17
Dryas
When I come downstairs in the full morning light, I find Rue asleep on one of the couches, almost entirely covered by a heavy blanket. She looks so innocent like this, a bit of her face and her vibrant red hair sticking out of the blanket. The sunlight makes her skin look nearly translucent, makes her dark lashes stand out where they lie on her cheek.
For a second, it takes my breath away. How fragile she appears, even though she has proven to me time and again that she has a backbone made of steel.
She’s the reason for my hasty retreat to a harder-to-reach and more defensible place to live, way up here in the Alps. My brother will pull no punches when he comes for me. I can’t be apart from Rue, not before I’ve lured Derrik out into the open. It just wouldn’t be wise.
Squashi
