Page 163 of Frost and Death
“Wh-What?” I stutter in disbelief.
Fury and jealousy flare in Niko’s eyes as tears coat both our cheeks.
“It’s a simple question, Tove,” he snarls.
I blanch from his toneless reaction. I haven’t seen Niko this mad.
Ever.
I hesitate underneath his scornful rage, barely able to stutter out, “N-No. Absolutely not.”
“So, I am supposed to believe you’ve changed your mind about everything because you feelsorryfor him?”
“Yes,” I tell him sharply, hating that he is making this about Jerrick more than about me not wanting to hurt anyone.
Niko’s laugh is bitter, still doubting me. His body fills the frame of my mother’s mirror, the rage inside of him escalating.
“You’re quick to forgive a man who lied to you, kidnapped you, and forced you into a marriage?”
“I forgave a man who shot me with an arrow!”
I clamp my mouth shut.
Hurt flashes across Niko’s features as he flinches. Niko masks the pain while he tosses his arms into the air, growling in frustration.
“Don’t you get it, Tove? That manisn’tgoing to let you return home. There is a marriage decree that binds you to him, and he is not going to agree to a divorce. Calling the banners and killing him is the only way you will get to leave that place. It’s the only way for us to be together.” Niko curses in disgust, refusing to stand down.
“You aren’t going to kill him,” I command, desperate for him to listen.
Niko wants to fight, but I can’t watch another confrontation between him and Jerrick.
My new plan will work. It must.
I keep my anger caged, containing my fearful thoughts at bay as Niko’s cold, menacing gaze meets mine.
His jaw tics as he leans in close to the mirror, showing no hint of any other emotion aside from pure unfiltered rage.
“Yes, I am,” he states, stepping back.
Panic explodes when he disappears from the reflection. I don’t hear the door opening, so I raise my voice.
“As your queen, I command you to stand down!”
The door slams hard from the opposite end of the reflection, and a few things on my old vanity in Axidoria shake from the abrasiveness of Niko’s exit.
Terrors sets in.
Niko is too far down this path of revenge.
Fear creeps in.
I’ve ruined my relationship with Niko before I even had a chance to experience it.
A door opening again startles me, Dorit entering in greeting. I clutch my mother’s mirror to my chest, my lip quivering from heartbreak and stress sinking deep into my bones. Fighting the tears away is no use because Dorit notices and rushes to my side.
“What’s wrong?”
Her sweet, perfectionist heart is desperate to fix everything.
