Page 48 of The Midnight Blizzard

I clung to the hope that Stephen only wanted to discuss funding the school. I would gladly talk about that. If he had other ideas in mind, I wasn’t sure what I would do.

My feet stayed warm, but my hands grew icy as Stephen led me to a chamber where the king and queen were talking excitedly with each other, broad smiles on each of their faces. They looked up eagerly when we entered the room.

“Noelle, dear!” the queen cried, rising to embrace me. “Stephen told us everything and we’re thrilled.”

That didn’t sound like a proposal to fund a school for mages, especially when I’d only just told him about it a few minutes ago. I shot a terrified look at Stephen, who smiled and nodded.

The king took my hands into his. “I’m very sorry to hear of the inheritance issues you’ve been dealing with, but rest assured that such matters can be easily resolved. Title or no title, you’ve won my son’s heart, and we would be honored to have you as part of our family.”

Chills erupted all over my body. I couldn’t marry Stephen, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. My mouth flappeduselessly. “I…I…” My throat refused to swallow, and my mouth became dry as paper. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m honored, but?—”

“There’s no misunderstanding,” Stephen said. “You discussed the situation with Jack, didn’t you? He brought you back, so we can announce everything.”

The harsh reality of my circumstances crashed around my ears as the entire world dissolved. Despite what I’d told him, did Stephen think I’d returned forhim? I couldn’t stay. I had to get away, now. How could I explain that I’d somewhat led Stephen on just to be near his advisor, who was forbidden from courting me, so he could help me investigate false claims—then begged for money for a school that had been shut down?

The glass doors that led to the courtyard beyond were closed tight, and snow swirled past in thick flurries that blocked out everything. If it weren’t for the warmth of my dress and shoes, I’d have been quite cold. The shoes, I thought in a panic. I’d become so distracted that I’d forgotten to take them off. Hastily, I tried to wiggle my toes to get the shoes off, but they were fitted too well.

Stephen noticed and frowned slightly. “What’re you doing?”

“The shoes, they just feel so cold,” I said quickly, wishing for once that Octavius was near so he could satisfy his rule-abiding heart and have me thrown out. “I…I can’t handle it anymore.”

His frown deepened. “But you looked comfortable wearing them. You didn’t even seem to notice.”

“My stepsisters are still wearing them,” I pointed out, finally managing to get one of the slippers off. It tinkled to the floor. “Vallia and Vanessa. You ought to talk to them.” Anything toget away.

“Noelle, don’t leave. Please stay.”

“No,” I whispered. “Your Highness, truly I’m honored that you think so highly of me, but I can’t marry you.”

“If you just wait—” the king began.

“I can’t!” I burst out. “I’m sorry to have led you on, Stephen, honestly I am. But even if we’re friends, I don’t love you and it wouldn’t be fair to either of us if we were married.”

“But, Noelle—” He tried to take my hand again just as the clock began to strike midnight. The license was expired. There was nothing else I could do. I pulled my hands out of Stephen’s grip and left the ice slipper on the floor without taking the time to cast off the second. I would find Jack in the dog yard.

“I need to go,” I said in a rush before I fumbled for the courtyard door’s handle and turned it. A blast of wintery air pelted everyone inside. The queen shrieked and the king shielded her from the blinding snow as I ran into the blizzard beyond.

“Noelle, stop!” Stephen called. “Your shoe!”

I didn’t stop. Blizzard or not, I wasn’t going to stay and let Stephen announce an engagement that I didn’t want.

Chapter 17

The ravenous wind tore at my hair and face, lashing against every bit of exposed skin it could find. I hated the sole remaining ice slipper that warmed my foot. They were wrong. Jack’s magic had chosen incorrectly. I didn’t love Stephen. We were friends, nothing more. I’d never resented a mage’s magic so much. It could have landed me in an unwanted marriage.

Every muscle screamed for relief as I pushed through the unyielding force of the blizzard, trying to find the dog yard in the blinding snow. My fur wrap fluttered like some tattered and useless flag, flapping wildly around me and making me struggle for balance. Snow drove down in sheets, a relentless curtain of white that swallowed the world around me and made it impossible to see the path ahead. I couldn’t even see the lighted windows of the castle anymore. How was I supposed to navigate my way across the castle to the dog yard if I couldn’t even tell where I was?

Shuddering from the cold and regretting my hasty flight, I turned back but to my dismay, couldn’t see anything. With each step forward the wind buffeted metwo or three steps backward or to the side, disorienting me more than ever.

Fear clutching at my stomach, I tried to feel around for anything—a statue, a stone wall, a hedge—but found nothing. As I waved my hand, searching for anything to hold, the wind caught hold of my fur wrap and ripped it from my shoulders; it was gone within the second it took me to turn around.

“No!” I collapsed in the snow, arms wrapped uselessly around my shoulders, too numb with cold to go any farther. It didn’t matter if one of my feet was warm if the rest of me was frozen solid. If I couldn’t see, no one would be able to find me either. Stupid, stupid,stupid. I was going to freeze to death because I had been naïve enough to think I could cross the castle’s courtyard during a whiteout. The longer I huddled in on myself, the fiercer the wind blew, until I was so cold I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Noelle!” The faint cry floated toward me, almost immediately snuffed out by the punishing gusts of wind.

I tried to find my voice to shout back, but each sound I attempted was swept away with the swirling snow. I squinted for the person who’d called me, but my vision was obscured by the frost that coated my eyelashes, and the cold bit through my dress as easily as if it’d been made of netting.

“Noelle!” It sounded like Jack, and he was getting closer. My heart leapt.

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