Page 63 of His Winter Wonderland

Those were Sinclair’s words, not Winter’s. If Winter were in her shoes. She would feel the same way. Though these past three months had put a strain on her and Rhen, she still cared for him. He wanted to shout to the world that they were a couple now. She wasn’t ready for that. She wanted to wait until they made sure Kaede was okay.

No use rubbing their happiness in Sinclair’s face. For now, it was best to keep their relationship a secret. That didn’t stop Rhen from trying to sneak into her room every night after Sinclair fell asleep. If Sin noticed the change in relationship between Winter and Rhen, she didn’t comment.

She was dealing with her own problems. It broke Winter’s heart to see her friend suffering. She wasn’t accustomed to consoling others. She didn’t know the right words to say or the right actions to take. So, she just stood vigil with her, watching over Kaede, hoping he’d wake up soon.

“That slight movement he made today is progress,” Winter told her friend.

Sin nodded. “It’s better than nothing.”

“I think he will awaken soon.”

“You’ve been saying that for three months. Turned vampires are only supposed to stay out for seven days.”

True. Yet, Kaede had been asleep for three months. There was no one to consult about this because no one on this plane had ever met a turned dragon. Still, Winter tried to be optimistic.

“Kaede is an immortal dragon. The vampire venom is affecting him differently.” I hope that’s all it is.

Sin leaned forward and pushed her mate’s lips back, revealing his fangs. Seeing them always seemed to add to Sinclair’s stress. Winter and Rhen read up on it, and they were certain stress was not good for the baby.

“When he awakens, there will be a period of transitioning,” Winter told her. She didn’t want Sin to be stressed, but she did want her to be ready for whatever came their way. “He’ll have to learn how to resist the call of your blood.” If he couldn’t resist it, he’ll develop a bloodlust and drain her dry. Winter sighed. They weren’t going to let that happen.

“You keep telling me the same stuff over and over again,” Sinclair replied.

“I’m trying to prepare you, just in case the worse happens.”

“I’m hoping this part is the worst.”

“The worst hasn’t happened yet.”

Sin sighed. “I know. According to Rhen, The Deciders haven’t attacked the compound again. I think it’s because they’re up to something. They’re planning something big.”

“I think the same.”

“All of this waiting is driving me crazy.”

“You can’t let it stress you, Sin. Not in your condition.”

“I know. You know, a few days before Kaede… died, I dreamt about a fish and a snake.” Sin chuckled. “I think my magic, or nature, or the ancestors, something, was telling me that this was going to happen.”

“Dreams are hard to interpret. But a fish and a snake does pretty much sum this situation up.”

“I want him to wake up, so I can kill him for not having faith in our love.”

“It wasn’t your love in question. It was the power of his hatred that he was worried about. In his shoes, I too would’ve been afraid of the power of my hatred.”

“My mind knows that. But my heart wishes he would’ve come to me with this issue. I could’ve helped. Or at least tried to. Now, he’s… he’s…”

“We don’t know what he is yet. I…” Winter paused.

“What’s wrong?” Sin asked.

“My wards chimed. It’s just Rhen.” Winter sighed, trying not to smile. “I’m so sick of him coming here.” I’ve missed him so much.

“Thank you for letting him come here to visit Kaede and keep me updated on things going on at the compound.”

“You’re welcome. Having him around makes me feel antsy.”

“He has that effect on everyone.” Sin chuckled.