My sleep is restless.

I’ve managed to sleep in all kinds of places, from cold, metal bunks in solitary confinement to cold alleys while surrounded by thieves, but I prefer a nice, warm bed.  The ground is hard, and the cold seeps through the coat I laid below us.

I don’t try to adjust my position much since Seri—or Netti—is sleeping soundly, and I don’t want to disturb her.  Or them.

I’m starting to realize that pronouns are an issue.

I open my eyes though I can’t see much of anything aside from vague shapes in the dark.  I also can’t hear anything, but that’s a good sign.  I think the storm has passed, and if there is starlight, I’ll be able to find the cabin.  I just need to wake Seri up so I can check, but what do I call her?

Nouns are also an issue.

“Hey,” I say quietly as I shake the woman’s shoulder.  “Wake up.  I think the storm has passed.”

“What?”  The sound from her voice is more of a croak than a word, and it’s immediately followed by a fit of coughing.

“You okay?” I ask when the cough quiets down.

“I think so.”  She coughs a bit more and then tries to sit up.

“Low ceiling,” I say, reminding her.  “Be careful.”

She lifts herself onto her elbows, and the parka falls off her head and shoulder.  She shivers and presses close to me, coughing again.

“You sure you’re all right?” I ask.  I grit my teeth, trying to figure out who I’m talking to.  “Do you know where you are?  What’s my name?  What’s your name?  What’s the cat’s name?”

 “Ha ha,” she says.  “Bishop, Seri, and Solo.  Can I get up now?”

I smirk at my own cleverness, glad she isn’t able to see my expression.

“Yeah.  You’ll have to crawl out before I can.”

“All right.”  Seri shuffles around for a moment.  “Feet first?”

“It’s the only way.”

“Got it.”

“Put my socks on first.  Your boots are still wet.”

“Okay.”

Seri shuffles her way out of the cave and I follow, bringing with me our boots and my inner coat.  Loose snow covers the area, but I don’t think it’s any deeper than it was before.  I pull my boots on and stand up straight to stretch my back and get my bearings.

The sky is bright and still, and the half-moon is visible.  I can clearly see the outlines of the barn and the cabin in the distance.

“It doesn’t even look that far away,” Seri says.

“It’s not,” I reply.  “The problem is finding it when you can’t see through the storm.  The worst thing to do is to get yourself lost.”

“How long have we been out here?”

“Just a few hours.  With your boots still wet, I’m going to carry you.  It will be slow going, but at least you’ll stay dry.  We’ll be back in the cabin with a fire going in no time.”

Seri holds her wet boots, socks, and my axe, and I carry her piggyback style, slowly, toward the dark shape of the cabin in the distance.  When we get to the door, I can already hear Solo howling from the other side.  Beyond the door, it’s dark and cold.

“Poor kitty,” Seri says as I set her down on the floor inside.  Solo runs around in a circle, screaming in his little kitten voice.  She picks him up and holds him to her chest as he continues to meow.  “Were you scared?  I was scared, too.”

After shedding my winter gear, I light the kerosene lamp so Seri can see well enough to get Solo some sustenance while I get the fire going again.  I find a few hot coals buried in the ashes, and the fire lights quickly after I pile them together and toss some kindling on top.  I make cold sandwiches so we don’t starve waiting for the coals to provide enough heat for cooking.

I head into the back of the closet and bring out the bearskin and lay it down on top of the braided rug for a little more warmth.   All of us sit close to the fire, Solo on Seri’s lap, to try to ward off the chill while we eat.  I’m tired, but all I can think about is the wood still sitting on the sled by the barn.  I need to get back out and haul it to the cabin.

“My stomach is killing me,” Seri says as she rubs her belly.  “I guess lunch didn’t agree with me.”

A few minutes later, she jumps up and runs to the bathroom.  Solo races after her, but she closes the door, and he turns to yell at me.

“Nothing I can do about it,” I say with a smile.  I tap my fingers on the floor, trying to coax him over, but he’s far too pissed about the door in front of him.  He whines and paces.

Seri is in the bathroom a long time.  When she finally comes out, she can’t meet my eyes.  She picks up Solo and coos at him.

“Feel better?” I ask.

“Yeah, a little.”

“Did you get sick?”

“Um, not vomiting, no.  Just, uh, trying to avoid TMI.”

“TMI?”

“Too much information.”

“Oh.  Okay, I get it.”

