelligible to my own ears.

Alex made a sound halfway between a growl and a snort, and I looked up, straining to see him through the darkness and sleet. As I scanned the area, my eyes moved over a dark shadow several hundred yards up the river. Just more rocks. A choked sob escaped me, and I fought down the tears that wanted to come. This place might break my body, but it would not break me.

I forced my feet to move, and I thought about Nikolas. In my mind I saw his face, his warm gray eyes and his beautiful smile as he told me he loved me. I imagined him beside me, ordering me to keep going like he did in training. My imaginings grew so vivid I felt the faint fluttering at the back of my mind that meant he was near. It felt so real that I called out his name. I even stopped and listened for him, but all I could hear was the river.

Alex growled again and flew in lower circles around me. Fear shot through my delirium. Without my power I had no way of knowing if a vampire was nearby. I tried to run, but my feet caught on a branch and I collapsed in the snow. Get up, my mind cried, but my body could no longer obey.

Hands grabbed me and rolled me over. “Sara, wake up,” a voice ordered harshly as the hands felt my face and throat. “Stay with me.”

“Nikolas.” His name came out as incoherent babble.

“Sara, oh God.” Nikolas gathered me in his arms and pressed his face to mine. I was too cold to feel his heat, and my arms couldn’t move to hug him back, but none of that mattered. He was here.

He pulled away. “Are you hurt?” When I didn’t respond fast enough he demanded, “Sara, talk to me.”

“C-cold.”

“Khristu, you’re soaked through.” He stood, lifting me effortlessly. “I’ve got you. You need to stay awake for me.”

The desperation in his voice frightened me, and all I wanted to do was make it go away. “Okay,” I mumbled.

I felt him moving swiftly over the ground. He stopped, and I heard the snap of metal, a clank, and a creaking sound. A door closed, and the wind and rain disappeared.

He set me down on something soft. I opened my eyes but saw only darkness.

“Nikolas?”

“I’m here.”

A match flared. Seconds later, an oil lantern cast a soft glow across the room, dispelling the darkness. Nikolas left the lantern on the table and went to the stone fireplace on the far side of the small room. Within a minute, he had a small blaze going. He added some small logs and stoked the fire until the wood lit.

He came back to me. Without a word he unzipped my coat and removed it. I was too numb to care when he grasped the hem of my wet top and pulled it over my head. My boots came off next, followed by my jeans.

“Jesus, your skin is like ice.” Standing, he yanked off his coat and shirt then pulled me to my feet and pressed my cold body to his warmer one. He rubbed my arms and back vigorously for several minutes until my skin felt like it was thawing. He sat me on the bed again and opened a large wooden chest, pulling out a folded quilt, which he wrapped around me. Then he picked me up and carried me over to set me on the small rug in front of the fireplace.