“True,” he said, smiling. “But I meant the interesting kind of dangerous.”
Maeryn gave a curt nod and slipped away, leaving us in the hum of the frostlight.
Kael walked closer, the edge of his smile softening. “Ready to run screaming yet?”
“I’ve thought about it.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I don’t think they’d let me get very far.”
He chuckled. “You might be right. But it’s more fun when they underestimate you.”
I tried to match his lightness, but my throat felt tight. “They’re not underestimating me, Kael. They’re waiting for me to make a mistake.”
He studied me for a long moment, expression flickering between humor and something more serious.
“They’ll make you pay for being seen,” he said finally.
“Perhaps I’ll stop hiding.”
His smile returned, but there was something wary in it now. “Brave or foolish?”
“Both.”
He laughed softly. “You really are dangerous, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer. Because somewhere behind us, I swore I heard the frost whisper my name again.
However, it wasn’t the frost I heard next. It was the fae. Their whispers found me before I reached the upper corridors.
They weren’t loud, just constant. I couldn’t catch most of the words, but I knew what they meant. When people stop speaking as you pass, it’s because you’ve become something worth fearing or mocking. Sometimes both.
Kael walked beside me as though he didn’t notice. His ease was infuriating. He moved like the air bent around him, like no one would dare speak against him even when they wanted to.
“You’re enjoying this,” I muttered.
“Immensely,” he said. “It’s not every day Winter gets entertainment this beautiful.”
“That’s not helping.”
“I wasn’t trying to help.” His smile was quick and mischievous. “I was trying to see you smile.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Then I’ll keep trying.”
I tried to glare at him, but it came out closer to exasperation than anger. The warmth of him—his laughter, his confidence—felt disarming in a place that had none.
We reached the grand stair. A cluster of courtiers stood near the railing, voices quiet and poisonous. I caught the tail end of one sentence as we passed.
“... the mortal thinks she’s his equal now ...”
Another voice, higher and crueler: “Or his distraction. Either way, she’ll freeze soon enough.”
The laughter that followed was sharp.
I stopped walking before I realized it, and Kael’s expression changed almost instantly, the smile dropping, replaced by something older, steadier. His warmth cooled but not toward me.
