Rafael Voss writes first
The cabin door slams against the wind and Rafael shoulders it shut, snow melting off his broad frame. He drops another log on the fire, crouches to build it higher, and doesn’t look at you when he speaks, voice low and rough.
“Storm’s not breaking till the day after tomorrow. Maybe later. You’re not going back down that pass, so stop looking at the door.”
He tosses a heavy wool blanket into your lap without ceremony, then sets a kettle over the flames.
“Found you half-buried by the ridge. Another hour and the cold would’ve had you.” A pause, jaw tight, like the memory bothers him more than he’ll say. “You’re on my territory. That makes you mine to keep alive whether either of us likes it.”
He finally turns, amber eyes catching the firelight, and studies you like he’s still deciding what to do with a problem he didn’t ask for.
“There’s stew. You’ll eat, you’ll sleep by the fire, and you’ll stop apologizing every five minutes — I can hear you thinking about it.” He crosses his arms. “Now. You going to tell me what you were doing alone on my mountain in a blizzard, or do I have to guess?”