Page 90 of Of Rime and Ruin
“A little bruise,” she whispers. “But that’s okay. I’m a big girl.”
My heart lurches. My ears burn with shame.I hurt her.Goddess, I’m a monster. “I’m sorry, Sunfish,” I whisper. “I’ll do better.”
She throws her head and laughs. “Better?” she gasps. “Fuck, Aethan. I don’t know if I can handle anybetterthan that.”
Relief washes through me. I press a kiss to the back of her hand.
“You know that, for an asshole, you’re pretty sweet?”
“Get over here.” With a growl, I ensnare her waist, flip her over, and pull her into my chest. She molds against me, soft and warm as I cage her with my arms. Her hair cushions my chin, dark curls thick with her scent. Her ass nudges my softened erection, and I twitch, stiffening once again.
She nuzzles into me without complaint. I pull the covers over us, tucking the heavy furs around her delicate body. “Mmmm,” she hums. A yawn breaks over her lips. “I should get hypothermia more often.”
I chuckle. She’s dead wrong, but she’s cute.
“Sleep, Nahla,” I whisper, kissing her hair.
With my thumb, I draw lazy circles on her arm. Soon enough, her breath settles into the slow rhythm of sleep. Her ribs rise and fall beneath my arm. So easy. So trusting.
What have I done to deserve this?
I stare blankly into the surrounding darkness. The wind whistles against my ice-shelter, trying to find a crack to slip through. But my magic is solid; the cold can’t reach us here.
We can’t stay cocooned in the furs forever. Eventually, the sun will rise, and we’ll emerge from our haze. And what then? How long until she discovers my secrets? How quickly will she turn on me once she realizes the truth?
I’m not some princeling hero from her romance novels. I am the villain in her story, and someday I will ruin her beyond repair.
Chapter thirty-eight
Nahla
Theplainsarepretty,in the same way the Frost King is pretty—sharp lines and irresistible mystery. A foreboding emptiness stretches in all directions, promising life if only you know where to look for it. Or summon it. Morning greets the landscape with a swirl of violet clouds and a brisk wind. Even the sky mimics the shifting shades of his eyes. In the distance, a jagged mountain range squats at the horizon, dark silhouettes against the breaking dawn.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I inhale the crisp air. We’re off to an early start, hoping to catch the prey as they wake. The morning scout said there’s a herd of woollygoats in these parts, about a half-hour ride to the north. Around me, the hunters bustle, tossing their last supplies into saddlebags and mounting their snowbears.
Aethan stalks through the camp, his brow furrowed with deep concentration. Stalking is the only way to describe his movement—back straight as a rod, shoulders rolled witheffortless confidence. Those eyes flashing, missing nothing. His lips twitch as he lets out a low, sustained spell. He clenches his fist. In a second, each domed ice-shelter collapses into the snow, and the wind scatters them like dust.
My breath catches. Such raw force, rippling through his body.
And I fucked him last night.
He glances in my direction. Piercing eyes, straight into my soul. He doesn’t smile. Doesn’t speak. Only stares with the intensity of a blazing fire. Every nerve in my body awakens and screams at me to run.Towardhim.
My core flutters, replaying the feeling of his cock pounding me into oblivion.
I fucked the Frost King last night. Slept in his shelter. Spooned him all night long.
Shit.
This is not what I had in mind when I agreed to come on this trip. Hunting is the closest thing I’ve found to home since I’ve been taken prisoner. It’s similar enough to way-making—riding at the helm of society, thrilling at the chase, and feeling useful for once—but it’s a strange comparison to make, as I freeze my ass off instead of basking in the high-tide sun with Keen and Ramona. Are they doing okay without me? How far did they travel before my sister realized I deserted her?
Here I am, getting frisky in a foreign king’s furs, while my family and friends are… what? Are they searching for me? Or did they decide I’m a lost cause? Did Keen find another way-maker to train in my stead? Is Ramona in good hands?
The king is still staring at me. Cocking his head. My stomach flutters anew.
I wrench my gaze away from him, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.Mount the snowbear, Nahla.It’s not that fucking hard.
I came on this hunting trip to avoid imprisonment and to help the hunters—not to fuck the king.
