Alek felt a twinge of anticipation as he paced at the bottom of the steps outside Talia’s redbrick building. Even though it had been the only thing he’d known as home since awakening, his thoughts were increasingly more familiar toward it, though he could still recall the castle he’d known long before this.

Perhaps all that mattered was that Talia was here. If she, too, had lived in a stone-hewn castle that had stood for ages, then he would have called it home as well.

The handle at the doorway clicked, and his ears perked at the sound. When he looked up, Talia was emerging from the portal, hair long and straight like it had been last night, wearing similar garb but in different colors, all of it accentuating her feminine shape.

He wanted to pull her into him and kiss her like last night. But even then, he’d worried he’d acted untoward, in spite of the heat of the moment.

This time he planned to woo her correctly.

“Well, you certainly look different,” Talia remarked, pulling her shoulder bag higher as she took the first step down.

Alek appraised himself, worried he’d missed his intended mark. Blue wool coat, long blue jeans, and a long-sleeve shirt bearing the logo of the linen maker from whence it was derived. “Different? But my intention was to look more normal. More ‘human.’”

Talia laughed, a light, tinkling sound like icicles. “Exactly. You look like you’re starting to fit in.”

He preened a bit, feeling satisfied and reaching a hand up to help her down the last few steps in case there was ice.

“I’m pleased you think so.” He offered his arm for her to take.

She looked at him for a moment, eyebrow raised. Then she wrapped her arm around his. “Did Chelle help you?”

“She directed me to vendors where I might acquire modern garb, but the selections were of my own choosing. I must say, the variation is astounding.” As he spoke, he led them toward their first destination, an eatery that Luka had scouted out earlier that day.

“Really? How did you get money for that? Please don’t tell me Chelle let you use her card…”

“Actually, no. Dmitri, thankfully, had on his person a large sum of gold ore, which we were able to exchange for currency. Quite a lot of it, actually.”

Talia seemed pleased and confused at the same time. “How… resourceful. I didn’t know you guys were carrying it around with you. Though, I guess I never asked.”

The night was crisp and cold around them, the slightest of breezes carrying on it a thousand faint scents from around the neighborhood. And even if the air here was never quite as clean as the air he’d remembered once having, the still-familiar scent of nearby pines from the outlying forests warmed his heart.

A few minutes later, they were at a little restaurant named Susan’s Sandwiches, where they ordered some hot soup and grilled bread with melted cheese between the slices. After they’d seated themselves, Talia opened her container with the soup inside and started to blow on it.

Alek wanted to use his powers, even for something as small a task as cooling hot liquid. But he couldn’t risk her knowing his true identity as a dragon. At least not yet.

When he’d first mentioned dragons, it had been plain that she didn’t even know of the existence of his kind. And as a woman of science, she trusted in what her mind could comprehend.

“Here, allow me,” he offered. She handed him the container, and he blew over it, trying hard to keep from exposing himself.

As the lord of winter, Alek was used to other people doing his bidding. That much he could recall. But in this new world, this new life he was discovering with Talia, all the rules were changing.

Satisfied, he handed Talia back her soup, and she tested it with the tip of her spoon, eating it cautiously at first.

“Thanks, that’s perfect.” As she took a larger spoonful, she moaned lightly, making his senses stand at attention. Her full lips were red tonight, sensual even, as she enjoyed such a simple pleasure as food.

Perhaps the simplest pleasures were sometimes the greatest.

He turned to his own meal, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a delicious bite.

“So tell me about your science, Talia,” he said, gulping down his mouthful, hoping to distract himself from staring at the angel across from him.

Talia paused, eyeing him suspiciously. “Are you sure you want to know? I warn you; it’s both boring and complicated.”

He shrugged. “I can’t promise that I’ll understand. But I’m curious nonetheless.”

“I’m studying microbiomes found specifically in ice and other sub-zero climes.” The animation in her voice was infectious.

“Micro… biomes?”

“Ah… hm.” She paused for a second. “So our bodies are made up of billions of tiny organisms called cells. And those same cells make up other plants, creatures, you know. Well, sometimes those cells also survive in places with really bad weather where most living things can’t.”

Alek shivered at the idea of so many tiny things moving around inside him, so he just nodded and listened as she explained more. By the time they were done eating, he felt like he had a rudimentary understanding of what she did. Or at least what her intended goals were.

Luka would have to explain the rest to him later, probably.

“So what got you into science in the first place?” he asked, discarding their refuse and opening the door for them to go outside again. High above them, stars twinkled in the night sky. Somehow, it was the same sky he’d remembered as a child, yet now it felt so different.

