Page 194 of The Heart of Winter

On top of it all, the food tasted strange; so salty and processed that I barely ate anything.

Then the plane began to descend, and my heartbeat picked up. That was also when Winter finally woke up. Our eyes met. His face was calm, almost indifferent.

When he didn’t react to the smile I gave him, a chill ran down my spine. He didn’t even respond to my second glance.

But there was still this quasi-telepathic connection: I could sense him. And I knew he was very stressed, tense like an overstretched string.

When we landed, and I unbuckled my seatbelt, I moved to go to him, but two employees gently grabbed my elbows, stopping me.

"This way, please. Security reasons," one of them murmured.

And just like that, everyone began filing toward the exits, while Winter was led to a different one.

It felt off. Security reasons? Were they trying to protect us from the press? Or were they deliberately keeping us apart?

"Winter!" I called out, my voice desperate.

He turned his face toward me. He was absolutely pale and still… What the hell was going on?

But I couldn’t even dwell on that, because they nearly pushed me out of the plane.

Then the chaos hit full force.

We were rushed through the terminal into a designated area where reporters were waiting. We passed quickly, but I could still hear them shouting questions, though I didn’t register the words.

And then, across the hall behind metal barricades, I saw two groups of people.

For the first time since we left the island, something shifted in me. I felt like I was waking up.

Those people standing there…

That was my family.

All of them, it seemed. For a moment, I just froze, stunned. Then my dad jumped the barrier and ran straight toward me.

That’s also when I felt the sting behind my eyes. And when I finally wrapped my arms around him, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Relief and joy rushed through me all at once, the realization finally sinking in. I was home. And someone still cared.

Over his shoulder, I spotted the other group, a larger one. Winter’s family.

His dad did the exact same thing, jumping over the barrier and running straight to Winter, sobbing almost hysterically.

Of course, I only assumed it was his dad, judging by his platinum hair and the same sweet pout of the lips. Just like that, we were both pulled into the arms of our families, held tight, with tears all around.

And of course, I saw my father. His face looked… well, kinda emotional, in a way I wasn’t used to seeing. He held me in a firm embrace. And when I glanced at my brother, I was shocked to see tears in his eyes too. Maybe he didn’t mind not being the sole heir after all. Or maybe he was crying because he wasn’t the only one anymore? With Vren, you could never really tell.

As I was passed between cousins and uncles, I kept looking over at Winter. He was surrounded by his brothers, just like I was enveloped by mine.

And then, out of nowhere, a pair of strong arms pushed through my relatives, parting them for—

Blue.

He hated hugs, but just this once, I had to. I launched myself at him and wrapped him in a tight hug, lifting him off the ground; all my moves under the keen observation of his new bodyguard.

"Blue!"

His face lit up, happy, but with that usual grumpy edge.

"Put me down, Sariel. I’m not a child to be carried," he grumbled. Then he added, a little softer, "I’m glad to see you, you pain in the ass. You scared the hell out of all of us."

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