Page 170 of The Frost Touched Queen

She goes to slap me again, but this time I catch her wrist before she makes contact with my cheek.

“You must be hard of hearing, kitten,” I seethe. “I said fuck your crown. I never wanted it,” I tell her truthfully, staring at those big silver pools she has for eyes that now only see a stranger. “It was never your crown. It was you. I wanted you.”

She snatches her arm away, as if my words have brought another wave of pain intent to drown her with.

“Always the liar. You lie so beautifully that you almost had me convinced. You almost had me making the biggest mistake of my life.”

My heart refuses to make a sound, even to beat at her sullen remark.

“How could I ever crown such a hideous monster? May the gods have mercy on your soul, Teodoro. For I am blessed that they showed me theirs by opening my eyes to the truth just in time. You are not who I thought you were. And the first thing I will do after I marry Levi is tell him he has my consent to seek his revenge on the man who had a hand in murdering his parents.” She then leans closer to my ear, her arctic demeanor chilling me to the bone. “And then when he plunges his sword into that hollow black void you call a heart, I will take your example and do absolutely nothing. The last thing you will see is me not lifting a finger to help you.”

She then pulls away, but not fast enough for me not to catch the flash of heartbreak mixed with all the hatred she now possesses for me pass through her gaze.

“As soon as my people are packed and ready, we shall leave Nas Laed at once. Farewell, Teodoro, for the next time I see you, I guarantee you that day will be your last.”

And as I watch her back disappear from my sight, an old haunting memory takes her place.

Chapter 47

Teodoro

Sixteen Years Old

With my back pressed up against a wall, I hold my breath and keep as still as I possibly can, hiding from the two soldiers that are walking down the hall. I close my eyes, as if the darkness of sight will make it that they can’t see me either. Once I hear them turn the corner, I let out a relieved exhale and take a peek at the hall to confirm that they are gone.

Once I’ve made sure the coast is clear, I sneak into the dimly lit corridor in search of Levi’s chambers. Even though I’ve only been to Arkøya a handful of times, I count on my memory to show me the way. When I find the door that I believe will lead me to Levi, I gently pull it open just in case whoever is inside isn’t one of my closest friends.

When I walk inside, the first thing that stands out for me is how the room is cool and gray compared to my warm colorful chambers back home. Like Levi himself, his chambers scream serious and grown up. Not that I’m surprised. I don’t remember Levi ever acting like a child, even when he was one.

The second thing my gaze latches onto is the sound of shallow breathing coming from the bed in the center of the room. I walk over to the side just in case I made a mistake and got the chambers wrong. When I see Levi’s face, sound asleep, I rush over to him.

“Levi… Levi… Levi,” I whisper, hoping that the sound of my voice will be enough to wake him up from his slumber.

When he doesn’t so much as stir, I grab his shoulder and begin shaking it.

“Levi!” I whisper-yell. “Wake up, you big oaf. I need you to wake up.”

“Go away, Teo. I’m sleeping,” he reprimands, slapping my hand off his shoulder.

Gods help me.

“I said get up,” I seethe through my teeth, and with both hands I start to shake him

“The gods, Teo. What can be so important that it couldn’t wait for you to tell me tomorrow?”

Because you’ll be dead by tomorrow, I think to myself but refuse to say those horrid words out loud.

“Please, Levi. Just get up. Get dressed. We have to go,” I insist, pulling the covers off him before turning around to search for his clothes. A hard task to accomplish since Levi apparently likes to sleep in total darkness aside from the moonlight coming through the glass of his window.

In the corner of the room, there is a set of clothes pressed and ready for him to use hanging on the arm of a chair. I rush over to grab the clothes and a pair of boots and then run back to his bed, where I find Levi still wiping the sleep from his eyes with his fists.

“Here. Put these on and be quick about it.”

“Is this one of your games, Teo? Because I’m too exhausted for your pranks,” he complains, looking at his clothes like he would rather push them to the floor just so he could get back into bed.

Fuck!

I place my hands on his shoulders and cling to them tightly.

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