Page 64 of Of Rime and Ruin
Hunger.
Fuck.
With force, I push away from the desk, stand, and pace. I fist my hair, pulling until the pain sharpens my mind.
My stomach churns around a recent meal. Did I eat her?
Goddess. What have I done?
As I slip into my pants, I shove my offending cock inside the leather, then button my shirt and pull a cloak from the wardrobe.
I must find her—dead or alive.
I bang on the door until ten locks click in rapid succession and the door swings open. The guard stiffens to attention, eyes white and wide. “Your Majesty?”
“Gather a search party,” I bark. “Now.”
The sconces flare as I pass through the hall, flames fueled by the flap of my cloak behind me. The guard scurries to keep pace. “Right away, Sire. Who are we searching for?”
Will he be so accommodating once he learns my truth? Or will he abandon me with the rest of them, their once-king rightfully dethroned?
For if she’snotdead, then she’s a liability. A spy with a secret that doesn’t belong to her. And that knowledge in the wrong fins can only mean trouble.
My voice turns hoarse. “The spy.”
***
Istandonthedark shore, waiting. Unmoving. Snow falls around me like dust, crusting my hair and melting against my face. A pile accumulates on my shoulders. The white powder sits in my periphery, washed in the colors of the aethersky.
The night wind is as restless and bitter as my thoughts, skittering across the waves and tossing the ice floes, seeping through my cloak to nip at my chest. But I will not leave this spot.
Ten of my Frost Guard have entered the Rime, searching for the princess I lost.
Or consumed.
What will they find? The rest of her, stowed in a cave somewhere? Or is she gone without a trace?
My stomach rolls. My tongue turns to sand in my mouth, and I vomit onto the stones. Chunks of meat float in the remnants. Pink and fresh, littered with dainty bones.
Goddess above.
I vomit again. Then again. I heave until my stomach wrings out like a cloth, squeezed of all that’s left. Acid coats my tongue.
I can’t unsee those bones. Small, fragile bones. Are they hers? Too small for an arm but maybe her fingers…
Again, I retch. My vision clouds, and I stumble toward the ground, settling on my knees. I tuck my head between them andsqueeze my eyes shut. When I inhale, the acrid scent cloys my throat.
I’m losing my shit.
When the bile finally passes, I wipe my mouth and sway as dizziness sets in.
A stronger male might have sorted through the mess, just to be sure. But I cannot bear it. Instead, I cover the evidence, pushing stones to hide my weakness.
Finally, the water stirs, and my Frost Guard emerges. Water streams from their slick bodies, their tails rearrange, and the captain steps forward.
I stand to greet him, and my cold muscles protest.
His expression is sullen, shoulders slouching with an air of defeat. The guards behind him shuffle along, kicking the stones. I cringe as they narrowly miss my vomit.