And that damned ache in the back of his head wouldn’t go away.

“You okay?” she asked, this time taking his arm immediately when offered.

“I’m fine. But about you?”

“Ah, yes. Me. Hm.” She went silent for a moment, a far-off look in her eyes that he recognized in himself. Memories. “I guess it was something I was good at.”

“Good at? I’m good at striking blows, but that doesn’t mean I intend to make a career of it,” he remarked, relishing the feel of her bundled-up body next to his as they strode into the darkness toward their next destination.

“I was always better off by myself. Growing up was hard for me, always someone who liked reading, liked learning knew things.”

“You and Luka are similar in that regard.”

“Yeah, I guess. Hopefully, his childhood wasn’t as rough as mine. In this day and age, being an intellectual, being called a nerd, a geek, it singles you out as someone who’s lesser than the rest. You’re made fun of, pushed to the bottom of the social hierarchy.”

“That doesn’t make sense at all. Luka was my highest-ranking official. Everyone revered him, next only to me. And he is what I would call an intellectual.”

“If only things were like that here,” she said wistfully.

“Humans don’t make sense at all,” he muttered angrily. To think that people would treat Talia poorly just because she was doing something admirable infuriated him.

“I guess we humans don’t, do we?”

Alek didn’t have the heart to correct her on the fact that he was a dragon, not a human. But to be fair, Talia was unlike any human he’d ever been in contact with before, either.

Or had he? Alek had the sneaking suspicion that if he had ever met someone like Talia, he could have never forgotten them.

But then why couldn’t he remember important details about his own past? Namely, how he had gotten here?

“I’m sorry about that.” Alek couldn’t remember having felt that kind of alienation, that negative attention, as a child. If for no other reason, he knew what it felt like to be out of his element now.

“It’s okay. Life moves on.” She shrugged, seemingly grateful to be moving past the topic. “So where are we going? I haven’t been on this side of campus since my undergraduate.”

“Actually, I think we’re here now,” he noted, following the signs as they approached several large, fenced-off areas. To the side a sign read “tennis courts,” along with a sundry list of rules for use of the area.

He didn’t know what tennis was nor care to look into it. He just needed a clear, flat space.

“The tennis courts. I’ll be honest and say I’m not really in the mood for a late-night frozen game of tennis. Not unless you want me to end up like you a few days ago.”

“Your witticism is unmatched, Talia,” Alek said, laughing a bit to himself. More at the idea that he would ever let her freeze to death than the idea of her actually freezing. “But I made other plans,” he added, opening the gate and moving to a small duffel bag that he’d planted off to the side prior to the date.

“Wait, is this court… covered in ice?” Talia remarked, looking at the glassy sheen spread across the surface, casting the green- and red-painted blocks on the ground in an ethereal blue hue.

“Indeed it is. And we—” He paused for a moment, producing two pairs of worn-looking ice skates from the bag. Chelle had said this was an activity humans liked to do on ice. “Are going skating.”

“Oh my God, how did you do this? It’s amazing. Did you just spray over it with a hose or something?”

Alek certainly wasn’t going to say he’d used his dragon powers, given that they came and went so he’d have no way to prove it. He just nodded at her suggestion since it sounded logical enough.

“If campus security catches wind of this, we could get in trouble.”

“Do you see anyone else around? Besides, if they do show themselves, I’m sure I could best them easily.”

She shook her head. “Please don’t go punching more people. Unless absolutely necessary. You have my permission then.”

He chuckled. “I don’t need your permission to do that. But back to skating,” he said, bringing the skates toward her.

She took an uneasy step out onto the ice, testing it. When she almost slipped, Alek dropped the skates and rushed to her side to catch her.

“Your shoes are insufficient for this task. Hence, might we consider putting the skates on, first?” he said, leading her back toward the duffel.

“I know. It’s just so pretty, the clear ice. It must be at least an inch or two thick.”

For a moment, he helped her with the seemingly unending stream of laces, tying them up and helping her to her feet before putting on his own. Even at the largest size, they were woefully snug. But he could bear with it in order to spend more time with Talia.

He’d put up with almost anything, he felt.

Which was still an odd thing to feel about a human.

“Wee, look at me go.” Talia pushed off with all her might, sliding forward but slowing more quickly than she likely anticipated. As she slowed, her feet began to point in odd directions and her knees wobbled.

Like a bolt, he was on his feet, sliding up to her side and putting an arm around her.

“Have you ever done this before?” he asked.

“No. But it always looked fun,” she exclaimed.

