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"Well," Rhydian says brightly, "if you were going to get lost, you couldn't have picked a better place for it. Right on our doorstep. Practically delivered."

"She was lucky," Kaelen says.

We all look at him.

He doesn't soften it. "If we hadn't heard you, the wolves would've killed you. Lucky."

The room goes quiet.

And suddenly I'm back in the snow. On my back. That huge gray weight crushing me down. The stink of its breath. Its teeth snapping right in front of my face, and the little dagger shaking in my hand.

I'd known it was bad, out there. I'd known I was scared. But I'd been too busy fighting to really understand.

Now I do.

I almost died. I almost died alone in the snow, and nobody would've ever known.

Setting the bowl down on the tray, I notice my hands aren't quite as calm as I'd like.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

I look at each of them in turn. I want them to know I mean it.

"Really. Thank you. You saved my life."

Rhydian's grin softens into something warm. "Anytime. Though maybe let's not make a habit of it."

Kaelen grunts. It might be "you're welcome." It might just be a grunt.

Zarek looks at me for a long moment. Then he says, simply, "We're glad we found you."

Something in his voice makes my throat feel tight.

I clear it. Time to move on before I do something embarrassing, like cry into my soup.

"So," I say. "Has the storm let up? Do you think I could start out again soon?"

All three of them look at me like I've suggested going for a swim in the lake.

"No," Kaelen says.

"It's gotten worse since we brought you in. The enchanted garden around our cabin makes things look calm, but the storm is bad out there," Zarek says. "Much worse than it was when we found you. The wind's still rising, and the snow's piling up faster than anyone could clear it. No one's getting through that pass until this breaks."

I look at the windows.

All I can see is white. Snow whips past the glass so thick it might as well be a wall. The wind howls around the corners of the cabin like it's trying to find a way in.

My heart sinks right down to my toes.

I can't go back. Silas and the elders are probably already picking out my wedding dress. And I can't go forward, because apparently I don't even know where forward is.

I'm stuck. In the middle of nowhere. With three enormous strangers.

Zarek must see it on my face, because his voice gentles. "You're welcome to stay. Until the weather clears."

"Of course you are!" Rhydian says. "We have plenty of food. A fire. Every blanket you could ever want. And endless charm." He gestures at himself. "Mostly mine."

"The forest is dangerous even when the weather's good," Kaelen says. "Nobody should try the pass in a blizzard."