Without another word, she steps behind me, her sweet scent making my chest clench, and wraps her arms around me. I tense, not used to being touched like this. I don’t know how to react, and I’m terrified that if I move, my spikes will hurt her.
Slowly, holding my breath as I move, I turn to face her, careful to make sure she’s not in danger. I can’t speak, don’t trust myself to, but I lift my arms and close them around her. It’s the only thing that makes sense right now.She’sthe only thing that makes sense.
The fire that burns inside me is no match for the heat between us. The warmth that Ingrid’s touch brings is different. It’s not the kind of heat that can burn, but gentler, soaking deep down instead of resting on the surface, until I can feel the sweet comfort of her embrace in my bones. She buries her face against my chest, silently asking to be let in.
How could I ever keep her out?
My arms tighten around her, and I’m convinced that now that I’ve been able to hold her like this, I’m never going to be able to let go. She squeezes me, and whatever problems and worries I had a minute ago are long forgotten. I let myself relax into her, knees buckling with relief.
And for the first time in a long, long time, I think we might actually be able to get through this.
Together.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Ingrid teases from inside the carriage as I’m helping load them for another day of travel.
“Oh? Who?”
“You, silly.”
“Am I?” I ask, wiping rain from my brow. It hasn’t let up, and the roads that were a muddy inconvenience before are quickly turning to swift little streams that pose real danger.
Her brows lift skeptically, but I’m truly clueless. “Um, let’s see,” she starts, ticking off points of evidence on her fingers. “You had a full breakfast—andasked for a second helping—you’ve been making small talk with the footmen, you haven’t barked a single order all morning even though it’s raining and everyone else is miserable, and I’mprettysure I heard you whistling a minute ago. Did you sleep well?”
Tightening the knot I’m working on, I pause for a moment before realizing she’s right.
Huh.
“Not particularly,” I answer with a shrug. With the memory of Ingrid in my arms still fresh in my mind and the woman herself behind a wall and a door, there was little hope of me finding any peace last night. If anything, the lack of sleep and torrential downpour should have worsened my mood.
“I wonder what could be the cause for it, then,” she muses, face aglow with a broad grin.
I consider it for a moment before I land on the most likely answer.
“Our next stop is Goldenmere. I think I’m eager to land in friendly territory.”
Ingrid’s smile drops, but I’m not sure what I’ve said. A moment later, her eyes widen.
“Defender of… Ohhhh, it’sthatGoldenmere? I mean, of course it is, but…”
I groan, shaking my head. “Who gave you that name? I told them now that I’m king they need to scrub that from the history books.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! What you did was incredible! The way you… Wait a minute… Did you just… Did you make ajoke, Your Majesty?”
I grunt. “I’ve been told I should leave them to Valenar.”
Ingrid laughs, and I’m not sure what I said to make it happen, but the sound is wonderful enough I don’t care.
“Whoever said that is wrong,” she says. “That was a good joke!”
“Your Highness! Your Highness!” Earl Brennar’s housekeeper races down the road from his estate, waving her arms at us. “Your Highness! Thank goodness you haven’t left yet,” she says, hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath, already soaked through from the rain. “You…You can’t go to Goldenmere.”
“What are you talking about?” Ingrid cuts in. “Why not?”
“There’s no time!” the housekeeper cries. “We just heard from Stoneberry Rise… They have a clear view into the valley… The rain, Your Highness…”
Each breath is only enough for her to provide a few words, but it’s enough to chill me to my core.
“The dam… It’s not going to hold.”