“Here, let me show you, then.” He’d practiced a bit when he’d first frozen the court over, and since being on the ice in any form felt like home to him, he’d caught on pretty quick. Just like he’d caught on to being in this world.

For a few minutes, Alek led her around, demonstrating the proper motion, teaching her how to use the ice, not fight it. And in no time at all, she was beginning to make circles around the edge of the court by herself, without his help.

“You’re a good student, Talia,” he said, skating backward in front of her as she tried to keep up with him.

“You said you were the lord of winter. Not the lord of skating.” Her breath came out in long, white puffs, arms pumping as she struggled to go faster.

“Well, skating is an inherently wintery diversion. So I would submit it only makes sense that—”

“Showoff,” she accused as he effortlessly skated a circle around her, coming beside her. He pulled her close to him, one arm around her back, the other hand grasping hers in from of them as they moved in tandem together.

“I think I like this better anyway,” he whispered into her ear. She shivered, trembling slightly in his hold.

“Your breath. It tickles.” Talia’s voice was soft, her body moving perfectly in time with his as they glided across the surface, carving long lines into the ice. For several minutes, they stayed sealed together, only the sound of metal blade on frozen water permeating the night air. As they did, the moon’s reflection followed them, chasing and withdrawing with each circle as they made their way in a never-ending loop.

But eventually, Talia’s shiver became and actual shiver from cold, and she rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to produce warmth.

“Oh, the temperature. I’m sorry,” Alek said, realizing that humans weren’t naturally equipped to handle such severe temperatures without an absurd amount of garments.

“My bad. I guess I didn’t dress warm enough to be out here this long,” she said between chattering teeth.

“No, it’s my fault. I’m so accustomed to snow, ice, the cold, I forget what it must feel like for other people at times,” he said, pointing them back to the edge where their shoes and duffel bag were location. When she was safely seated, he produced two large mugs full of still-warm hot chocolate, and he poured a glass for Talia, which she took gratefully and sipped at for a minute until it had warmed her.

“Well, I guess that would only be fitting for the lord of winter, wouldn’t it?” This time, when she called him by his formal title, she smiled up at him instead of grimacing or averting her gaze. It made Alek’s heart thump, made his throat go dry and his fingers feel tingly.

He took a seat next to her, pouring himself a cupful as well, bracing at the extreme sweetness of the beverage. Next time, he’d have to ask Chelle how to make it a little less sugary.

“This was perfect. Things are stressful for both of us, so it’s nice to have some fun. I don’t get out enough sometimes. Thank you, Alek.” She nestled into his side, resting her cheek on his shoulder as they looked out over the frozen court. For several moments, utter silence lay over them like a heavy blanket, Alek’s senses buzzing with Talia’s nearness.

In spite of all his reservations, in spite of his doubts about his future and his past, he did the one thing he could no longer wait to do.

He turned to Talia, who looked up at him. Using his finger, he tilted her chin up, leaned down, and kissed her.

This time was entirely different from the first. Instead of a spur-of-the-moment, rushed meeting of two people, it was slow, soft, enmeshing. At first, the kiss was barely a brush of their lips, hers full and soft and a little cold from the chill. But as he pressed them closer together, their contact warmed, heating Alek from the inside out with indescribable fire he couldn’t pinpoint.

For a long second, they kept locked together, their own stillness reflecting the stillness all around them. Then, as Talia moaned—the sound barely perceptible even to his incredible hearing—he claimed her mouth more freely, more intensely.

Talia parted her lips, allowing him entrance, and he swiped inside with his tongue, wet heat joining them within. As he did, he wrapped his arms around her back, and she relaxed in his embrace.

No words were spoken. Just pure, raw emotion flowing from one being to the other.

He’d never wanted something, someone, so badly, ever. Not in his memory at least.

Just then, the bite of a fast-melting snowflake on his cheek interrupted them both, and they turned up to look above them.

“Do you see this? Snow, right out of a clear sky?” Talia exclaimed in wonder, reaching a hand up to catch a heavy flake as they sat together.

Alek frowned at the fact that even his own powers were still a mystery. But just as his head began to hurt, as it always did when he tried to think of the past, he felt Talia sigh at his side.

“I wish we could just sit here forever,” she said happily, distracting him from his thoughts.

“We can’t?”

“No,” she said. “It’s freezing. And I have to get back to the lab. In fact… after our date, I was sort of hoping to run some tests.”

He cocked his head, considering it. It wasn’t how he had expected the night to go, but it gave him an excuse to stay beside her. “Sure, why not?”

“Great.” She stood up, reaching a hand out for him. “Let’s head out.”