Page 43 of The Alien's Cruel Starfrost Domain

Or maybe like ice.

Apparently unaware of my internal struggle, Ivrael murmured, “Hold on.” Then he sheathed his sword along his back, used his freehand to grab the pommel of the saddle, and swung himself—still holding me—onto the horse’s back.

I yelped a little. I don’t think I had realized until that moment exactly how strong Ivrael was. Then again, I didn’t know as much about the Caix back then as I do now.

“Be still,” Ivrael barked as I tried to sit up.

“You could make another horse,” I muttered.

When he didn’t answer immediately, I tilted my face back to look at him.

In his jaw, a muscle tightened and loosened, bunching up under his skin in a rhythmic motion. Finally, he ground out, “Since I can’t trust you not to try to run away and get yourself slaughtered, I can’t let you ride free.”

I inhaled to speak, reluctant to accept his version of events, but the look he gave me prompted me to click my teeth shut over my words. With a gesture from one hand, Ivrael directed the horse back to his home, then wrapped that arm around me, as well.

The ride back to Starfrost Manor took even less time than I had anticipated. Either Ivrael’s magical horse moved faster than I realized, or as I’d traveled through the forest, I had not been moving either as quickly or in as straight a line as I had thought.

I was pulled out of a half-doze when Ivrael once again lifted his hand away from where I was snuggled into his lap. But this time, it was to make an odd, waving gesture just before our icy steed bunched its legs under it to leap, and we sailed over the stone wall surrounding the courtyard. I had known that was where we were headed, of course, but that knowledge did not prevent my heart from clenching down in my chest, as if it had expelled every last drop of blood and sent it rushing through my veins, leaving me woozy and disoriented.

Before I could even fully formulate a thought, I let out a tiny whimper of misery, but then tamped it down mercilessly.

Under me, Ivrael flinched, and I could’ve sworn I sensed him repressing his response as quickly and ruthlessly as I had mine.

His jaw tightening again, Ivrael shifted me around until he held me with one arm again, and then swung us off the horseand onto the ground—where he still did not drop me to my feet. Instead, he held me in both arms as he stalked through the courtyard and around the back to the kitchen. When he walked in, kicking the door open and striding through just like the Lord of the Manor he truly was, Adefina was standing with her back to us, her head bowed as she stared into the fire, twisting one of her kitchen towels in her soft, stolid brown hands. When she turned to face us, I was surprised to see that her cheeks were tear-stained.

“You found her,” the cook gasped.

“She needs warmth and food, perhaps a healing salve for her head,” Ivrael said, his voice sounding oddly tense. “Where does she sleep?” But when Adefina opened her mouth to respond, Ivrael gave one sharp shake of his head. “Never mind. It’s better I don’t know.”

He moved over to the hearth, where he set me down gently and pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders.

He was right, I realized. I hadn’t felt it before, but my whole body was shivering, my scalp ached where the undead creature had pulled out my hair, and my stomach gave a loud rumble, even though it really hadn’t been that long since I’d eaten.

At the sound, Adefina tried to smother a snicker. Her mouth trembled and her cheeks creased as she bit the inside of her mouth to contain her mirth at my expense. “Glad to know she’s not too much the worse for wear.”

I glanced up when Ivrael didn’t respond, only to find him gone.

I hadn’t heard him leave.

I blinked at the door.

What exactly had he meant when he said it was better if he didn’t know where I slept?

CHAPTER 13

IVRAEL

It took every ounce of willpower I had to leave Lara in the kitchen that night instead of carrying her to my chambers. But if I did, I feared I would never be able to let her go again.

Wouldn’t be able to do what was necessary when the time came.

So instead, I entered my rooms alone, slammed into my private study, dropped my hands to the back of my chair, and heaved out an enormous gust of breath as if I could blow out all my frustration at once.

When that didn’t work, I dropped into the chair and ran my hands through my hair as I considered the events in the graveyard.

The iron gate should have stopped me. Any pure Caix would have been writhing in agony at the mere proximity of so much refined metal. But my blood, I assumed—combined with the power of my father’s sword—had allowed me to push through, though every step had felt like walking through fire.

I’d watched Lara stumble away from another undead Caix, her movements unnaturally quick for a human. She shouldn’t have beenable to avoid them so easily. Shouldn’t have been able to survive their touch at all.

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