Page 125 of The Heart of Winter

"Just… since I came, I might not be able to go again as fast as you, Sariel. No rut for me."

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, since we kept holding them entwined.

"That’s fine. Those two orgasms I just had… they were really satisfying. Funny enough, knotting actually helps, it kind of keeps the heat in check. I feel calmer."

Winter was quiet for a moment. My lips remained pressed against the back of his neck, planting soft kisses every now and then, and from what I could sense, he enjoyed them.

I was surprised by how much more I could perceive what Winter was feeling now, being inside him. It was like I was submerged in his mind, foreign emotions rolling through my own nervous system, his doubts, fears.

One stood out the most:What if no one comes to the island?

Since we had time, my knot still held firm, I decided to touch on that.

"You’re worried," I whispered.

"Worried?" he repeated.

"Yes. I can feel your anxiety. You’re afraid we’ll be stuck here forever."

I sensed his confusion. "How do you know that?"

For a second, I debated whether to tell him the truth, that with my dick buried in him to the hilt, I could also pick up on his thoughts. But I figured that might be too much of a revelation all at once.

"It’s not hard to guess. I’ve been thinking about it too. My heat isn’t clouding everything."

He sighed quietly. "Well. Once the knot goes down, I need to go out and take a look around. These first few days are crucial. If there are any drones or helicopters passing by, now’s the time."

I suddenly felt stupid. "You’re right. My heat is an inconvenience here. We should try to keep it to a minimum, only give in during the worst waves…"

Winter let out a sharp breath. "Don’t think of it that way. This isn’t your fault. We don’t control our bodies. We’ll figure it out."

Still, guilt gnawed at me. And maybe that had something to do with why my knot loosened faster than expected. I had no frame of reference, having never knotted anyone before, but from what I’d heard, it could last anywhere from fifteen minutes tohours. This one barely held for thirty minutes.

As soon as I felt it go away, I slowly pulled out of Winter and sat up beside him, only then the pain in my leg was back. Ugh! Winter turned toward me, and that’s when I noticed the sizable wet patch on the blanket beneath him. I stared at it.

"The bad news is, we don’t have any spare sheets," I said, trying to make it sound like a joke.

"Well, actually, I’ve got an idea for that," Winter said, sitting up with determination on his face. He yanked the blanket off the mattress, got to his feet, and carried it over to the stream, where he started rinsing it under the warm water.

I watched, baffled. It seemed like overkill to soak an entire blanket over just one stain. And drying things out here would be a challenge, for sure.

After all, we had a pack of sanitizing wipes.

Winter caught my doubtful expression and smirked slightly.

"When I climbed up the volcano slope earlier, I noticed that in some of the crevices, where lava had recently flowed, it was still warm. The higher I went, the more the temperature rose. Some of the rocks arehot. If I lay the blanket over them, it should dry quickly."

That sounded disturbing, and I frowned. "Wait. The volcano isthatactive? The rocks outside arehot? That means the lava flow is pretty recent!"

We stared at each other for a moment. Winter gave a small shrug. "Not necessarilythatrecent. Lava flows or volcanic deposits can stay hot for weeks, even months after an eruption."

"In this cold climate?"

Winter looked away. "I’m not a geologist, so I have no idea. But I hope you’re not suggesting the volcano’s about to blow. That’d be too many disasters for one lifetime, first a plane crash, then a deserted island,andnow an erupting volcano? That would be a sick cosmic joke."

"You're right, it’s silly," I muttered, keeping my voice casual, as if it was just really nothing important. But I saw it in his eyes, I had planted a seed of worry in him too.

Winter rinsed himself off again, then dried with the damp blanket we’d been using earlier. Once he was done, he dressed and wrapped himself in the two remaining dry blankets. The two wet ones, he rolled up and tucked under his arm.

---