Where The Ice Gives Way (Charlotte and Blake) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180 Breakfast Justice

Charlotte

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Emily and Theo arrive at breakfast, and I can finally take a proper breath. I don’t think for one second that Theo would have been anything but respectful with her. He would probably throw himself out of a window before he made her feel cornered, but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t worried about how Emily would handle spending the night alone in a room with him. Especially after Blake and I

discovered we had two single beds in our room.

At first, Blake just stared at them and grumbled. “This is offensive,” he said.

I laughed so hard I had to sit down on one of them. He called Gareth to see if we could switch to a double, and that was when we found

out that the two room keys Blake had been given were for different room types. One had twin singles. One had a double. Which meant, if

we had the singles, poor Em and Theo had the double.

I had grabbed my bag, ready to go and swap before it got awkward. Blake followed me down the hall, but when we got near their door, we heard laughter from inside. Emily’s laughter. It slipped through the door, soft and bright, followed by Theo saying something I couldn’t

quite make out, and then Emily laughed again. Blake caught my wrist before I could knock.

“This will be good for them,” he whispered.

I turned on him so fast he leaned back. “They only have one bed.”

“They’ll be fine.”

“Blake, can you not see how awkward that would be in there? They need two beds.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, which meant he was trying very hard not to laugh at me. “Lotty. A little bit of forced proximity never did

two willing mates any harm.”

I looked at the door again, practically chewing my lip off, but more laughter came from inside.

I questioned it. Hard. I questioned it all night. Well, except for the parts where Blake distracted me, which he did with great dedication

and absolutely no shame. But every time I came up for air, my mind drifted back to Emily and Theo in the room down the hall. Now,

watching them walk into the hotel breakfast room, I think Blake might have been right.

They’re close; there is barely any space between them. She looks happy and refreshed, and his smile is enormous, and his chest is a little

further puffed out today. Emily looks up at him and says something under her breath, and Theo’s grin somehow gets worse. I look at

Blake, who already has one eyebrow lifted. I narrow my eyes at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being openly right before

coffee.

He leans down, brushing his mouth near my ear. “You can say it.”

“I will bite you.”

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15:13 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 180 Breakfast Justice

“Later?”

I elbow him lightly in the stomach, and he laughs against my hair.

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Emily sees me, smiles, and I pat the chair beside me. “Saved you a seat.”

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She slides into it, and Theo places their bags near the wall before he all but runs over to the buffet. He comes back with his arm full and

starts placing things down between him and Emily.

“They do indeed have pancakes,” he says, like this is important news.

Emily’s mouth curves as she reaches for the whipped cream. “Breakfast justice has been served.”

I blink between them. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Emily says quickly.

“I’m sorry I asked,” Blake says, reaching for his coffee.

“You didn’t ask,” Theo says.

“I felt Charlotte’s questions through the bond and decided to regret it on both our behalves.”

Emily laughs into her glass of orange juice. Two weeks ago, she had been curled into herself, shaking under a blanket, flinching at every sound. Now she is sitting in a hotel breakfast room with pancakes on her plate, making jokes with her mate across the table. I look down

at my own plate to hide my smile.

Gareth clears his throat at the end of the table, pulling our attention. “We leave in twenty minutes. Roads are clear so far, but I want us

moving before the weather turns.”

“How far now?” I ask.

“Four hours if the roads stay clear,” Gareth says. “We’ll stop once before we hit their outer territory. I want everyone to be alert when we

arrive.”

I place a hand over my sternum as a wave of unease rolls through me, and Blake’s gaze snaps to me. “What?”

“Nothing. Just… Shanti.”

His fingers tighten slightly on my knee, and he lowers his voice. “What is she doing?”

“Listening.” That’s the only way that I can describe it, as I try to understand what’s happening. The room keeps moving around us, and

everything looks normal. Still, beneath it all, something feels off.

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15:13 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 180 Breakfast Justice

“You okay?” Emily asks then, and I make myself smile. “Oh, Yeah. Just tired.”

She nods like she understands, then pushes the syrup toward me. “These are better with too much of this.”

The guys start chatting about syrup quantities, and the table eases again. I force my mind to relax, and I tell myself there is no danger

here. For these last few minutes, I let us be a group of tired teenagers and worried adults in a hotel breakfast room, eating pancakes

before a long drive. Theo makes Emily laugh, and Blake steals another strawberry from my plate, and Gareth check his phone one last

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