Page 46 of This Frozen Heart

“Over here.” Wolf springs from the snow suddenly and dashes toward a small door engraved into the wall of ice.

Pushing myself up with far less grace after the stress I put on my knees, I wobble toward her just as she successfully opens the door.

“The quarters where the male servants sleep are to the left,” Wolf whispers. “I’ll ensure the rest of our company gets into their positions per our plan.”

I step inside before freezing— it is just as cold inside as outside. “What if someone spots me before I can find Kay?”

“Just put on a morose expression and you’ll fit right in. And if anyone other than the Snow Queen sees you, they won’t even care, anyway. Everyone has too much of their own bitterness to pay attention to you.”

Nodding, I slip inside, letting my exhaustion show on my face.

The door opens to a horizontal hall in front of an ice wall. I go left as instructed, slipping as I go. I slide to the opposite wall and brace myself on it as I glance down the new hallway that has appeared.

It is narrow, and I see several ice doors engraved into it. But which one leads to Kay?

As if I summoned him, the man I seek rounds the corner on the opposite side of the wall. His face is downcast, but he wears the same uniform as before and appears unhurt.

Barely keeping myself from calling out to him and alerting others of my presence, I lift a hand and wave wildly.

Kay doesn’t so much as glance my way as he walks over to one of the doors and pushes it open.

I stare, a little stunned. Then I carefully slide down the hall, dragging my hand along the wall to keep from crashing onto the icy floor.

When I reach the door Kay disappeared into, I twist and slam my body into it. It slides open, and I stumble inside, into a pair of waiting arms.

I lift my gaze to find a pair of unfamiliar eyes staring at me.

“Uh, sorry.” Awkwardly, I pull away from the man who caught me, a golden-haired Gaelic who is most certainlynotKay. This one is several years older and has his hair in braids. He is wearing an elegant tunic covered in an unreasonable number of buttons. The top several aren’t secured, though, revealing a silver mark shaped like a snowflake over his heart.

The man’s eyes narrow, and then he pulls away from me. I have to stagger my legs to keep from falling.

“Watch where you’re going,” he snarls before storming past me and slamming the door behind him.

“Maybe don’t live on ice if you don’t like spontaneous collision!” I call after him.

“If you find ice so distasteful, why come to a palace made of it?”

At the new voice, I whirl around, nearly toppling over. But ice or not, I go still when I see the man who spoke those words.

Kay stands next to an intricately carved glass wardrobe. His expression is as smooth as ever, but the chill in his eyes from our last encounter remains.

“Kay?” I whisper. We seem to be alone in this room now, but I can’t make myself look away from him long enough to make sure.

“It’s Kai now, actually.”

I blink. “Are you well?”

“Well enough, considering my heart is frozen.” Kay undoes the top buttons of his uniform, unties his undershirt, and pulls them both away enough to reveal that he still bears the snowflake mark. “Or have you forgotten my sacrifice so quickly?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten about any of it.” He’s not wearing a coat despite the frigid temperature. Does the Snow Queen’s curse give him greater resistance to the temperature, or is his Bloodline Magic alone keeping him alive? “That’s why I’m here— to save you because you saved me.”

Snorting, Kay turns from me as he continues undoing his uniform buttons. “Figures.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve come to sabotage a second opportunity at a promotion.” He shakes his head at me like he’s utterly disappointed in my behavior, but also unsurprised.

I gape at him, steadying myself on a bedpost that is surprisinglynotmade of ice. “What do you mean? You’ve barely been here a day. How have you been offered a promotion already?!”

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