I want him to touch me again. I would kneel between his knees and run my tongue over his chest right now if I didn’t think it would stick to his skin. How embarrassing would it be to be caught with my tongue frozen to his chest?
I need to warm him up. Literally. My instincts that I couldn’t save him with cold rejection were correct. But I still don’t know how to melt his heart.
“What do you see in her, Kai? Do you love the fae witch?”
“No, I—” He bites off the sentence. “Love is unnecessary. She…I…”
“Tell me. As a friend.”
“She chose me to be her companion.”
“You could have been a king,” I remind him softly. “You are needed back in Montrace.”
“My brothers…” An agonized whisper like he’s trying to summon a long-buried memory. Again, his expression twists as the shard intervenes. “Mother has things under control, I presume.”
“She does, but she is only the regent. You are the true king.” Twisting, I curl my fingers around his. “Come home, Kai. There is nothing for you here.”
Nothing but a frozen future full of sorrow and regret.
He grabs my wrist and hauls me into his lap. Frost bites through my shirt and stings my nipples. I settle myself astride his thighs with my hands braced on his shoulders.
“You’re feverish.” His one good eye burns with emotion. The other glints angrily. He clutches his temple, grimacing.
“The shard reacts when you look at me.” Casting about my pockets, I produce a kerchief I’ve used to hold back my hair and tie it around his head to cover the silver eye. “If we cover it up, does that help?”
“A little.” His hands drop to my hips. “I look ridiculous.”
“Very piratical.” For the first time since I’ve arrived at the ice palace, I smile. If I ignore the blue tinge to his nail beds and the way his veins are visible beneath his too-pale skin, I can glimpse the old Kai. My friend. “I’ve missed you.”
He releases a long breath and drags me forward in a tight embrace, burying his face in my breasts. I run my fingers through his hair. It’s silkier than I imagined it would be. I’ve barely touched him like this. I’ve hardly touched him at all, except for that one night at the ball. Longing simmers beneath our embrace.
“These could be the last few days we have together,” I say softly. Talking into his hair, I tell him about The Snow Queen’s challenge and what’s at stake.
“You shouldn’t have taken her bet. You won’t win.” Kai slides his palm up my spine. Despite the chill, with the fire to my back it’s a tolerable contrast. A hint of pink has crept into his lips. He’s stealing my warmth. I give it willingly, though it costs me dearly.
“If there’s a chance of freeing you, however small, I’ll always take it,” I tell him.
“I don’t deserve that.”
“No. Not really.”
He huffs a laugh. “I’ve been cruel to you.”
“Very.”
“Yet you’ve traveled all this way to find me.” He seems bewildered by this fact. Somewhere deep down, Kai understands that his behavior should have scared me off. He can’t figure out why I, a stubborn scullery maid in love with my childhood friend, came all this way.
“I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Kai. There is no danger I would not brave for you.”
I love you. I have always loved you. I don’t want to love anyone else. If I can’t have you, then I won’t have anyone. I would rather be frozen in time with you than live without you.
The fire crackles. I’m suddenly aware of the way his hand has drifted downward, tracing slow, small circles on the curve of my hip. He might be carved from ice but his touch trails heat. Tension coils in my belly. Gently, I tip his face upward.
I bend and press my lips to his, tasting winter in his kiss. It’s clean and bright and fresh, with a trace of warmth beneath the frost. I chase that hint of life beneath the blanket of snow. He releases an agonized moan and he grips my hips to the cusp of pain.
“I am the one who should be saying those things to you,” he whispers.
“You could always start,” I tease. His lips curve into a wry smile. His silly bandana seems to have quelled the silver shard, for now. His good eye fills with unshed tears.
