wouldn’t be sorry.
I already was.
∞§∞§∞§∞
Sierra Lovell was the Devil.
I came to that conclusion after our first lesson together. Promise or no promise, by the end of the night I was plotting her very painful demise.
“Get d ressed, we’re going out,” Satan—I mean Sierra—said the next evening, barging into my room like she owned the place. Ignoring the less-than-friendly look I shot her, she headed directly for the closet and threw it open.
“Out?” I repeated.
“Yes. As in, outside ,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We’re not going clubbing or anything, of course—you’re not quite ready for that just yet—but the back yard is pretty safe.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you need to know what happens when you get cold,” she said, indicating the clothes hanging in the closet with a wave of her hand. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five minutes.”
With that, she blew out of the room as quickly as she’d blown in. I stood there for a second, seriously thinking about just letting her wait in the kitchen until she rotted. Then I remembered my promise to Nathan and forced my feet to move toward the closet.
Remembering Tyler’s lesson on darkling hypothermia, I stripped out of my jeans and put on a pair of thick tights and a pair of thermals before putting them back on. I pulled on my warmest hoodie over my long-sleeved tee and then topped it all off with the thick down jacket I usually only used for ski trips. I wrapped a warm wool scarf around my neck, and then put on two pairs of thick socks and dug around in the closet until I found my hiking boots.
Once I had taken on the approximate size and shape of a giant marshmallow, I grabbed my knit cap off the hook on the back of the door and pulled it over my curls, followed by a pair of earmuffs. After adding a pair of thick gloves to protect my hands, I decided my ensemble was complete.
All that just to go in the back yard. Pitiful, right?
I was surprised to find Nathan and Tyler waiting with Sierra when I entered the kitchen. Nathan’s lips twitched when he saw how much padding I had on, but the glare I leveled at him kept him from actually smiling.
“At least she dressed for the occasion,” Tyler said quietly under his breath, making a noise that sounded way too close to a snort of laughter.
“Okay,” Sierra said, giving me an amused once-over that made me want to pull her perfect hair out. It didn’t help that while I was dressed up like the marshmallow man, she was wearing nothing more than the coat she’d arrived in and jeans. “Well, since the abominable snowwoman has arrived, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Bite me, Barbie,” I muttered as she threw open the door and indicated I should go first. It didn’t do much for my temper when I heard her soft laugh behind me.
The cold December air hit me like a sledgehammer, taking my breath away, as I stepped onto the patio. I mean, I had expected it to be cold, but not that cold. I felt like I’d just climbed into an industrial freezer.
Okay, so Tyler had told me that I wouldn’t react well to the cold, but the near paralysis I experienced after only a few minutes wasn’t what I’d expected. I couldn’t feel my fingers. I couldn’t feel my toes. I couldn’t feel anything. But, being stubborn—and blatantly stupid—I pretended the cold seeping through my clothes in an attempt to reach my bones didn’t even faze me. I clenched my teeth when they started to chatter, refusing to give in.
“Just tell us when you’ve had enough, Em,” Tyler said, looking worried.
“With all those layers on, she should be able to spend the night out here,” Sierra muttered softly behind me with another laugh.
Giving her my best go-to-hell look, I forced my sluggish body to move toward the patio table. If I found it disturbing that I only knew I was walking because of the jarring sensation I felt in my
I already was.
∞§∞§∞§∞
Sierra Lovell was the Devil.
I came to that conclusion after our first lesson together. Promise or no promise, by the end of the night I was plotting her very painful demise.
“Get d ressed, we’re going out,” Satan—I mean Sierra—said the next evening, barging into my room like she owned the place. Ignoring the less-than-friendly look I shot her, she headed directly for the closet and threw it open.
“Out?” I repeated.
“Yes. As in, outside ,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We’re not going clubbing or anything, of course—you’re not quite ready for that just yet—but the back yard is pretty safe.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you need to know what happens when you get cold,” she said, indicating the clothes hanging in the closet with a wave of her hand. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five minutes.”
With that, she blew out of the room as quickly as she’d blown in. I stood there for a second, seriously thinking about just letting her wait in the kitchen until she rotted. Then I remembered my promise to Nathan and forced my feet to move toward the closet.
Remembering Tyler’s lesson on darkling hypothermia, I stripped out of my jeans and put on a pair of thick tights and a pair of thermals before putting them back on. I pulled on my warmest hoodie over my long-sleeved tee and then topped it all off with the thick down jacket I usually only used for ski trips. I wrapped a warm wool scarf around my neck, and then put on two pairs of thick socks and dug around in the closet until I found my hiking boots.
Once I had taken on the approximate size and shape of a giant marshmallow, I grabbed my knit cap off the hook on the back of the door and pulled it over my curls, followed by a pair of earmuffs. After adding a pair of thick gloves to protect my hands, I decided my ensemble was complete.
All that just to go in the back yard. Pitiful, right?
I was surprised to find Nathan and Tyler waiting with Sierra when I entered the kitchen. Nathan’s lips twitched when he saw how much padding I had on, but the glare I leveled at him kept him from actually smiling.
“At least she dressed for the occasion,” Tyler said quietly under his breath, making a noise that sounded way too close to a snort of laughter.
“Okay,” Sierra said, giving me an amused once-over that made me want to pull her perfect hair out. It didn’t help that while I was dressed up like the marshmallow man, she was wearing nothing more than the coat she’d arrived in and jeans. “Well, since the abominable snowwoman has arrived, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Bite me, Barbie,” I muttered as she threw open the door and indicated I should go first. It didn’t do much for my temper when I heard her soft laugh behind me.
The cold December air hit me like a sledgehammer, taking my breath away, as I stepped onto the patio. I mean, I had expected it to be cold, but not that cold. I felt like I’d just climbed into an industrial freezer.
Okay, so Tyler had told me that I wouldn’t react well to the cold, but the near paralysis I experienced after only a few minutes wasn’t what I’d expected. I couldn’t feel my fingers. I couldn’t feel my toes. I couldn’t feel anything. But, being stubborn—and blatantly stupid—I pretended the cold seeping through my clothes in an attempt to reach my bones didn’t even faze me. I clenched my teeth when they started to chatter, refusing to give in.
“Just tell us when you’ve had enough, Em,” Tyler said, looking worried.
“With all those layers on, she should be able to spend the night out here,” Sierra muttered softly behind me with another laugh.
Giving her my best go-to-hell look, I forced my sluggish body to move toward the patio table. If I found it disturbing that I only knew I was walking because of the jarring sensation I felt in my
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