Natalia’s POV
I waited by the window, staring out at the white expanse of snow and fog. The cold air bit at my face, but I didn’t close it. I needed to hear those howls the moment they came.
Minutes crawled by. Then an hour. Maybe more. I couldn’t tell anymore.
All the while, the twins continued to sleep. I checked on them every few minutes, pressing my hand to their chests to feel them breathing. They were warm. Safe. For now.
I paced. Sat. Paced again. The explosive ruby burned in one pocket, the small dagger Andrei had given me tucked carefully into the other. My fingers kept drifting to both, checking to make sure they were still there.
What was taking so long? Had Andrei reached the base of the mountain? Had he gotten injured on the way down? Or had the Winter King found him b
