Page 79 of A Bride for the Winter King
He pulls me up and presses his mouth to my shoulder, his lips curled in a smile. “Now, let’s get you to bed.” He picks me up in his arms and carries me to the guest room.
“I was there with you on the mountain. I stabbed the bad guy. Surely, that earns me a seat at the table in whatever secret meeting you plan to hold. And I’m not tired.”
That last bit is a lie. I’m exhausted, but I’m not sure I can sleep, not so soon after I almost tasted the oblivion of death.
Elio lays me down on the mattress, his expression fierce and serious as he hovers above me. “I need to figure out how I’ll present the Gray Man’s incursion in Wintermere to the other royals, and to my people. Every kingdom has secrets, Lori, and my crown is coveted by many who don’t understand its price.”
I move to sit up. “I don’t need to be tucked in.”
He presses his forehead to mine with a sigh. “If I don’t treat you like the foreigner you are—a Shadow huntress at that—the others will either believe I’ve lost it for good, or think that you’ve put a spell on me. You don’t want the Spring Queen to ask too many questions about you, right?”
Ayaan’s face flashes in my mind and acts as a lightning rod, freezing me in place. “Right.”
“Sweet slumber, my little spider.” Elio plants a kiss on my lips in lieu of goodbye, and I watch him leave with my heart lodged in my throat.
He’s not seeing me as his enemy anymore, but he still doesn’t trust me. And he won’t share my bed. He’s perfectly happy fucking in corridors and wagons, but the walls around his soul are not coming down. These stolen moments are merely allowing me a glimpse of what lies behind the ice, but it’s never actually melting.
And I want it to, which is foolish and scary.
Chapter 31
Tears that Ain't Coming
LORI
Captive in Iris’s body once more, I tease the knots of my long black braid, giving it more volume. My reflection in the full-length, standing mirror is one of pure annoyance as I secure a heavy pair of diamond ear cuffs over my pointy ears. “If you would only get off your high, frosty horse, you’d see there’s nothing wrong with it.”
A black sequin dress with a thigh-high slit flows around my body, revealing every curve, and underwear is conspicuously absent from my outfit.
“I’m not saying it’s wrong. But two parties in that many days… All these people drunk together under one roof. It’s a recipe for disaster,” Elio answers from his piano bench, tickling the notes without thought. “I don’t see why we couldn’t celebrate both birthdays at the same time.”
“Well… it’s done now. The invitations went out weeks ago. The rooms are all made up and ready, and our guests are about to arrive. I can’t tell them they’re not welcome.” I throw Elio a glance over my shoulder. “Are you ready?”
The fancy tuxedo Elio is wearing, combined with Iris’s striking appearance, indicates some fancy birthday party, indeed.
Elio only sighs in response, his shoulders hunched. “Are you happy with me, Iris?”
His voice reeks of sadness. I yearn to spin around and walk to him, to see what is so obviously weighing on his mind, but Iris does no such thing.
“Of course! Why would you ask that?” I answer instead, touching up my braid and makeup one last time.
“All these parties…this noise… We can’t get a moment of peace.” He wraps his arms around my waist and meets my gaze in the mirror. “A moment alone together.”
“You knew you married a spring fling, dearest. I couldn’t survive on books, music, and solitude if I tried,” I chuckle. A teasing smile glazes my lips as I spin around in his embrace and tighten his black tie. “You’re a bit of a bore, you know.”
“But you’re happy?”
I slap his chest. “Shush. I’m perfectly happy. But there’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What?”
“Can you ask Sarafina to skip it? It’s Mother’s birthday, and you know how she is… She can’t stand the sight of death.”
Elio lets go of me, my earlier annoyance reflected in his eyes. “Yet she manages to stand the sight of me.”
“You’re the king. And my husband. Sara is…depressing.”
“A year ago, she was still princess of this castle, Iris. We can’t cast her out now, not when she’s decided to pledge her life to the realm.”
