to turn my gaze away, a sense of fright running through me as I rotated my gaze over my shoulder. My wide eyes met Finnick's large ones, which were immersed in the same level of frightening despair as mine.
"Finnick." My voice quivered before I acknowledged the mugs in his hand.
"Brianne? Brianne, hello?" Starlight's voice was coming out of the speaker of my phone, but I debated what was happening and if what I felt occurred mere minutes ago was about to repeat itself a second time.
My instincts kicked in as I lifted the phone to my ear. "Starlight."
"What the.... Why is your voice shaking?" she questioned with seriousness.
"Send help now," I voiced sternly. "We're about to be ambushed."
"What?" Starlight seemed even more confused, but I was already hanging up the phone as I slipped it into my pocket. I turned to Finnick. He seemed to understand my shift in mood. He walked over to me and lowered the steaming hot mugs of chocolate onto the ledge.
For a brief moment, we stood there, staring into each other's eyes as though we had to ensure this was real. I couldn't fight the urge growing inside me, so I reached out to brush his cheek, seconds before I tugged him down to kiss him firmly.
He hugged me for what seemed like only a few seconds, but in this intense moment of uncertainty, all that mattered was to be able to enjoy the elation and relief his embrace delivered to my soul.
My sweet Finnick.
"All of that...wasn't a dream, was it?"
We broke the kiss at the same time, the two of us leaning back to acknowledge the truth.
"Prepare for the craziness," I whispered, before smiling like we were about to get into a conversation. "Can you get some mini marshmallows?"
He searched my eyes for a second before his voice flowed into my mind.
"I'll get the others. We won't perish like that. Never again." His vow held a sense of heaviness to it, but it was justifiable. It would be foolish to ignore what we surely wished was a dream.
"Sure." He smiled back at me before placing a kiss on my forehead. We exchanged another smile of appreciation, but we knew what was being plotted within the depths of our minds.
He began to turn away, his calculated steps only confirming we were on the same page when I was sure he wanted to run for dear life to alert the others. At this point, we were being watched, and any wrong move could destroy this second opportunity in our midst.
Reaching for one of the mugs, I looked at the chocolate brown liquid before lifting it to my lips while my eyes slowly lifted to give off the impression that I was admiring the view and not scanning the forest for the first of many culprits.
How easy it was to locate the very person who'd pulled the trigger effortlessly - the manipulated bullet that was set out for me, only to pierce Finnick before the shooter met his own fate.
I felt a tad stupid for not noticing it, but it was difficult with his aura completely shut off and the black attire that made him flawlessly blend with the shadows of his hiding spot.
The way my blood boiled was already making my magic begin to creep to my fingertips, which triggered the steamy liquid to begin to boil like it was on top of a stove on high.
A hand fell upon my shoulder, and I forced myself not to flinch as my head lifted to acknowledge Finnick. One look into his eyes told me something was off, and I allowed my slight confusion to flicker in my gaze while his grin showed his dazzling white teeth. His eyes were now a sparkling gold.
"I found the marshmallows," he announced, and his voice was even deeper than normal.
Fuwa?
His smile merely widened as his eyes twinkled at my internal acknowledgment.
"Help is on the way. The others are ready to go into full battle mode. I just need to play my part."
My brain was quickly picturing the potential plan he had molded in the mere thirty seconds it took to return with the bag of mini marshmallows in his disguise.
You'll get hurt if that bullet hits you, Fuwa.
"Trust me, sis." The confidence in his voice aided in chasing away the veins of fear that were yearning to capture me. "Nothing is getting past me. When you anger a god, there are consequences."
His words seemed to trigger more snowfall, and clouds began