My eyes drifted to her shoulder, pale as untouched snow, smooth enough to look unreal. The faint glow from the chamber slid across her skin and made it sparkle gently, like fresh frost catching the sunrise. For a moment, I forgot the cold, forgot the danger, forgot that this was a life-or-death situation.
She was beautiful. Not the normal, casual kind of pretty I sometimes acknowledged in passing. This was the kind that made my breath stumble before I could stop it.
My heart beat too loudly, too fast. It echoed inside my ears as I stared. Something tightened inside me, something warm and shaky that I did not recognize. It made me want to reach for her gently instead of urgently. It made me want to hold her instead of waking her. It made me want… something I had no right wanting.
Why am I thinking this? Why now?
