Chapter 70. Avalanche and Stampede
The beast mark etched into my skin...the intricate pattern that tied my soul to Tigris...was still there.
It wasn't fading. In fact, it was pulsing with a faint, steady, rhythmic warmth.
"The beast mark only severs upon death," Jor explained softly, his golden slitted eyes reflecting a rare gentleness.
"The tiger is trapped beneath the ice, but he is breathing. He is alive. Do not despair."
A fresh wave of tears burst from my eyes, but this time, they weren't born of pure despair.
It was a suffocating mix of relief and agony.
I buried my face back into Jor's neck, sobbing all over again, my fingers clutching his shoulders as the heavy knot in my chest loosened just a fraction.
Outside the tent, the atmosphere was a completely different kind of miserable.
Taka was kneeling in the snow, his hands still bound, shouting apologies toward our tent every time he heard me cry.