“You never owned a cell phone, did you?”  She snickers.  “That’s a pretty common abbreviation for texting.”

“Never had use for one.  I don’t have anyone I want to call, and everyone seems to just play games on the things anyway.”

“I have to admit, I was definitely one of those people.”  Seri places Solo on the floor and then sits down in the chair with her hand on her stomach.  “My phone was rarely more than a couple of feet away from me.  Lots of social media and silly games.  It still feels a little strange not having it.  Every once in a while, I start to grab for it, and then I remember I lost it.”

“Is it in your backpack?”

“Yeah, I think so.  The battery had been dead for a while though.”

“We could try to find it.”

“I’m not sure I want it anymore.”

“Why not?”

Seri looks at me for a long moment and then shakes her head.

“I guess I’m getting used to this rugged living.”

“A few hours in a snow cave, and you’re ready to join the Inuit?”

“Not exactly.”  Seri leans forward and holds her hands out toward the fire.  “But it does put the important things into perspective.  Phones no longer make the list.”

“They were just getting popular when I started high school,” I tell her.  “A couple of my friends had them, but they weren’t the fancy ones people have now.  Mostly it was a way for parents to keep track of their kids after school.”

“That’s how I conned my father into buying me one.”  Seri smiles, then frowns.  “Well, Iris did, anyway.  She was late getting home, and no one could find her.  Our parents were worried sick.  It turned out she was still at school—late soccer practice or something like that—and she finally called from a friend’s phone.  After that, we both got phones of our own.”

I listen to Seri’s musing, but I need to get the sled back, so I excuse myself and gear up.  It takes some time to get the wood from the sled stacked up on the far side of the fire, and having the door open during the task has cooled off the cabin again.  I place the fish up on the kitchen counter to thaw and hang the caribou hide on a hook at the back wall.  I’m completely exhausted by the time I’m done, but I go back to building up the fire with dense wood for extra heat.  When the fire is blazing, I haul the sled back to the barn, then return to the cabin, ready to drop.

“You should get some sleep,” Seri says.

“Yeah.”  It’s the only word I get out before I drop to the bed and close my eyes.

When I wake, Seri is standing by the fire, and Solo is curled up in his box.  There’s no sunlight coming through the window, so I know I’ve slept through the rest of the day.  Considering how little sleep I got last night, I must have needed it.

I sit up and ask Seri if she’s eaten yet.

“Yes, I fried some of that fish you brought back,” she says.  “Solo has eaten, too.  I made enough for you as well.  It’s in the kitchen.  Shall I warm it up?”

“I’ll get it.”

As I sit on the bed and eat, I watch Seri.  She’s not doing anything—just standing by the fire—but I can’t stop looking at her while I think of the last time I was with Iris.  I’m continually shocked at how normal it feels to have Seri here with me, and Iris...well, Iris certainly keeps me on my toes when she does choose to appear.  My mind wanders to how it felt to be inside of Iris and wonder if it would feel different with Seri.

I lick my lips and glance away.  I wonder what might happen if I start asking about Iris.  Would she hear the conversation and maybe make an appearance?  Would she do the sort of things she did to me before, like holding me down on the bed and riding me until I couldn’t think?

Before I can come up with something to say to cause Iris to appear, Seri pulls me from my thoughts.

“I’m still cold,” she says.  “Only the side of me facing the fire can get warm enough.”

Without thinking, I get off the bed and step up behind her.  I press my chest to her back and wrap my arms around her waist.

“Is this better?”

“Yeah,” she says quietly.

I hold her close to me, trying to keep just enough distance to stop my cock from being obvious.  She leans her head back on my shoulder and tilts her face to look at me.

“Thank you,” she whispers.  She grips my forearms with her hands.  “I do feel a little warmer.”

“My pleasure.”

She turns around in my arms until she’s facing me.  I feel the transferred warmth of the fire on her body and press myself against the heat as I wrap my arms around her back.  She reaches up to place her arms around my neck and looks at me, wordlessly, until my skin is tingling.  I watch her closely as she glances at my mouth and licks her lips, and my heart begins to beat faster.  I tilt my head and move forward until my lips meet hers.

The kiss is slow at first, but when Seri weaves her fingers into my hair, I press harder, opening my mouth and finding her tongue.  Our bodies press together, and I can no longer hide how much I want her.  I drop my hand to her hip, holding her against me, and she tilts her head to deepen the kiss as her fingers grip my shoulders.

