Page 98 of Of Rime and Ruin
And I’m left alone, staring into the sprawling dark as the panic settles in.
Sleep evades me. Outside, the wind shrieks and moans. Moonlight spills through the opening in the ice-shelter, shifting shadows on the ceiling as Audrina rises in the sky. All the while, Aethan lies beside me, taunting me with the ease of his slumber.
I’ve done what I said I would. I broke his silly rules, and I befriended the clawbeast. Escaped the cage. Explored his castle.
All that’s left is to leave the Rime. But Aethan will never let me go.
That way, you’ll never have reason to leave me.
Is that so bad a fate?
“Sunfish,” he whispers.
My heart lurches, and I glance at his face. His eyes are closed, twitching beneath his eyelids. Still asleep, then.
His lips part, and he exhales. He shifts within the furs, stretching his hand out until it lands heavily on my stomach. His fingers brush my skin, and he sighs. “Sunfish will stay.”
I’ve heard those words before. But it was the clawbeast’s voice, then, echoing in my head with the weight of a command.
Sunfish will stay. You will be safe.
Like I couldn’t be safe, if I didn’t obey.
My chest tightens, and I bring my hand up, rubbing at the forming pressure. A pang of yearning spasms, and I gasp as the emotion hits me like a crashing wave.
I didn’t realize how much I miss him until now. My friend. My glowering, gentle Beast. I miss the brush of his mind, thecold grasp of his emotions as they weave around my soul. The ridiculous piles of fish.
He was going to let me go that day. He broke me out of the cage and swam toward the exit. Until I mentioned the king, and he panicked.
Tears sting my eyes. This is silly, crying over the Beast, while he lies next to me. His breath spills onto my neck, and my scales rise in response.
I’ll be here whenever you need me.The ache in my chest intensifies as I remember his toothy grin, the moment he pushed me away. Pushed me toward the safety of his king’s domain.
Shit. This is so complicated. My head spins, trying to keep it straight.
Aethan’s fingers spread over my stomach, rough and warm. I turn my head to peer into his face and reach for him, pausing with my fingers a scale’s breadth away from his cheek. Is he in there, somewhere? The version of him I fell in love with first?
Chapter forty-one
Aethan
Thereturntripisuneventful. After an early start, we make good time, and the group rides into the courtyard as the high-tide sun peaks in a clear sky. I dismount, and my feet land on cold, sturdy stone. Home.
The castle rises in its rustic glory, beckoning me into its embrace. Nothing has changed, not here. Guppies chase the birds beneath the sapwood trees. The adults in the courtyard avoid looking directly at me as they peer in curiosity at our spoils.
My subjects seem happy enough. No fresh signs of mourning. No atmosphere of panic.
And the hunt was a roaring success, thanks to Nahla’s skill with magic. I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome. A sleigh brimming with fresh game, happy hunters, and Nahla in my furs two nights in a row.
Somehow, Goddess Audrina decided to shine her favor on me. And her favor looks a lot like a Brine Princess laughing in the firelight, cradling my head in her lap.
Nahla stayed with me last night.It wasn’t a dream. When I woke, she was still there, curled into my side. No sex. Just cuddling. Pure trust.
Fuck. What do I do with that? I could visit her tonight. We could sit next to the fire with a pile of furs. She could read while I run my fingers through her hair, letting the silky strands pass through my hands again and again until we lull to sleep. I’ll make sure it wasn’t a onetime stroke of luck.
“Ready?” I hold out my hand to help Nahla dismount. But she’s already out of the saddle, stroking the snowbear’s chin. Her hat sits lopsided on her head, exposing an ear to the cold. She doesn’t seem to notice or care.
“You be good, okay?” she coos to the snowbear, ignoring me.
