Page 167 of The Heart of Winter

Astounded by his words, I nodded. At least we had one person who understood us.

"Exactly! I know—I feel—that he’s alive. Snow and Summer helped him survive. I know they got him to an island in the Kuril Archipelago. You know Snow has powers, Skye. Special powers."

Skye hesitated, his expression still filled with uncertainty. But slowly, he nodded. "I hope Jacob Lowen agrees to meet with you and helps organize the search of the islands. Who knows, maybe… there’s something to it," he said quietly, glancing at his father as if looking for an ally in his skepticism. But Aiden remained silent, staring at the floor.

"Well, anyway, you two should get to work. I’ll wait here," I said in a lighter tone.

As they left, I gazed at Aiden again. He gave me a reassuring smile, probably meant to calm me down, but it only made me sigh deeply. We had to be patient.

Jacob Lowen didn’t leave the building until 5 pm. Waiting all day had been mentally exhausting. Aiden had brought us food from time to time, and we used the lobby restroom. The receptionists had been kind enough not to call security on us and throw us out.

Finally, Jacob appeared, stepping out of a separate private elevator designated for higher management.

He was dressed sharply, entirely in black, including a black dress shirt. He carried a sleek briefcase and was about my height, 5'8". He had dark hair, deep blue eyes, and wore elegant glasses, possibly platinum-made. I knew he was approaching fifty, but he looked much younger, the benefit of youth treatments he could afford.

He obviously hadn’t expected to see us here. The receptionists didn’t call him every few minutes to inform him that we were still waiting, something I was grateful for. Otherwise, he might have just had security throw us out earlier, to clear his way.

We quickly stepped toward him.

"Jacob Lowen!" I called out. "I’m Lake Nolan, Winter Nolan’s dad—"

I saw it instantly. The flicker of emotions on his face. Annoyance. Irritation. Anger. Discomfort. A deep reluctance to have this conversation.

"I know our presence here must be incredibly awkward for you, but I swear to you, we’re not crazy. Winter and Sariel are alive! They’re on one of the Kuril Islands, you have to believe me! I have a connection with my son—!"

"Excuse me," Jacob said icily, and then… he just walked right past me and headed for the exit.

Stunned, I stood there, feeling stupid, like a child who had just been ignored.

Well. That was that, then.

I turned toward Aiden, and once again, I saw the sorrow and concern on his face—concern for me, for how I was feeling. He squeezed my hands gently.

"Lake, maybe we need to try another approach?"

"We can’t give up," I said firmly. "We have to be patient. That’s the only hope."

WINTER

I woke up from a deep sleep that felt more like unconsciousness. My eyelids were heavy, but I forced them open. Pale, grayish morning light filtered through.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was or why I was lying in a cave. Dizzy, I stared at the dark ceiling, listening to the faint gurgling of the stream. It was almost soothing, inviting me to drift back into sleep and… never wake up again?

Wait…

Awareness crept back slowly; where I was, what was happening, what time of day it was.

Dawn. Gray light? Already? I had gone to sleep in the afternoon!

I glanced around. Where was Sariel?

"Sariel?"

Silence.

I slowly sat up. Every movement felt like a struggle, almost physically painful. Yesterday, I had eaten only a tiny portion of the tree bark paste Sariel had given me. And now, another day was starting in this endless calorie deficit I had been living in for nine—maybe ten?—days. I was losing track.

My clothes hung near the fire pit, which had long since burned out. They were still damp, but the blankets I usually wrapped myself in when stepping outside were downright soaked. The only dry one was the blanket I had slept under.

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