After a few minutes, we release each other, breathless.  For a moment, we can only stare into each other’s eyes.  Seri’s cheeks redden, and she presses her face into my chest.  I’m sure she can hear the rapid beating of my heart as I hold her close to me.

I have no idea how far Seri wants this to go.  My cock aches to be inside of her, and I want to smack myself for not asking Netti how I could summon the other entities inside of this woman.  If Iris were here, I know I’d get some relief, but I’m not sure what Seri wants.  If she is seeking only the comfort and warmth of our closeness, it might not be enough for me.  I want more, but the idea of summoning Iris, even if I knew how, doesn’t feel right.

I want Seri.

I close my eyes and turn my cheek against Seri’s hair, inhaling her scent mixed with the smell of burning pine.  Her grip around my neck tightens slightly, and she presses her face against my chest.

“Bishop,” she says softly.  She says only my name, but when I wait for a question or a statement to follow, there is nothing.

“Seri?  Do you…do you want to…?”  I feel like a child without the capacity to express myself, and I’m terrified she’s going to switch to Iris, and that’s not who I want, not now.

She looks up at me with bright eyes and nods.

“I’m on birth control,” she says softly.

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“I, uh…”  Shit.  “I just meant, I figured you were.”

She narrows her eyes slightly, and I press my lips to hers again as a diversion.

Moving together, we kneel on the bearskin next to the fire, and Seri reaches for the hem of my shirt.  I lift my arms, allowing her to pull it over my head, and she drops it to the side.  She runs her hands over my arms, my shoulders, and my chest.

Our gazes meet, and I watch Seri pull her shirt over her head.  She reaches behind herself and unhooks her bra, which drops to the floor.

I let out a breath and copy her earlier movements, running my hands over her arms and shoulders first, then reaching for her breasts.  I run my thumbs over her nipples, cup her flesh, and kiss her again.  As I taste her, I feel her struggling with the button on my jeans.  Releasing her mouth, I raise myself enough to push my jeans and boxers down my legs while Seri removes her sweatpants and panties.

Once our clothes are discarded, we kneel in front of each other again.

Seri licks her lips as she reaches down and strokes the underside of my cock.  It pulses in her hand, and I tense to keep myself steady.  She runs her fingers over the tip, then reaches around to grip my ass and pull me in for another brief kiss.

Shifting her weight, Seri lies back with her feet on the floor, bringing me with her until I feel my dick up against her heat.  I reach down, grasp my shaft, position it, and look into Seri’s eyes.  As I hover over her, I realize I was never in this position with Iris; she was always on top of me.

“Seri?” I whisper.  I need to know.  I need to know it’s still her.

“I’m ready.”  Seri nods her encouragement.

Relieved, I slowly push forward, burying myself inside her.

We move together rhythmically.  There is no rush, just the merging of our bodies as the heat of the fire warms us.  I press my lips to her neck, breathing against her skin as I move, and she circles my hips with her legs, digging her heels into my glutes as she rises to meet my strokes.

I caress her skin with my fingers, trailing from her shoulder, over her breast, and down to her hip.  I hold still for a moment, stroking her thigh, then bring my hand back to her stomach as I start to thrust again.

Seri runs her hands over my back and then to my shoulders.  With one hand on the back of my head, she brings my mouth to hers.  She arches her back, and I press down against her, rotating my hips until she gasps into my mouth.  Her nails dig into my shoulders as she shudders and cries out.

  It’s the most incredible sound I’ve ever heard.

“Seri…I’m going to come.”  I still myself and squeeze my eyes shut.  “Do you want me to…”

“It’s okay…please…”  She tightens her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper inside her.  I feel her muscles clenching around me, and the pressure is too much.  After only a handful of strokes, I lose all control.  My entire body tenses as waves of sensation flood through every nerve.  Seri tightens her grip with both her arms and legs, squeezing so hard it tears the breath from my lungs.

She loosens her grip, and I press my forehead against her shoulder, trying to catch my breath.  She moves one hand up to the back of my head, slowly stroking my hair.

I prop myself up on my elbows and look down at her.  As we lay there on the floor in front of the fire, I want to tell her how amazing that was.  I want to tell her that I’ve never felt like this before and how I want to feel that way again and again.  I want to beg her to promise to stay with me even after the snows melt.

I say none of these things because when I look into her eyes, I know she feels the same way.