Page 123 of The Frost Touched Queen

I lean in and press a kiss to her temple, my own little way of showing her how remorseful I am for the way I’ve been treating her lately. I’ve been so stressed that I’ve been using my one and only friend as my own personal punching bag. She’s never complained, taking every punch like a trooper.

But the minute I started to insult whatever fling she’s having with Katrina’s handmaiden, she lost it.

Which means she’s falling hard for the redhead.

“Anya, is it?” I smile, tugging a loose lock of her hair and putting it behind her earlobe.

“Yeah,” Cleo says, her dark eyes sparkling again just with the mention of the girl.

“And does she feel the same?”

“It’s complicated,” she retorts, pulling her hand off me to bite her thumb.

“Ah, I see. So when you say complicated, what you really mean is—”

“She’s never been with a woman before,” she admits finally. “She’s curious, though. Very curious. But her track record isn’t the best, so she’s being cautious. All she’s known is a bunch of dipshits that say all the right words to get her into bed, and then after they’ve had their fun, they’re out the door. I can’t come to her with pretty words. I have to show her that with me, things would be different.”

“Hmm. Men are idiots, Cleo. They wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit them in the ass. You, however, dear friend, are no idiot. Which means if you care for her, then she’s worth fighting for. Make her feel safe, respected—loved. I promise if she gets those things from you, then your situation will get a whole lot less complicated.”

Cleo takes my words to heart, and I can see she’s already thinking of what she can do more to win her girl.

Meanwhile, I’m still stumped on how to win mine.

“We have kissed, though. Among other things,” Cleo adds, to which I smile.

Another sign of being in love, is that when someone gives you an opening to talk about the person who holds your affection, you run with it. Any excuse just to say her name out loud is a good one.

“Come, let’s go sit down inside where it’s cooler, and you can tell me all about it.” I wrap my arm around my friend as she starts telling me everything she’s been up to these past few days while I’ve just been locked in my room, licking my wounds.

“Oh! I just got an idea!” she shouts excitedly, jumping up in front of me.

“Yeah? For your girl or mine?” I chuckle.

“For yours!” She smiles widely.

My heartbeat kicks in as I wait for her to tell me what she’s come up with. “Well, go on! Tell me!”

“Okay, so cherry pie—”

“Cherry pie? Really? That’s the pet name you gave her? A little on the nose, don’t you think?” I tease with a playful smirk.

“Oh, like kitten is so very fucking original.” She rolls her eyes.

“Touché. Okay, go on. You were saying?”

“Anya,” she over pronounces the word just to taunt me, “says that she hates this place. That everything about it only reminds her of Levi. She says that the queen sits by her windowsill just staring at the hill where they were separated from one another.”

“Shit!” I curse.

“I think you’re right. Men are fucking idiots. Because a woman would have made sure not to give her a room with such a view.” She wiggles her brows.

“Okay, fine. I fucked up. What’s your plan?”

“My plan was for us to take the queen home. To Nas Laed. A person would have to have a heart of stone not to fall in love with that place.”

“Not stone—ice,” I whisper under my breath.

“Huh?”

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