He gave her a droll look. “As I well know. You drove my warriors mad. They were always searching for you.” He cocked his head. “Why didn’t you leave sooner? There were plenty of chances for you to run.”
“Because I received a sign that my brother never made it to safety. That my plan had failed. I had no choice but to move forward with their plan, even if part of myself died that day.”
He inhaled deeply, scenting for the truth. “So it was not because of anything I did?” he rasped.
Her eyes widened. He thought she chose that moment because she didn’t want him? To fend off his affections? Dahlia caught his cheeks between her palms. “No,” she breathed. “I have never been touched with that much love or reverence in the whole of my life. You didn’t pursue me that night. I pursued you.”
“Why then?” His voice cracked.
“Because I’m selfish. I had made so many sacrifices, and in that moment, I just wanted you for myself. I felt safe, loved, and seen for the first time in so long. You made me feel that way,” she whispered, looking away and dropping her hands to his chest. Her cheeks heated in shame and embarrassment at her admission. “I wanted you, but I had little time.”
He crooked his finger beneath her chin and lifted, his sharp gaze roving her face. “You could have come to me. You’d already spared Lumi. I would have understood your situation.”
She laughed softly and wiped the tears from her face with her forearm. “I couldn’t risk his life on a gamble that you might care enough for me not to kill me on the spot.” Lia exhaled. “And now look… my whole world is in this tent.” She swallowed hard. “In your hands after everything.”
“And there is no one else they hold over you?”
A lone tear dripped down her cheek. “Not anymore,” she admitted.
He inhaled and some of the tension drained from his shoulders. “Thank you for telling me the truth.” He wiped her tear away. “You are extraordinary. Did you know that my mate?”
Mate. Her wet lashes stuck together as she rubbed her eyes. “Flawed, more like it.”
“As we both are. Today, we move forward, no more secrets. No more games.”
She still had two secrets. Hidden truths that would ruin everything. “Are you saying you trust me?”
He arched a brow. “As much as you trust me, wife.”
Which was not much if the chains from the last several weeks were anything to go by.
Neve pulled Dahlia closer and held her. She wrapped her arms around him as much as she could, her fingertips flexing against his muscular back. Lia leaned her cheek against his chest; his chin pillowed on the top of her head.
It was perfect.
I love you.
Lia squeezed her eyes shut.Be brave.
“I love you,” she murmured.
Neve’s chest rumbled and he held her a little tighter. The Frost King pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I know.”
But was it enough?
Dahlia didn’t know.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
DAHLIA
The parley had been set.
The wind tugged at her cloak as she stood on the blood-soaked battlefield, her black velvet dress inky against the snow. The Asterans had arrived, their orange-and-red banner waving in the air on the other side of the battlefield.
Snowflakes began drifting from the sky.
“It’s time,” Olwen said, giving her a long look. He’d managed to secure the sapphires for her. Perhaps it would be enough to buy them a few more allies.
