Chapter 10

Skadi

My breath cloudedin front of me as I made my way over the fresh snow to where the spring waited. Some animal tracks broke the clean carpet of white, but other than that, it was as fresh as when it had fallen, and could have belonged to any period of time. This was why I loved living on the mountain.

I liked a lot of the comforts that came with the modern world, but there was something nice about not being able to tell what year it was.

My face was flushed with heat from the sauna, which helped to stave off some of the cold. I came to the pool and brushed some of the snow off the bench by the side. I slipped off my robe and the cold air brushed against my skin, drawing out any remaining heat from the sauna.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment, feeling the cold and snow around me feeding my magic and making me feel more powerful than moments before. I wouldn"t be able to do much with the magic, but it still felt good to have it within me.

I took a deep breath and jumped into the pool, letting the shock of the cold water rush over me. The invigoration from the sudden change in temperature was an experience like nothing else. I swam to the surface, breaking through the surface and looked around in time to see Erik heading over to the pool wrapped up in one of the robes I"d left outside the sauna.

"Decided to join me?" I asked.

"Is it really a proper sauna if you don"t jump into a cold pool?" he asked.

"Maybe if you roll around in the snow."

"I don"t know where I"d get any of that from," he quipped.

I tread water to stay afloat, enjoying the icy water. "Do you want me to get out so you can jump?"

"Is there room for two?"

"Easily," I responded.

"Then no need." He headed to the same bench I"d left my stuff on and started to untie the belt at his waist.

I made a show of averting my eyes so he was more comfortable. It was a while since I"d been in this situation with someone else and it was like I"d forgotten how to act around another person. Or maybe it was something about Erik himself.

"All right, I"m ready," he said.

I nodded and moved to the back of the pool, leaning against the side. My body had gotten used to the cold and I was starting to feel weightless and free. This was part of the sauna experience that I loved the most.

Water shot up into the air as Erik jumped into the pool along with me.

He broke through the surface a few minutes later and pushed his hand over his wet hair that had turned dark with the water. "Oof, that"s cold."

"It"s an outdoor pool," I responded. "And it"s meant to be cold."

"Mmm, true. I guess most of the time when I"m able to sauna, there isn"t a cold pool for me to jump into after."

"That"s a shame." I leaned back on the side and let myself float. "So you travel a lot for your job?"

"All the time. I"m home for less than a week this time." He came over to me and leaned against the edge of the pool alongside me.

"I"m sorry you"re stuck on a mountain with me for so much of it."

"Don"t be. I know it sounds like it"s a bad thing, but it"s nice to be able to have a few days where the rest of the world doesn"t actually exist."

"And now you know why I stay here all the time," I joked.

"I assumed that was because you like being around the snow so much."

"Partly. But it"s also because I don"t like being around people that much," I said.

"And here I am taking up your space and using all your socks."

I laughed. "Yes, but you"re only using my socks because I asked you to, I can"t really be mad at you for using them."

"I guess, but I still feel bad. Though these are surprisingly comfortable." He stretched out one of his legs, only to lose a bit of balance.

I reached out to steady him, bringing the two of us close together. Despite the cool of the water, I could feel the heat radiating from him. Some of it was no doubt because of the time in the sauna, but the rest was something else.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I"m fine, just not used to being in the pool," he responded. "It"s been a while since I"ve done this."

"Gone swimming with a goddess?"

He chuckled, his hot breath fanning against my cheek. "Believe it or not, this is the first time I"ve ever done that."

"I"m surprised. I"m sure there would have been plenty of goddesses willing to slip into the tub with you on that Jinx cruise."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think?"

"Mmhmm." I moved to put some extra space between us. "You"re handsome, charming, and talented, or I assume as much if you"re a professional musician and from what I heard through the door."

"I"m glad you think that, but I"m not sure that means any goddesses want to be in a pool with me."

"This one doesn"t mind." I flashed him a smile, somehow feeling like a young maid exploring the mountain for the first time. Not that I really remembered that time. But he was bringing something out in me that I hadn"t experienced in a very long time. It certainly wasn"t the normal way I felt around the men I spent time alone with. "Though I think it might be time for me to get out. But don"t think it"s because I"m bored, I"m just cold."

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn"t realise you"d be able to feel the cold."

"I"m a frost giant turned goddess, not a reptile," I responded, heading for the rope ladder that led out of the pool. "I"m going to have to ask you not to watch this because there"s no way to do it elegantly."

He laughed and turned around. "That okay?"

"Yes, all good." I climbed out of the pool, feeling a little more aware of myself than normal. I supposed that was because I didn"t normally come here with company. It was the kind of place I only shared with the animals who lived around here, and even they didn"t pay me a huge amount of attention most of the time.

The air was bitingly cold as I hurried over to the bench and wrapped myself up in the robe I"d brought with me. I pulled the hair towel out of the pocket and used it to twist my hair out of the way.

The water sloshed behind me, and despite knowing I shouldn"t, I turned around.

"Sorry," I murmured, averting my gaze as I realised Erik was climbing out of the pool.

"You"re fine. What"s the worst that will happen?" he asked as he finished climbing out and went to grab his own robe.

I shrugged. "I guess after the snow has gone, there"s not much chance we"ll run into one another again anyway." I gestured for us to make our way back inside. It was too cold out here to dawdle, even if we were having a pleasant conversation.

"We are both local," he responded as the two of us made our way back to the cabin.

"True." A weird feeling twisted around inside me at the idea of not seeing him again, which didn"t make any sense. I barely knew him and I never felt like this about anyone.

Erik pushed on the door and held it open for me to step inside. I offered him a smile and entered my cabin, feeling refreshed from the sauna and our trip into the cold pool, but confused about a few other things.