Page 22 of Of Rime and Ruin
“To ruin me?” I place a knuckle beneath her chin, forcing her to look at me while she answers. Beneath my touch, her throat is soft.
“No, Your Majesty. I was playing with a pod of glosswhales and I followed them. Your guard-beast scented me, I assume, andattacked. I didn’t realize I was in your waters until I was locked in that cage.”
Her tone is sweet.Too sweet.Her pupils dilate, and I stiffen. She’s lying.
More pieces of my memory fall out of the shroud: glosswhales. The scent of a female. A flash of light. Golden scales.
I glance over her body, checking for wounds. No dried blood. No gashes. Relief washes over me, and I swallow the lump in my throat. What would I have done ifthisbody washed onto my shore, instead of my dungeon?
My imagination plays the image of this female’s body, shredded by my claws. Her hair dripping with blood. Her corpse, stiff with frost.
Nausea rises. I step away from her, sinking into the furs of my throne. My hands find the armrests, and I clench them.
I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone. Not even an outsider.
What am I going to do with her? She can’t go back to the Brine, not now, never. She’s seen too much already.
And if she is a spy…
“Playing with glosswhales, you say?” What an odd excuse for a spy. If she is one, she’s in a league of expertise I’ve never encountered.
Or she’s stupid.
“That’s right.” She jerks her chin in defiance. I can’t help the smile that twitches at the corner of my lips.
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Her answering smile is coy. “That’s right,” she repeats.
“You realize your fate lies in my hands, little spy. Don’t play me for a fool.”
“It’s hard to imagine His Majesty knows the meaning of play.”
Somewhere, a guard snickers. I shoot him a look, and he stiffens at his post.
She’s feisty. I like that. But I need an answer, not a game. With a snap of my Voice, I tighten her bonds, and she groans, twisting against the strength of my magic. I pull the ice across the floor, forcing her hands forward. She bows to me, still glaring, helpless to do anything but.
I wince as her soft lip trembles. Fear?
Good.She should fear me. Her delicate whims will not protect her against the danger I harbor inside.
Even if all I want to do in that moment is lean forward, suck that lip into submission, and calm it with my tongue.
I raise my hand and give the order. “Take the spy back to her cell.”
Chapter ten
Nahla
TheFrostKingisan asshole.
I’ve met his type before. Arrogant. Controlling. An emotionless void trapped inside a husk of hardened muscle—lots of muscle.
The way he looked in that throne room, his tight, snow-white stomach peeking beneath that cloak of matching furs. Torchlight casting him in a warm glow. Shadows playing on his cheekbones. That jaw. His hands, gripping the armrests of his handsome wooden throne.
Even his godsdamn bare feet were built.
He makes all the males at home seem like wrigglefish in comparison. I wanted to climb him, to see how light I’d feel in his arms. A male like that couldhandleme. And I would have climbed him, if he hadn’t pegged me to the fucking floor.
