"Life is so unpredictable these days, isn't it?" said Eloise to Micah.
They stood together in the kitchen, watching Harry and Louis sitting on the couch at the back of the room where it was warm from the fireplace.
"It is indeed," Micah replied, thinking about his son and how close they were to spending the rest of their lives together before he got stuck in another world. "I miss him."
"Me too." Eloise could hear his thoughts, "but at least he is safe. From what Niall has said, our son seems to be having a great time in the vampire world."
"Yes, and so does young Arzhel."
"I keep forgetting about him." Eloise shook her head. "I feel like we only just got to know Arzhel, and then they had to leave. At least they are together. I couldn't bear the thought of Zyaire being in another world alone."
"He was alone for most of his life. I know you were there, but Lucifer chained you to his side while training our son to murder angels for fun. If Lucifer has anything to do with this war, I will kill him with my bare hands."
"I'll help," Lilith added, appearing next to them, covered in snow.
"What happened to you?"
"Tree branches are more slippery than I thought"
"What were you doing up a tree?"
"Stalking this white werewolf that has been hanging around. It's always on the edge of the Malik's territory so I don't know if I should tell them about it or not."
"Has the wolf done anything suspicious?" Micah asked.
"Not really, apart from sitting by the lake, staring into the forest across the bridge, almost like it's waiting for someone." Lilith shrugged. "Weird."
"And it's always alone?" Eloise asked.
"Yes, always. Don't Alpha wolves usually travel with a pack or a mate?"
"I think so, usually. How long has it been visiting the edge of the territory?" Micah asked.
"A few weeks. Maybe I'll question the wolf myself," Lilith said, crossing her arms, focusing her gaze on the snow falling past the window. If she could feel the cold, she would be pulling a scarf tighter around her neck or a hat over her ears.
"Be careful; those animals can grab you by the throat before you can blink-"
"Yeah, yeah," Lilith said, shushing the angel. "I'll ask questions from a distance."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
"You're gonna fall and break your nose," Liam said, watching Zayn's feet slide around on a frozen puddle. They had followed an old country road for a while, talking about anything and everything. The evening felt serene and fresh. The boys wanted some time together in the chilly air, away from their families.
Zayn slid closer and pulled Liam onto the ice too, laughing at how he slipped and nearly tugged them both to the ground.
"Dance with me," he grinned, spinning his mate around, holding him by the waist. Zayn heard a loud crack muffled by the thin ice. The puddle lay inches deep, and he had waterproof boots on if the water did spill from underneath. It wasn't deep enough for him to worry, but his fear of water didn't alter over the years.
Many times, Ares tried to persuade Zayn to let them have a pool in the garden. The teen refused, still stuck in his mentality of "what if."
Everyone could swim apart from Zayn, so he was the most vulnerable, but he wouldn't lose someone else to water.
Liam gasped and tripped on a cracked ledge in the ice. His foot got stuck underneath him, and he flopped onto the snow, avoiding landing on the freezing water.
Zayn laughed until he couldn't breathe. He wiped away the tears of joy and joined his mate in the snow, too distracted to keep himself steady.
"After twenty years, ice still defeats you," he scoffed, referring back to the ice situation in the bathroom.
Liam shook his head with a grin, accustomed to the occasional dark joke, and over it enough to laugh with him.
"The snow will melt by next week," he sighed, putting his hands behind his head and watching the clouds move.
"I can't wait for summer." Zayn looked around, trying to remember what it felt like to be warm when outside in only shorts and a t-shirt, picturing flowers of every colour and the smell of freshly cut grass. "I miss seeing the leaves on the trees. Without them, the woods look so creepy and bare."
Liam chuckled and nudged him with his knee. "You've been watching a lot of horrors recently."
"Yeah, maybe I should stop that."
Zayn was about to lie down until he spotted a deer watching them through the trees. If Lilith were here, it would be dead in an instant.
The deer knew that Liam and himself were different, and curiosity got the better of the animal, especially with Aiolos' aura luring it in.
If Micah were here, the deer and its entire family would surround him, wanting his attention. Angels have that effect on nature.
The boys sat for a while, listening to birds chirp and the wind howl. The trees rustled and ached when branches clanged together, sounding like the woods were giving a round of applause to the sun when it poked through the clouds, feeding them nutrients.
"Is a storm on its way?" Zayn asked. He brushed the snow from his trousers and pulled Liam to his feet, brushing him down in areas that made Liam raise a brow.
"No, but the wind is supposed to pick up." Liam slapped his hand away with narrowing eyes. "When I asked if you wanted to have fun in the snow, that's not what I meant."
"Yes, it was," Zayn said, getting his hand slapped away for the second time. "I wonder how cold it would be if we did have fun in the snow." He wiggled his eyebrows, patting his mate's shoulder,
then quickly moving to pat his butt.
Liam jumped away with a short laugh.
"Get away from me you animal. It's nowhere near heat season yet."
"Call me an animal again. I like it."
Liam rolled his eyes and walked in front so he could hide his blush and entertained expression.
Zayn caught up with him, coiling his arms around his waist and walking with their bodies pushed together. He pressed his lips against his mate's earlobe, nibbling it and releasing a low and seductive growl. He felt Liam shiver, and it wasn't from the freezing temperatures.
