THE STORM didn’t let up overnight. The air inside stayed warm from the fire Jeremiah kept going, but the silence was different this morning—charged. As if the cabin itself knew today would cross a line Lily and Jeremiah had been circling since they’d set foot in this place.
Jeremiah tightened the wraps around his knuckles, rolling his shoulders as Lily finished tying her boots. She had bed-flushed cheeks and lips that still looked soft from sleep. He forced his eyes away.
Focus, man.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, tugging at her hoodie like she needed the fabric as armor. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
They moved to the mat he’d set up in the center of the cabin: thick padding, enough space to train without crashing into furniture. The fire crackled behind them. Snowlight pooled through
