Page 53 of Ties of Frost

Half afraid of what I’d find, I reached for the heartbond—and immediately released it, but not fast enough to stop my mischievous grin.

She’d enjoyed that atleastas much as I had.

“I—we—we shouldn’t have done that.” Zidra ran her fingers through her hair, tangling them in her curls. “What if we don’t love each other and it’s just the heartbond—”

“Are you saying you love me?” My pleased smile probably made me look like an exuberant puppy, but I didn’t care.

“I don’t know!” Zidra tossed up her hands. “I thought maybe if I kissed you, I’d know if I care about you as a friend or if my feelings are romantic, but I can’t think about anything while doing that! At least not anything appropriate,” she added under her breath.

I lifted an eyebrow, but before I could say anything, she held up her hand.

“A heartbond is not a marriage, Ilifir.”

Normally her use of my last name would quell me, but something about the melodramatically put-out way she said it only made me bolder. “We took no vows against kissing outside of matrimony.”

She rolled her eyes. “Good to know you wouldn’t think it’s cheating if you kissed someone else.”

“I wasn’t talking about kissing anyone else.” I leaned forward and dropped my voice to what I hoped was a seductive register. “If you’ll have me, I vow to kiss only you, Zidra Eilmaris.”

Her lower lip went slack, and an odd squeak caught in her throat. I chuckled, but then she shoved me back. “And you expect me to believe you’re not a flirt.”

“May my insignia be revoked if I’ve ever said something so flirtatious or kissed a woman before tonight.”

Zidra side-eyed me, and her lips twisted to the side. “You’ll be the death of me.”

I might have laughed again if her tone hadn’t been sodeadly serious and if the bandage tied around her arm weren’t mocking me.

“We can’t have that.” I shrugged, fighting another smirk. “We’ll have to train together more so we can build trust. Perhaps utilize the heartbond more, since it seems it can warn us if the other is in immediate mortal peril. Then we can go into fights confident in each other’s ability to handle their side of the fight on their own.”

She looked ready to argue, so I added, “The emperor didn’t give us both the Merit because we’re pretty faces. We’re formidable on our own and together. We were top graduates from Harcos Academy. The top one percent of the top fifty percent who even graduate, and two of the three students in our class who were accepted into the Order. If anyone can have each other’s backs in a fight and work out any problems with coordination and trust, it’s us.”

“Hm.” Zee wrinkled her nose, looking unconvinced, but she didn’t argue.

“We should sleep.” I moved my things over, making more space for her, and lay down. After a moment, I heard her move around and then settle down, leaving plenty of space between us. I tapped on the enchanted stone, and the shelter went dark.

“Good night, Zee.”

Her answering “Good night, Kyr” was soft, yet it set my heart racing once again.

Sleep. I needed to sleep.

I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the hushed soundof her breathing, tried to forget I could roll over and draw her into my arms. I stifled a snort. Zidra had been right. Sharing a snow shelterwasmore intimate than sharing a room in a Haven.

“Kyr?” Zidra whispered.

I held my breath. “Yes?”

“Can you do it again?” I was about to be elated she’d changed her mind about kissing when she rushed to add, “The thing with the heartbond? Where you make it feel safe?”

Safe? That hadn’t exactly been my intent, but I supposed it was good that the sensations I’d tried to send had felt safe. Instead of answering with words, I mentally laid hold of the heartbond and focused on flooding it with all the warmth, comfort, and happiness I felt. Zidra hummed a relaxed sigh.

I closed my eyes and rolled onto my side.

Thank you, Iskyr.

When I awoke, the snow dome above me glowed a faint yellow, and the grassy, vibrant green of the glen was visible through the opening. I stretched, then froze when the back of my hand bumped into something firm and warm. Carefully, I wiggled onto my side, and my breath caught.

During the night, both Zidra and I had migrated to the middle of the shelter. She lay on her side facing me, one arm tucked up under her head. Mere inches separated us. She probably wouldn’t appreciate me staring, but she looked so ethereal and peaceful. I wanted to hold her close.The urge to kiss her forehead tormented me, but not right now. Not when she’d pulled back after our delicious kisses last night. I wouldn’t rush her and risk killing our tender new romance as surely as a late frost would wilt a flower bud.

---